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Sutter had been keeping an eye on the time and, as it got toward ten o’clock, he decided that was late enough for a Little girl who had had a long day.
“I’m going to get some sweats to sleep in. Sure I can’t interest you in any?” he asked.
“Oh, yes, please.”
Sutter beckoned her after him, but he didn’t abandon the sleeping bag as he rose from the couch. He held it around himself and hopped down the hallway like he was in a potato sack race. Giggling, Saoirse followed him, hopping in her sleeping bag.
Instead of taking her to his room, which Sutter thought might feel threatening, he took her to the master suite, which was his mother’s and stepfather’s when they stayed at the ranch. A white designer sweatsuit of his mother’s fit Saoirse and he grabbed an ancient T-shirt that proudly proclaimed he’d rather be a Viking.
Sutter provoked another fit of giggles by hunching down in his sleeping bag and pulling it over his head so he really did look like a caterpillar. With a mighty struggle, he changed out of his company shirt and board shorts, keeping his boxers on, and into the T-shirt.
When he poked his head out of the sleeping bag, he knew he was red-cheeked and his hair was rumpled, but the way Saoirse was grinning at him, he didn’t care. She’d managed her own quick-change while he was fighting the confines of the bag.
Still holding the bag around his waist, Sutter hopped into the adjoining bathroom. He found guest toothbrushes still in their wrappers and handed one to Saoirse while he brushed his teeth and washed his face.
After she brushed her teeth, she asked, “Won’t whoever you’re house sitting for mind that we’re borrowing their clothes?”
Sutter’s chest hitched.She added one plus one and got three.
For a moment, he thought about letting her continue with her assumption. In high school, people had tried to get close to him because of his family’s money. But his mother had taught him to trust his instincts, and Sutter quickly developed a sense for who was trying to use him. He didn’t get any of that from Saoirse.
“This is my family’s house,” he explained. “They won’t mind at all. In fact, I’d better get a selfie in this shirt and send it to my sisters. They’ll get a kick out of it.”
Saoirse laughed. “It’s not so bad. Who doesn’t love Vikings?”
“Monks,” Sutter quipped. “Do you love Vikings?”
“Absolutely. You remind me of one.”
Sutter clapped a hand to his chest in mock astonishment. “Me? This corn-fed, western boy?”
“You told me you grew up all over.”
Sutter chuckled. “I did. I even lived in Oslo for a summer, so maybe you’re on to something.”
Sutter took Saoirse’s hand as they hopped back to the lounge.
“There’s another thing I love,” he told her. “How willing you are to play along with me.”
“Well, you know some really good games,” she admitted. “I’m having a lot of fun.”
Sutter was sure therightnessshone out of him. “I’m glad you were brave, Saoirse.”
She ducked her head but continued to smile. “Me, too.”
Chapter 4
Three hours later, Saoirse was sure she’d made the worst choice ever by agreeing to a sleepover.
She couldn’t sleep. A decade ago, she’d been used to traveling for meets and could fall asleep anywhere. Even on the team bus. But she’d lost the knack. Tonight, the unfamiliar place, the strange noises and smells and sounds, combined to yank her back to wakefulness every time she began to drift off. Even though the sectional was wide and soft, she couldn’t get comfortable. Sutter had brought pillows from his bed. They smelled like him: sunshine and pine and a hint of chlorine. All smells Saoirse liked, but tonight every time she turned her head and got another hit of his scent, it tingled through her and pushed sleep even further away.
It didn’t help that her restless movements were keeping Sutter awake. She’d heard his breathing go deep a few times, but then he’d come back to wakefulness. She was sure he was staring at the ceiling and hating her.
“Ask me to help, Saoirse.”
She was so startled by his deep whisper that she jolted upright. “What?”
Sutter rolled onto his side and lifted onto his elbow so he was looking at her, his eyes glinting in the faint light from the kitchen, where he’d left a light on so she didn’t bump into anything if she got up in the night.
