Page 11 of Finding Home (Willow Valley #1)

ELEVEN

CHLOE

T he first thing I do when I step into my apartment is head to the freezer and pull out a pint of ice cream before settling on the couch, because what the hell was Everett’s offer?

I can’t wrap my head around it. He’s gone from pretending we’d never met before we saw each other at Grounded Bliss to acting almost possessive and jealous when he’s seen me with other men to now asking me to move in to take care of his daughter.

Plus the bombshell he dropped about Mrs. Simpson having cancer has me needing to dig into this ice cream.

As I’m eating, there’s a knock at my door before Brinley walks in. It’s not weird for her to just walk in; she’s my best friend, and I have an open-door policy.

“Hello, hello, hello,” she singsongs as she comes and joins me on the couch, grabbing my ice cream out of my hand, checking the label, and nodding as she steals a bite.

“Hey,” I protest, and she just grins at me.

“What’s up?” she asks. My pause piques her suspicion, and she arches a brow, pulling my ice cream out of reach as I go to grab it from her. “Spill and I’ll give it back.”

“I want my ice cream in my hands when I tell you.”

Her eyes widen. “That bad.”

I nod, and she hands it over.

“So you know the new fire chief? ”

She nods.

“Well, I met him before he moved to town.” That interests her, and she crosses her legs and settles into the couch, facing me better.

“He was at Incahoots at the end of July. I was at the bar by myself, having a drink and talking with Boyd when he came in. I went over and chatted with him. He was all grumpy and answering in grunts, and I finally got him to talk to me. It was nice. We sat and drank for a while before he offered to walk me home.”

Brinley’s jaw drops, and I nod.

“He had said he was passing through town, and when we got back here, I invited him in. One thing led to another, and we had hot sex.” I fan myself with my hand as I remember that night.

“Like really hot.” Also confusing, but I don’t mention the last bit.

How closed off he was, even while we had sex, but then the feeling of softness from him when he kissed my shoulder and then later whispered thank you before leaving me.

“So, you’re wanting a repeat?” Brin asks.

I bite my lip, because as much as I know it would be amazing, I know it would be a fucking disaster as well.

I’m his daughter’s teacher, and now he wants me to move in and be her nanny while he’s at work and check in on his grandmother.

His offer is enticing, too. The thought of living rent free in exchange for spending time with Lila and being able to save what I’ve been paying in rent to build the funds for a down payment on my own place one day sounds amazing.

I don’t know how I’d be able to live with him, though.

He works twenty-four hours on, seventy-two off, meaning he’d be home for three entire days and we’d be sharing the same space.

Does that also mean shared meals? Would I have to be in my room the entire time?

Would we end up sitting on the couch and watching TV together?

The whole situation brings so many questions.

I settle on saying, “I’m his daughter’s teacher, a repeat of that night would be inappropriate.”

She steals my ice cream again, shovelling another spoonful in her mouth. “Only if you think you’ll lose objectivity when it comes to his daughter. I know you, you’ll be the picture of professionalism at school. ”

“That’s not the only thing,” I say.

“Really?” she asks around the spoon.

“He heard about Beau moving back to town and me needing to move out. He offered his spare room in exchange for me watching Lila while he works and maybe checking in on his grandmother.”

She chokes slightly and takes a sip of my water on the table. “He asked you to move in ?” she asks.

“Only as in a nanny-like role. It’s not moving in like that.”

“You should do it,” she says, and my head jerks back.

“What do you mean I should do it? I should just move in with some strange man and his daughter because he offered?”

She shrugs. “He can’t be that strange if you slept with him the first night you met him. Also, you know Chief Reid wouldn’t have agreed to retire if he didn’t think Chief Lawson would be a perfect fit to take over his position. If Chief Reid trusted him, I trust him.”

I sigh. “That doesn’t mean I should move in with him.”

“It’s a win-win situation. You’ll be getting something you need from the situation. Unless you want to move back with your parents? You know if I was on my own, I’d offer, but…it just won’t work.”

“I know, Brin.” I pat her arm. “I guess you’re right, but I’m going to need to set some boundaries.”

I dig back into my ice cream and look back at her. “What brought you over anyways?” I ask.

“Dad came home.”

I nod, not needing any more explanation than that. Brinley and I have been best friends since we were little kids. Brinley, Aspen, Lennon, and I have been thick as thieves since we all met. We’ve all been there for the ups and downs. We were Lennon’s bridesmaids when her and James got married.

I pass the ice cream back to her, and we settle on my couch and watch a movie. When the credits start, we both crash in my bed.

I’m slightly anxious the next morning as I get ready for students to be dropped off. Everett’s not working today, which means he’ll be the one dropping off Lila. Students slowly trickle in, most calling a quick hi to me before going to find their friends.

When Lila arrives, she comes straight to me. “Hi, Miss M.”

“Good morning, Miss Lila.”

She grins up at me before turning and making her way to her cubby then settling at her spot with a book.

I look up and see Everett standing beside my desk.

He’s quiet, not saying anything. I feel his eyes all over me, as if they could tell just from looking at me if I’ve made my decision on his offer.

He tips his chin, and as he turns to leave, I call out, “Chief Lawson.” He stops and turns back to me. “I haven’t fully made my decision yet, but I’d like to talk about it more.”

That seems to give him some hope as the corner of his mouth twitches. He doesn’t smile, but it’s enough to have me smiling back at him.

“Coffee after work?” he asks.

“Sounds good.”

I go through my day trying not to think about talking with Everett later, but I can’t push it from my mind.

I’m a mix of excited and completely freaking out that I’m actually considering this.

I know moving in with him is an insane idea.

Being sexually attracted to him and living under the same roof is going to lead to bad things, but I’m an adult.

I can behave like one. I can make sure it all stays strictly professional.

Right? Right?

I don’t know if I’m convincing myself of this.

When Everett shows up at the end of the day, he offers me a cup of coffee from Grounded Bliss, and we walk out to the playground so Lila can play and we can chat. I take a seat on one of the benches, and he sits beside me, his knee slightly brushing mine as he does.

I inhale sharply at the contact. Something about being this close to him has my skin feeling electric. If I closed my eyes, I’d still be able to sense him. To know he’s right beside me, within touching distance.

He leans forward, bracing his forearms on his thighs as he clasps his hands and tilts his head towards me. “So, you wanted to talk,” he says.

“Yeah. If we’re going to do this…thing, I want to make sure we’re on the same page. I don’t want anything misconstrued.”

He nods. “Okay. You seem to already have thoughts on the matter. What are they?”

“You said I could do whatever I want with the room. What am I supposed to do on the days you’re off and at home? Am I expected to remain in my room or leave the house?”

He shakes his head. “No, of course not, Chloe. If we do this, it’ll be your place, too. You’d be doing me a huge favour in watching Lila, I’m not going to sequester you to your room or make you leave. We can be adults and respectful of each other.”

I run my hands up and down my thighs. “Okay. How do you see this going?”

“I thought you’d move in as soon as you’re able to. Then we could get settled in the start of a routine. I think Grandma will continue to take Lila until she has her surgery. After that, I’d need you to take her. Then we’ll need to see how it all goes.”

“Do you have any rules you’d need followed?”

“I have a routine for Lila that I’d give you. She thrives off knowing what’s going to happen and what to expect. Otherwise, everything in the house is free game. I’d make sure you have a booster seat for her so you can drive her around and you’re not stuck at the house,” he says.

“How is she with animals? Like horses?”

He sits up and leans against the back of the bench, a look of curiosity on his face. “She’s spent most of her time in the city. I don’t know that she’s ever been close to anything other than dogs and cats, she at least hasn’t with me.”

“If we do this, I’d like to take her to my parents’ to see the horses. I often go after work to spend time with them,” I tell him.

“That’s fine.”

Silence hangs between us as I chew on my bottom lip. “If we do this, then it needs to remain strictly professional. No mentions of that night. No repeats of that night.”

He leans closer, and I find myself leaning towards him as well. His breath dusts over my cheek, and my eyes flutter closed. “I can live with not mentioning that night, but you best believe I think about it. Often.”

My. God.

My breaths are coming faster now. Him admitting that he also thinks about that night means I wasn’t just imagining how hot it was. It wasn’t only good for me, and dammit, that makes the thought of a repeat only sound so much better.

I force myself to sit straight, and I let out a long breath.

Professional.

A place to live.

I repeat that to myself as I turn to face him and outstretch my hand. “Deal.”

I’m not sure what the hell I just signed up for, but it’s either going to be the best or the worst thing I’ve ever done.