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Figured you’d need this. I had to get to work so I called Aaron to give me a ride.
See you later.
Nick
With a deflated sigh, I set the note down and poured a cup of coffee. Before I had too long to wallow in disappointment, I heard footsteps on the stairs behind me. I whipped around and saw Alesha strutting down the stairs in a black silk robe that barely covered her lady bits.
“Leash! What the hell is that?”
I’d never categorized myself as a prude, but since when did high schoolers buy lingerie?
“Where’s Nick?” she purred, ignoring my question altogether.
Well that explains the robe.
I rolled my eyes. “Really? This again?”
I dumped another inch of black coffee into the mug that Nick had set beside the machine. Looked like I was gonna need all I could get.
“What?” She batted her lashes.
“God, I don’t even know where to start right now.” I hadn’t been drinking the night before, but the pinched tightness at my temples was an eerily similar experience. I rubbed at the side of my head and sipped at the scalding coffee. “Alesha…” I opened my eyes and saw her crossed arms, pouted lips, and eyes ready to roll. “Ya know what, go change, first of all. I can’t even take you seriously like that.”
With a huff, she spun around, flashing her ass cheeks in the process, and stormed back up the stairs.
Cute.
It had been a long time since I’d even thought about the possibility of having my own children. After dealing with Alesha—I was more okay than ever with the fact that parenthood wasn’t anywhere on the horizon.
“Happy?” I turned at the haughty question and faced Alesha as she marched back down the stairs, still wearing the black robe, but she’d added a pair of striped shorts underneath that were at least long enough to cover the basics.
“Ecstatic,” I grimaced.
“What’s your problem?”
I braced my elbow on the counter and leaned back. “Where were you last night?”
“Out,” she fired back, crossing her arms as she came to a stop a few feet away from me.
I frowned. “I called you a million times.”
“I know. Very uncool of you, Sis.”
My knuckles went white around my mug of coffee. “Alesha, there was a man outside the shop last night. He was looking for you.”
Her face brightened into a flirtatious smile. “Really? Who?”
“A criminal,” I barked, snapping the glowing grin from her face.
“What?”
“I was locking up and a man attacked me. He was asking for you but decided he could have some fun with me since you weren’t there,” I continued, keeping my tone clipped and matter-of-fact. It was the only way to hold back the ball of emotions still burning in my chest.
Alesha’s expression twisted. “Are you serious?”
I nodded. “Luckily, Nick was coming up to the shop and was able to pull him off of me before…before anything more serious happened. The man was arrested.”
“Oh my God, Carly, I’m so sorry.” Alesha dropped her arms and raced to close the gap between us. I barely had time to set aside my mug before she threw her arms around me.
I returned her embrace lightly, still too angry with her to fully drop my guard. Not yet.
She pulled away and dropped her arms but stayed close. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but Alesha, do you understand how terrified I was when I couldn’t get a hold of you?”
She sucked in an uneven breath and nodded. “I’m sorry. I was…pissed. About before.”
“I realize that but we had a deal and you broke it…again.”
In front of her, she clasped her hands and tugged nervously at her fingers. “So, when do I leave?”
Despite all the drama, I still hadn’t gotten around to actually calling our dad to make the arrangements for her to fly to New Hampshire. I’d told myself it was because I was busy, or that one more day wouldn’t matter, but in the end of it, there was another piece I hadn’t been willing to admit yet.
I didn’t want her to go.
She drove me crazy and last night, she’d scared the shit out of me, but I’d come to enjoy working with her in the shop in the morning, and while she was certainly not going to win any employee of the month awards—ironic considering she was my only employee—she helped me in the day to day.
I brought my eyes to hers and saw a sheen of tears coating them, making them glossy in the natural light from the window over the sink.
“I haven’t called Dad yet.”
A flicker of hope gleamed in her eyes. “So, I can stay?”
“Alesha, I’m tired of this bullshit tug-o-war with you.”
Kicking her ass out was my only shred of leverage—but I was getting tired of using it over and over again.
“I’ll work more hours and stay out of trouble,” she pleaded, holding up her hands like she was praying to me.
