“Absolutely not, Nora. You’re an adult capable of making your own decisions and living with the consequences. I know you’ve had a few hard years with men. Maybe you just wanted to be someone else for a night, but your reasons are yours.”
“Thanks, Mom. I mean that. It was really that more than anything. I got caught up in someone like him hitting on me. We were chatting and it was so fun and natural. He joked about going to his room and when I went to say no, yes slipped out.”
Her mother laughed. “I won’t say good for you, because that might make me a terrible mom.”
“Or a good supportive one. You know it’s not me.”
“It’s not. Moving on. I’m assuming everything worked out since he offered you the job, and now it all makes sense why you think you’re nuts. How are you going to navigate all of that?”
“We agreed to put it behind us. I believe him when he says he’s moving on and will be respectful to me about it. The job is too good of an opportunity to pass up.”
If she told herself that enough, she’d believe it.
That maybe there wasn’t a tiny part of her that still couldn’t believe a man like him wanted someone like her.
Even if for one night.
But that was all it could ever be.
8
A PERFECT FIT
“There he is,” Janet Bond said on Saturday. “Come to see his mother.”
“If you came into the office I’d see you more,” Ethan said, moving closer to give her a one-armed hug and kiss on the cheek.
He wanted to come over in the helicopter, but no one was coming to the island this morning and he got caught up in the office when there would have been time to get a ride last night.
No reason for his brother to make a trip for him when coming on the ferry wasn’t the end of the world.
He’d be here with his car and could stay the night, maybe go back to the casino.
Though the memories of that were still a little too fresh in his mind.
And starting on Monday he’d be seeing Nora daily.
He had to be crazy to have done that. But he was putting work first and he was positive she was going to be a perfect fit.
“Why would I go into the office when there isn’t anything for me to do there?” his mother asked.
“I’m more likely to see you there than Egan.”
“That’s right but still false,” Egan said, walking into the room holding his daughter, Khloe. At just three months old, the baby was wide awake and looking around the room while chilling in her father’s arms.
Ethan moved in closer and put his hands out. “Give her to me.”
“Gladly. She’s got gas. If she drops a load in your arms, you get diaper duty,” Egan said.
“Should have figured that is why you’d hand her over so quickly.” He snuggled his niece closer to his nose, rubbing it against her much tinier one, then inhaling the fresh, clean baby scent.
Until she ripped one, then grunted.
Egan was roaring and backing out of the room.
“Give her to me,” his mother said.
He handed her over. “Yeah, I’ll take her back when it’s done. Where is Kaden?”
