FULL NOVELXO Desire or Defense: Chapter 16
“YOU’RE JUST GIVING our address out to strangers now?” I whisper to Noah in the kitchen as I assemble the piña coladas… and pink lemonade.
“Mitch isn’t a stranger,” he whispers back. “And you’ve met the other guys too.”
“Once!” I say a little too loudly and lower my voice again. “Meeting someone once doesn’t mean we give them our address. Didn’t Mom and Dad teach you about stranger danger?”
“Mitch wanted to help, and you needed help.”
I huff, unable to argue with that point. I thrust the little paper umbrellas into the tropical drinks a little too forcefully and almost knock one of them over.
Noah rolls his lips together, trying not to smile. I realize he’s smiled and spoken more since the guys got here than he has in a long time. That realization melts my irritation. A little.
“At least give me some warning next time? I was in my PJs.” I widen my eyes for effect.
“I didn’t think you’d care.” He shrugs. “Oh…” His eyebrows shoot up as if he just solved a riddle. “You have a crush on Mitch.”
My mouth falls open with a gasp, but I snap it shut. “I do not.”
Noah studies me closely, making me feel uncomfortable. I look at the ceiling, the drinks, my feet, anywhere but at him. “Then why are you all red?”
Ignoring his question, I take the tray of drinks off the counter and thrust it into his hands. One of the piña coladas sloshes over the side and onto the tray. “The drinks are getting warm, we better take them to the guys.”
“Right.” Noah turns and walks toward the guest room without another word.
Gripping the edge of the counter, I inhale a deep, calming breath. Closing my eyes, I release it slowly. I stare at the tall glass I filled with pink lemonade and add a little umbrella to it, so Mitch won’t feel left out. Am I curious why he doesn’t drink? Of course. But it’s not really any of my business. Maybe it’s to help his athletic performance… although, the other guys don’t seem to be against it.
Pushing down my persistent curiosity about Mitch, I take the glass and head back to the guest room, which is now almost a gym thanks to the big man himself… and his teammates.
The rest of the weekend, I worked and didn’t get to use my amazing new gym. I have to admit, the guys did a much better, and faster job of putting everything together. I need to find some way to say thank you, besides piña coladas. But what does one do for a group of men who have the money to buy themselves anything they could ever want? Make them a homemade card? Lame.
I drop Noah off at school, something he’s still annoyed about me doing. But sending him off on the bus makes me worry. I don’t even know the driver, I don’t know if they’re cautious, safe. And I’ve already lost too many people I love. So, I’ll continue driving him to school and back on the days I’m off. When I’m working, he has to take the bus on his way home… but I hate it.
Today, he made me drop him off two blocks away so his friends wouldn’t see. I roll my eyes as I walk into the downstairs guest room and admire how it turned out. The floor is now covered in thick, black mats, the far right wall is covered in back-to-back mirrors, the squat rack is centered on the mirrored wall, and the dumbbell shelf is across from it. And the best part? I hooked up some speakers so I can workout and listen to my audio books. The master bedroom is a gigantic mess from me moving my stuff in there, but oh well. One thing at a time.
I’m already dressed for my workout in leggings, sneakers, and a long sleeved tee. I press play on my book and get to work. Prince Romeo now thinks he’s confused between two girls. Alexandra and Jezebel. Literally everyone but the prince knows Alexandra is the love of his life.
There’s tension, and there’s stupidity. This is stupidity.
I almost don’t want to even finish this ridiculous book, but I’ve wasted hours of my life listening to it and I can’t stop now that it’s almost done.
Setting up my bar and weights, I get to work squatting. Feeling my body move and my muscles strain hurts so good. I missed this. When I was traveling, I worked out every night after work. Always making sure there was a gym in the short-term apartments I rented. This is a small piece of my former life I can work into my new one.
I wonder what else I could do to merge the two? Perhaps, dating?
I can’t remember the last time I went on a date. Even when I was a travel nurse I didn’t date much, what with moving to a new location every month or two. Mom used to lecture me about how I needed to settle down, plant some roots. And sometimes I think she was right. What if I would’ve bought a house here in D.C. and worked here? I would’ve been closer to my brother, had friends to support me… maybe even a boyfriend.
But now, nowhere feels like home. And besides Ronda, and apparently, Mitch, I don’t have anyone to lean on.
Not that I lean on Mitch. Him helping me with my gym doesn’t make us friends… Does it? I suppose he is helping my brother out, and getting us great seats to Friday’s game. But that’s all for Noah.
Abruptly, I stop squatting and rack my bar. What if all those stolen glances and comments I deciphered as flirtatious, were just Mitch being nice? What if he just wants to be buds with Noah and he doesn’t see me that way at all?
I scoff and pick up the bar again.
“Good riddance. He’s super annoying, anyway,” I say to myself in the mirror. But even my reflection knows that’s a lie.