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“Um. . .” She turned her head, her auburn hair flipping in the air. “Thirty minutes.”
“Mm,” I hummed.
I’m an adult. I can be cordial.
“Oh, and. . .” Madeline's voice trailed off. “Milo messaged me. Clay doesn't want you to know about anything that happened with his job or the fact that he’s living with Milo, so can you play it off like I’ve told you absolutely nothing?” Pinching her eyebrows, she clenched her teeth.
I furrowed my brow. “Why doesn't he want me to know?”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure. Milo was very vague. He just said that Clay wants you to think he's working remotely and that all is hunky dory. If I had to guess, he may be trying to impress you.”
I laughed, tilting my chin back and letting the single laugh fill the room. “Impress me? Why would Clay Nolan be trying to impress me?”
Madeline slumped, her hands on the counter and her eyes fixed on mine. “Phe, he’s not over you. He’s neverbeenover you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I grumbled, reaching in the drawer for the bottle opener.
“I’m not.”
“We’re changing the subject, Maddy.” I snapped as I poured the red liquid into my glass.
She pursed her lips and raised her brow. “Okay. Just remember—”
“Yeah, yeah.” I grabbed my glass and headed toward the living room, passing Niko as he slept on his bed. “I won’t say a thing.”
Thirty minutes and one-and-a-half glasses of wine later, Milo walked in the door, Clay closely following him. Milo went straight to the kitchen, wrapping Madeline in his arms, kissing her temple,but Clay? He stood in the doorway, wearing gray slacks and a light green, button-down shirt that was tucked in, showing a very shiny belt around his toned waist. His dark hair was longer than I remembered it ever being, neatly brushed and just hanging over his ears, a few strands falling in his face. His brown eyes were simple, full of worry and dread, but even through the emotions, they still captured me. His body may have changed, turning that boy from college to the man that stood before me, but his eyes were the same, and I found myself still in love with them.
“Hey, Ophelia.”
His voice hit like a ton of bricks. Still deep, still smooth, still able to turn my knees into Jell-O. If I tried to stand right now, I would only fall right back down on the couch.
I cleared my throat. “Hi, Clay.”
“It’s good to see you.” He smiled.
I chuckled, my mind instantly pulled back to that day. The day I left; the day he chose a job over me. I lifted my glass to my lips.
“Wish I could say the same, Clay.” I took a sip of my wine, the bitterness hitting my tongue.
Clay shuffled his feet, lifting a hand to scratch his neck, a soft laugh leaving his throat. “I guess I deserved that.”
I stood, taking a single step toward him, a sly grin on my lips.
“Okay, well, it looks like we will be seeing each other a lot, so. . .” He held out a hand for me, his eyes intense on mine. “For Milo and Madeline?”
I narrowed my eyes and looked at his hand and then back to him. Sighing, I took his hand in mine and shook. “Yeah. . .” I trailed off.
Clay grinned, letting go of my hand and giving me a quick nod before walking into the kitchen. But even though his hand was no longer in mine, all the warmth leaving with him, I could still feel the spark that trailed up my arm.
I rubbed my hand on my leg, doing my best to ignore that feeling that lingered, and turned to join them in the kitchen.
I got this.
Chapter Nine
-Clay-
Iwas screwed.
