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“It's Nemo, mommy,” Grayson said, pointing out the orange and white fish.
“Oh, it is,” she said.
She walked over and knelt down beside her son and the two got lost in conversation about the fish tank. Rebecca took the opportunity to sidle in beside me to whisper in my ear.
“We could have that one day,” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“A baby,” she said. “You'd make such a good father, Evan.”
A knock at the door caught us both off guard.
“Must be Laura,” I said and ran to the door.
The guys from the staging company started carrying in some baby furniture as Laura and I talked. Rebecca came over, as did Hadley and Grayson. I introduced Hadley to Laura.
“Oh, and Hadley is a designer as well,” I said. “A professional one, I mean.”
Rebecca scowled at me, not missing the slight, but didn't say a word. She just crossed her arms in front of her and rolled her eyes.
“Is that so?” Laura asked as she reached out and shook Hadley's hand. “I'm Laura Ashburn, it's a pleasure to meet you.”
“Wait, the Laura Ashburn?” Hadley said, looking at me with wide eyes. “I mean, I knew Evan had good taste, but wow.”
“I take it you've heard of her?” I asked.
“Duh, she's an inspiration to designers everywhere,” Hadley said. “And to think, she's staging your home? That's – wow, Evan. You never cease to surprise me.”
“To be fair, our realtor put us in touch. Said a house like mine needed the best of the best,” I said, feeling a bit sheepish for not knowing who I was dealing with.
Laura seemed pleased, however. She grinned from ear-to-ear. “Evan, I like her already,” she said. “You should keep her around.”
I blushed slightly, staring off toward the delivery guys coming down the stairs. “Uhh, she's just a friend,” I blurted out.
“I see,” Laura said, straightening up. “Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to supervise the guys upstairs.”
“Oh, I wanted to show Hadley around. She's, umm, possibly interested in buying the place.”
I wasn't sure if she'd meant what she said earlier or not, but Hadley nodded, going along with it. Maybe she was telling the truth. It was a pretty big place for just her and Grayson, though she was trying for another baby. Maybe she had plans for even more children in the future too.
“Not a problem,” Laura said. “We'll try to stay out of the way.”
We followed Laura up the stairs, and Hadley oohed and aahed at the stairwell, running her hand down the length of the railing. I couldn't help but watch her stroke the wood and imagined her hand was stroking me instead. A tightness in my jeans caused me to adjust myself, hoping to hide the obvious erection before someone caught on. The last thing I needed was drama between my ex and my best friend.
We got to the top, and the landing overlooked the foyer below. Hadley stood there and looked down, taking everything in. Perhaps she was serious about buying the place after all. I stepped up to her, close enough that I could whisper.
“So you really interested in the place?” I asked.
“I am, actually,” she said. “I'm still not positive if I'll be moving back to Castle Creek, but – ”
“But what?”
She bit her lip and looked away. Rebecca stepped up beside me, the scowl on her face deepening.
“What's the holdup?” she asked, her voice low and tight.
“Nothing,” Hadley said, pushing away from the railing.
