Page 18 of Unexpected

He chuckled. “Here let me help you with that.”

“Haven’t you ever heard of something called an e-reader?” My Sophia, always full of sass.

“I have,” Preston said matter-of-factly. “But you know what? I actually prefer a paperback.”

“You’re weird,” she said, and I covered my mouth to stifle a laugh.

“Knock. Knock,” I called, rapping my knuckles on the doorframe.

“Hey.” Preston glanced up at me and smiled. “Come in.”

“Yeah, Mommy.” Sophia grabbed my hand. “Come in.”

She led me on a tour of the place as if I’d never been there. It didn’t take long. There was a bedroom with a bathroom attached. And a small kitchen and sitting area that doubled as the dining room. It was simply furnished, but at least it was nice, clean.

“Are you settling in okay?” I asked Preston once we’d returned to the living room. Sophia had resumed organizing his books, placing them in alphabetical order on a shelf below the TV.

“I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this is very nice. Much nicer than my apartment, so thank you.” He smiled, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Wait. Apartment?”

“Yeah. I have a place near campus. Eventually, I’d love to have a house, but, yeah, real estate in LA is insane. Didn’t really think about that when choosing a college.”

I laughed. “Yeah. LA is certainly an expensive market. Good for people like me—agents and brokers. Not so much for struggling models…or, um, students,” I added, feeling like my cheeks were on fire.

He gave me a bemused smile. “Maybe if I weren’t on an eight-year degree program, it wouldn’t be so bad.”

I wanted to ask more, but I kept my mouth shut. Business—this was nothing but business. But surely, I should have a good relationship with my employees? I was certainly close to Gabriela. She was like family.

“I’m just thankful to be getting my degree,” he said, and I sensed there was more he wasn’t telling me.

“Mommy,” Sophia called. “I’m starving.”

“You’re starving?” I asked, mimicking her tone and inflection. It was easy to tease, but she had no idea what it meant to be truly starving. Something I swore to myself she’d never know.

“Can we order from Celebration?” She wrapped her arm around my waist, blinking up at me with her gorgeous baby blues. “Please?”

“Why not?” I turned to Preston. “Would you like to join us?”

“I wouldn’t want to intrude,” he said. “Besides, I should probably unpack.”

“Of course.” I tried not to let my disappointment show. “Come on, Soph.” I pulled her into my side. “Let’s go get ourselves some dinner.”

“Yay!” She jumped around. “Night, Preston. See you tomorrow.”

“Night, princess.” He waved. “Sweet dreams.”

“Goodnight, Preston,” I said. “Thank you again. And please, don’t hesitate to knock if you need anything.”

Why was my voice so husky? And had I really said that?

He arched a brow, a subtle tilt to his lips. “Anything?”

I wondered if I was reading more into his tone than was actually there, but I didn’t think so. I’d been around the block before, and I knew when a man was interested in me. And Preston was clearly interested. The idea that someone so much younger than me—and so hot—was attracted to me made me giddy, made me feel younger than my age.

“Mom,” Sophia called, dragging out the vowel. It was like being doused with a bucket of ice water.

It didn’t matter how hot Preston was, or how much I liked him, he was here for Sophia—not me. His attention, flattering as it was, could never amount to more. This was business. And as I’d told Lauren time and again, I absolutely did not mix business with pleasure.