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SADIE
Light streamed into the room, disorienting me since I usually woke up hours before the sun this time of year. My head was full of cotton. But considering the last twenty-four hours, it could’ve been a lot worse. I was actually doing pretty good for someone who’d blacked out from noxious chemicals and spent half the evening in the emergency room.
Taking in my surroundings, I admired the guest room for the second morning in a row. The four-poster bed was insanely comfortable and a hell of a lot more luxurious than my top bunk in the postage-stamp-sized bedroom I shared with two other girls back in New York.
There was a large sitting area and a gas fireplace. The decor had a bit of a Victorian grandmother vibe going on with the rose-colored carpet and blue floral wallpaper, but it was still a major upgrade from the Kelly Bay Pines Motel.
If strangers didn’t obviously make him uncomfortable, Drew could easily turn this place into a bed-and-breakfast, or at least make some easy cash listing it on Airbnb. Or any other vacation rental site more reputable than the one Lauren got scammed by. But that would require a personality transplant for him to survive it.
Flipping back the covers, I rolled my neck from side to side. I was remarkably pain free this morning. My mind wandered back to the massage he gave me last night. He truly did have magic fingers. My neck was killing me before he started his awkward back rub. I had to admit, I would have liked it a lot more if he’d put a bit less distance between us, maybe sat behind me on the couch. But his callused fingertips digging into my aching muscles was exquisite and, embarrassingly, the most action I’d seen in a long time. It took all my restraint not to melt into a puddle of goo at his feet. Or whip off the rest of my pajamas and throw myself at him.
Instead, I’d gotten more and more relaxed until I nodded off. I remembered briefly thinking I should tell him to stop so I can go upstairs and go to sleep. But I never said the words. Next thing I knew, I woke up tucked in all nice and neat back in my room.
Drew Evans was a reluctant nurturer.
I took in a cleansing breath and blew it out, letting the tingles of my revelation wash over me.
If someone had told me the man who’d shut me out two nights ago would set up his own mini apothecary to tend to me and then, literally, tuck me in for the night, I would have laughed in their face. But here we were.
I’d uncovered a little morsel. A bread crumb that would lead me to answers about his broody, mysterious persona.
The chime of my phone broke me from my preoccupation with my puzzling host. Digging through my purse, my fingers grazed it at the bottom. Once I had it out, I wished I’d left it to flounder in the depths of my bag.
Eirin: update
It’d barely been twenty-four hours since the last time we talked, and Eirin was already micromanaging me. She normally waited at least a week before demanding updates. But then, she’d never threatened my job before either.
Sadie: Meeting with the apparent gossip-queen of Kelly Bay in a few hours. Should have no problem getting the dirt on Axel Everett.
I didn’t make a habit of lying to my boss, but I needed to keep her calm. Eirin was known for being a bit erratic and I couldn’t afford to lose this job without having something else lined up. If I stretched the truth a bit in describing my meeting with this Kobie person, so be it. It wasn’t like Eirin was a bastion of integrity.
On the bright side, her text had distracted me from thoughts of Drew for a few minutes. The threat of unemployment was enough to dial down my libido. I needed to get focused and crank out material for HypeKey.
But I couldn’t focus.
How long had it been since anyone had taken care of me the way Drew did last night?
Memories of Josh poured in and dowsed any remaining embers of attraction like a bucket of ice water. I’d had my share of flings since life as I knew it went up in flames five years ago, but nothing serious. At nineteen, I’d fancied myself invincible, but fate delivered a blow that taught me how easily destructible happiness was.
I pulled a deep breath in through my nose and let it out through my mouth. It was time to stop thinking of Drew as anything other than a man reluctantly cleaning up his friend’s mess. I’d show him I was thankful for the accommodations and otherwise stay out of his way.
Based on everything I’d seen so far, I was sure he’d appreciate it if I made myself scarce.
I had a couple of hours to kill before meeting Kobie at the historical society. It was worth investigating whether any of the shops I missed yesterday were open today and see if I could get anyone to slip about the Everetts. I didn’t have high hopes.
Plus, I needed to find somewhere to grab some breakfast. I didn’t expect Drew to be providing me with room and board.
Carrying the tray he left in my room, I made my way downstairs. It was silent when I reached the bottom of the wide staircase, and I got no response when I called out.
A swinging door separated the kitchen, butler’s pantry, and laundry room from the rest of the main space. I dropped the tray on the blue laminate countertop next to the sink.
The kitchen fit in perfectly with the rest of the house. Tidy but dated. Not without its charm. The dark-stained cabinets were gorgeous and looked a heck of a lot sturdier than the crappy white particle board stuff back in my apartment. The appliances and linoleum flooring looked older than me though.
A note lay on the counter next to the fridge.
Went for a run. You’re welcome to anything in the kitchen. - D
Ugh.Why did him signing his note D cause a stupid flipping sensation in my stomach? Like there was some kind of intimacy present between us where we were on a single-letter nickname basis? Something in my brain—or nether regions—was fundamentally broken when it came to this man.
