Page 59 of This Broken Heart
He follows my gaze, peering towards the kitchen. “So you don’t mind if one of us takes a crack at her?”
I roll my neck, trying to loosen the tension growing at the base of my neck. “Take a crack at her? She’s not an egg, Skyler.”
He laughs. “She’s cute. And she can cook. That’s all I need to know.”
She’s more than cute. And there’s a hell of a lot more to her than just her ability to throw baked goods together like it's no big deal. The scent of baking bread mingles with cinnamon and caramel. Okay, maybe that is a magical skill set worthy of note, but I don’t like hearing her reduced to two lines.
I roll my neck again, agitated. “Listen, man. I don’t care what you do, just don’t make things awkward for me. The kids love that girl and if I have to find another nanny, I’m holding you personally responsible.”
He holds up his hands. “Whoa, who’s talking about her quitting?”
“I’m just saying, if she got upset because of you and ran back to Lincoln…”
“Okay. Message received. I won’t mess with her.”
“I can’t tell you what to do.”
“No, I know. It’s cool, Josh. I didn’t think about the big picture. I don’t want to do anything that would have an impact on those kids. Or you. Bros before h—"
I cut him off with a single steely glare.
39.
Erin
Hanging out with Josh and his posse is a little like being back in high school.
And not in a good way.
Who am I kidding? There was nothing good about high school the first time around, either.
I thought I had outgrown the whole swing choir nerd thing, but being around these massive guys is like being forced to sit at the cool table with all the jocks. I’m just doing my best to keep up and not make a fool of myself.
I’m actually kind of impressed by how well I’m doing so far. I’m stringing all of my words together in complete sentences. And my cheeks are merely a permanent shade of light pink, which is better than beet red.
It’s taking everything I have in me to not be bowled over by them. But it’s like running a gauntlet. I swear to God, they’re taking turns coming in to talk to me.
They’re just curious about the stranger who’s been inserted into their buddy’s life. They obviously care about Josh, but their protectiveness is wearing me out. It’s like one long interview.
When it’s time to put the kids to bed, I’m grateful for the excuse to hide. I have to physically wrestle Trace away from Charlie. In the end, she lays claim to the right to put Maven to bed. She might come off as a bit of an ice queen, but of all the girls, she’s particularly smitten with the kids. And that fact alone makes me like her. Just a little.
Trace falls asleep in record time. Which just figures. The one night I wanted to linger, and he’s out like a light.
I pass Skyler in the hall and he waylays me, asking me a ton of questions about my cinnamon rolls. Apparently, he’s more than just a passive viewer when it comes to the Bake Off show. He likes to try his hand at all the technical challenges, but hasn’t had much luck. I’m laughing at his tale of woe and soggy bottomed pies, when I catch sight of Josh watching us from the couch.
He looks a little perturbed and I’m not sure why.
Excusing myself from Skyler, I pad back into the kitchen. When I’m elbows deep in dishwater, I sense rather than hear, someone stop behind me. Only one person can walk that quietly. “What can I do for you, Josh?”
He braces his arms on either side of me, just barely holding his body away from mine. But I can feel the heat rolling off him. Smell the scent of his soap. His nose barely grazes my hair, and he leans in, putting his lips near my ear. “Why are you messing with me?”
His low voice fills my head with a hazy feeling.
I straighten, accidentally bumping into his hips with my ass. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re awfully chatty.”
Anger simmers in my stomach. “I’m always chatty.”