I roll my eyes and follow after her. The only thing dangerous about Nora Everhart is her mouth. A flush of uncomfortable heat burns across my flesh.Not like that, idiot.
Once inside, she turns to face me, herdangerous mouthpuckered into a slight pout. Now I’m fixating on her lips.Not the time, man, not the time.I don’t even like her.
But youdolike her mouth…
I clear my throat and attempt to not look guilty. This only has her growing more suspicious because now both her and Clo are watching me like I might be the predator she was worried about when she first stepped inside.
She’s turned my bird against me. Awesome. What a way to pay back my generous hospitality.
It’s technically notyourbird.
I bristle at that thought. Goldie may’ve been my responsibility in the end, but she was not blood.
After a beat, Nora relaxes and then looks around my living room. A sense of pride fills me, but I’m guarded, waiting for her negative reaction.
“This is nice,” she says softly. “You don’t seem the type to decorate well.”
A compliment followed by a jab.
What I don’t tell her is that she’s one hundred percent right. My sense of decorating sucks. But Mom, and my sister, Jessi, are really good at it.
“Your grandma never mentioned you being such a judgmental?—”
Clo squawks saving me from Goldie returning from the grave to clobber me for insulting her granddaughter.
My jab back at Nora must hit where it hurts because she frowns and won’t meet my eyes. Not in a fearful way. More like she knows I’m right and she feels bad about it.
Next time Monroe expects me to do something honorable, I’m going to tell him right where he can stick that idea.
Chapter 7
Nora
This was a bad idea. Being here, inside his home and when I’m feeling so unnerved and out of control, is a recipe disaster. We’re already like oil and water. Our personalities don’t mix well.
Now I’m being forced to stay with him.
But what’s the alternative? Head back to the airport? Sleep in a hot house with no water that will send me into a panic attack?
I have to at least stay the night.
“Right,” Elias says under his breath. “So, you can stay in the guest room. It’s down the hall, second door on the left between the main bedroom and my office. Make yourself at home.”
When he starts for the front door, my heart begins to race. “Wait, where are you going?”
Clo cocks his head to the side as if also waiting for that answer.
“Forgot I’m out of coffee. I’m going to run to the store.” He crosses his muscular arms over his chest and hikes up a dark eyebrow. “That okay with you,Nora.”
The way he says my name, as if it’s fake or an insult or stupid, makes my blood boil. I can’t even remember the last time I was truly angry, and never was it directed toward a stranger. Elias somehow has access to my hot button and jabs at it every chance he gets.
“What do I do with Clo?” I ask instead of clapping back at him with fiery words of my own.
“His cage is in your room. I’ll be back later.”
I remain standing completely still in the middle of the living room until I hear his truck drive off and disappear. It’s then I fully relax and exhale.
When I go to grab my stuff, Clo flutters away, landing on a light fixture. I gather my things and then head in the direction of the guest room. When I reach Elias’s home office, I pause to peek inside, and I’m shocked by how neat and tidy it is. This room is also decorated nicely. There’s a nautical theme throughout the home thus far, but it’s not cheesy or overdone. The far wall is painted a rich navy blue and the other walls are a faded white. A massive painting of the bay hangs on one wall, and a wooden, flat anchor hangs in the center of the other. His desk is large, mahogany, and cleared off aside from a closed laptop, a wire cup full of pens, and a framed photo.
