It had all been so brief, but somehow, she weighed on me still.
Chelsea peeked to see if anyone was looking, then gave me a little kiss on the cheek that was endearingly chaste. “Vulnerability is a good look on you, Mr. Rose.”
My brother burst out of my office then. He let out a dramatic sigh. “I mean, come on. I was trying to be polite and let you guys have a little moment before I came out. But seriously, it has been like ten minutes and I’ve got to piss hard enough to take a urinal off the wall. Can I just—” Chris stuck his palm out, squeezing between us then half-jogged toward the bathroom.
Chelsea smiled after him, then turned back to me. “So, the workday is over soon. Are you really going to personally train me, or was that all just to get a moment alone?”
“A little bit of both, but I meant what I said. I’ll start officially teaching you tomorrow. Why don’t you head home early and pick out something to wear for tonight? I expect to be salivating, and I know you won’t disappoint me.”
Chelsea worked her lips to the side and wiggled her eyebrows. “So I should wear my seared steak print dress, then?”
“I’m sure you’d look amazing in it, but I was thinking something tight and short. Something that won’t put up much of a fight when I decide to tear it off of you.”
She swallowed. “Not the meat dress, then. That one is a bitch to take off.”
34
Chelsea
I took one last look in the mirror, fiddled with my hair for the tenth time, then turned to Grant. “You’re sure this is okay?”
He shrugged. “A thousand dollars to sleep on your couch and tell Luna there’s no hungry hungry hippo under her bed? Yeah, I’ll manage.”
I grinned. “Can you believe she chose that to be afraid of, of all things?”
“Kind of. I’m pretty sure hippos kill more people than pretty much all the other so-called people killers. Sharks, bears—that kinda stuff.”
“Okay, but we live in New York City. I’m pretty sure she’s safe from hippos.”
Luna had been drawing in the corner and decided to join the conversation. “I’m not a baby. I can hear you talking about me.”
“Okay, Miss Big Kid. Answer me this. Our mattress is on the floor. How do you think a hippo could fit under there, anyway?”
“A trap door. Duh.”
Grant held up his palms in innocence. “I didn’t teach her to say ‘duh’ so don’t look at me.”
“I learned it from the guy who sells hotdogs outside our apartment. Duh,” she added.
I walked over to the mattress and lifted it, pointing to the floorboards beneath. “No trap doors. See?”
Luna folded her little arms. “There’s never a trap door anywhere until somebody builds it.”
I hung my head. “Okay. Good luck with her tonight, Grant.”
He saluted. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” He plopped his lanky frame down against the wall and stretched out his long legs. Sometimes I felt sad to see him this way because I could still remember so clearly how I thought of him when I was a little girl. He was my giant. My big brother who could do anything he wanted. Now, that version of him had withered away into something mild and sad. But with the money I was earning, and the new position Damon had given me, I’d help him.
I quietly promised myself that I’d use the opportunity I had to help turn his life back around. I’d get him his own place and see him happy again.
Outside, I was surprised to find Damon waiting for me with a bouquet of something green and strong-smelling. I squinted at it but didn’t see any flowers or recognize it. “Are these weeds?” I asked.
He deflated a little. “I thought flowers would be too cliché. They’re also pointless. So I brought you something practical. They’re herbs. I picked them from an organic rooftop garden. It’s dill, rosemary, and thyme. I thought you could make some roast potatoes with them or something.”
I laughed, taking the bundle of wild greenery and sniffing. “That’s actually sweet, even if it’s a little weird. So… Should I go put these in water?”
Damon nodded.
Grant gave me a baffled look when I set all the herbs down on the counter. “I’ll explain later,” I said, giving Luna a quick kiss and hug before heading back downstairs to Damon.
He was dressed in a suit and tie that he wore so comfortably I wasn’t sure he ever took them off. The tie tonight was a navy blue that made his eyes look startlingly bright.
“I see you decided against the steak dress,” he noted as he stuck his elbow out for me.
“Are we walking to our date?” I hooked my arm in his with a little smile. “This is very formal.”
“Dick got lost on the way here. He’s parked like two blocks away. I had to tell him to stop trying to get closer because he kept getting farther every time I tried to guide him.”
I chuckled. “How does he get lost? It’s just a bunch of squares. He’s also been here before.”
“Dick is a shit driver. He bangs up his car almost every week, and I’m starting to suspect he even ran someone over once.”
We joined the late evening crowd of people traveling the sidewalks, heading North at an easy pace. “I’m starting to think you’re nowhere near as hard as you led people into believing.”
“Only when it comes to certain people. I’m just very particular.”
“So I met your particular criteria? Is that it?”
“Something like that. Yes.”
We walked in silence for a while, then. It was just his strong arm hooked with mine and his steady footsteps. There was the occasional honk of a car and the wet sound of tires rolling through streets still wet from the evening’s rain.
It was a beautiful night, and I felt completely alive next to him.
Except I
