Carefully, I ease my shoulders up and sneak a peek. His head is tilted back against the couch and he is sleeping soundly. I pick up his hand and move it off my waist, gently rolling off the couch so as not to wake him up. Glancing at Fil, I see she is curled up on the other end of the couch fast asleep, and everyone else is still down for the count.
I step gingerly over Flynn’s legs and head into the kitchen to find Nora sitting at the counter, drinking a cup of coffee and reading a magazine.
“Hey,” she says when she sees me. “I just peeked in a few minutes ago and you were sound asleep.”
My cheeks burn slightly that she found me sprawled on her son. “Yeah... all of a sudden, I was out.”
“Turkey does that to you,” she says warmly.
Walking to the fridge, I open it up and pull out a bottle of water. “Then how come you aren’t sleeping?” I ask.
She shrugs her shoulders. “I guess I just like taking advantage of the quiet when I can. I have plenty of time to sleep later when I’ve gone from this earth.”
My father used to say that very thing when my mom would try to urge him to come to bed late at night when he would still be working. The unbidden memory actually makes me smile and I realize that this is the first time in five years that I’ve had a memory of my parents that didn’t cause me pain.
“Now that’s a lovely smile on your face,” Nora says, her Irish lilt ringing like music.
“I just thought of a nice memory, is all. My dad used to say that very thing... that he would have plenty of time to sleep when he was dead.”
Nora smiles and rests her chin on her hand. “You miss your parents, huh?”
I meet Nora’s gaze and keep the same smile on my face, but I’m honest with her. “Actually... I don’t.”
“I’m sorry, honey,” she says. “I didn’t mean to open up a can of rotten worms.”
“No, it’s okay. It’s kind of funny... but I used to miss them. Even as toxic as our relationship was, I would miss them a lot during holidays. But for some reason... right now, I don’t.”
Nora cocks her head to the side, curious, but she doesn’t ask. I go ahead and volunteer. “Thank you for inviting me into your home, Nora, and for such a great time today. You created a new memory for me that I’ll have to cherish.”
Understanding sweeps across her face and she reaches across the counter to grab my hand. Giving me a squeeze, she says, “You are welcome here anytime. You’re practically like family to us.”
“You treat me like family. It’s... comforting,” I say in a rare moment of vulnerability. This is only my third time in her house but she and Nick have made me feel utterly comfortable in their home.
“Flynn told me you’re not coming to St. John with us for the wedding. I wish you’d change your mind.”
“I’d love to, Nora, but it’s just not something I can afford right now. Besides, it should just be family.”
“You know Nix and Em aren’t doing it this way to be excluding of others. It’s just happening so quick that they know most people won’t be able to come or won’t want to attend a destination wedding. They’re going to have a huge wedding party sometime in the Spring.”
“I know,” I assure her. “It’s not that... it truly is about the money. It’s just not within my budget.”
“But Flynn said—”
Holding my hand up, I say, “No, Nora. I’m not accepting money from Flynn. Now, I’m going to eat another piece of pie. Do you want one?”
Nora shakes her head and takes a sip of her coffee, thankfully dropping the subject. I grab a plate and cut a piece of pumpkin pie, foregoing the whipped topping.
As I go to take my first bite, Nora surprises the shit out of me. “You know... Flynn never brings that girl he’s dating over. I’ve been on him to do it but he always has one excuse after another.”
My fork is poised halfway to my mouth, which is halfway open as well. I can’t think of a damn thing to say.
“Do you have any idea why he wouldn’t want me to meet her?” Nora whispers, sneaking a glance at the doorway so we won’t be overheard. “Is she like an ogre or something?”
I lower my fork back down, completely uninterested in pie right now. “I’m not sure. I mean... I haven’t met her either.”
Flynn has always liked to make fun of the fact his mom is dying for him to meet someone special, so I sort of expect her face to fall over my proclamation and inability to provide her with insider information.
Instead, she smiles at me conspiratorially. “I bet I know why neither one of us has met her. I bet he secretly likes someone else and he’s just waiting for that woman to notice him.”
Thank God I had not taken a bite of pie or I would have choked on it. Is Nora making a wild-ass guess or does she know something that I don’t? Has Flynn said something to her, or is she seeing things that I am not seeing clearly?
These thoughts flood through my mind and I mentally try to remember every conversation I’ve had with Flynn in the last few weeks. Does he still feel something for me? Do I still have a chance?
I’m careful when I say, “I don’t know. He seems pretty focused on dating Jennifer.”
Nora just looks at me thoughtfully and I wait for her to tell me I’m wrong.
“What are you two doing?”
I spin around with guilty color flooding my face to find Flynn leaning up against the doorway, his arms crossed casually over his chest. How much of our conversation had he heard?
“Nothing,” I say hastily, sounding like I had just robbed Fort Knox or something.
“Actually, I was just asking Rowan why I haven’t met your girlfriend yet. I surmised that maybe you had secret feelings for someone else but Rowan seems to think you’re pretty into this girl.”
Does Nora not have a filter on her mouth? I can’t believe she just outed us on that personal, and somewhat inappropriate, speculation we were doing about Flynn.
I raise my eyes to Flynn and he’s looking at me intently. “Is that right?”
“Yes,” Nora continues, even though Flynn’s eyes keep me pinned in place. “So what’s the deal, Flynn? Why don’t you bring her over to meet me?”
After a painfully long moment, Flynn turns his eyes from me over to his mother. “Tell you what... how about I bring Jennifer over for dinner next weekend when I have off?”
Just hearing those words causes my throat to close up and my stomach to bottom out. I thought for a moment there Flynn was going to confirm his mother’s suspicions and confess he still had feelings for me. But he apparently has feelings for Jennifer and it must be getting serious if he’s going to bring her to meet Nora.
“You’re kidding?” Nora asks, and I notice she has her eyes narrowed at Flynn.
“Why would I kid?” Flynn asks with a smirk, although he’s not looking at his mom... he’s staring back at me. “You just asked me to bring her over, and I said I would. That’s what you want, right?”
Nora starts stuttering. “Well... yes, but... I mean... I just thought...”
Flynn turns away from me and looks at Nora again. “Look, Mom... Rowan and I need to head back. I have to get up really early tomorrow.” He steps in and gives her a kiss on the top of her head.
Nora looks as confused as I feel.
22
What a fucking day!
I sit here in the emergency room waiting for the doctor, and I’m unbelievably annoyed that I’m even here. But the Chief wasn’t brooking any nonsense today, and I didn’t have it in me to take an ass chewing, so here I am.
At least I’m not the only one suffering under a medical microscope. There were three of us caught in the apartment when the flashover occurred, and three of us were sent scrambling backward to avoid the 1100-degree heat. In addition to the steam burns at the top of my chest, which aren’t very bad in my estimation, I also
