If This Was a Movie (Evergreen Park #2)

Chapter 8 – Nate

EIGHT

NATE

“When you live with us, can we have a sleepover one night?” Sophie asks Jules after we place our orders and right before she takes a long gulp of her sugar-laden chocolate shake.

I groan out loud because, although I love my daughter more than anything on this planet, she cannot read a room to save her life.

Jules had just been starting to decompress, it seemed, relaxing a bit despite the strange circumstances. As we were deciding what to order, she even cracked a joke and told Sophie she could teach her a dance to do with her Ashlyn doll. But with Sophie’s words, her shoulders return to their position at her ears.

“Sophie,” I say with warning.

“What? When Aunt Claire has sleepovers with me, they’re fun, but Jules is a real-life princess! Just like Ashlyn!”

“I, uh—” Jules starts, eyes wide.

“We don’t even know if Jules wants to stay in the cottage, Sophie,” I admonish, though I’m grateful she brought it up. Jules and I have a lot to talk about, but first we need to handle the situation of where she’s going to be staying. I turn to Jules, my face trying to portray a casual offer even though it feels nothing of the sort. “Claire told me she mentioned the cottage to you. It’s just sitting empty, and you’re more than welcome to stay there. Actually, I kind of insist.” I look at her pointedly before smiling. “I feel like we have a few things to talk about anyway.”

Almost instantly, she averts her eyes, a blush blooming on her cheeks that match the color of the sweater she’s wearing.

She’s cute.

So fucking cute.

But, I have to remind myself, not mine.

“It’s very kind, really, but I don’t know if I’m comfortable with taking advantage?—”

“Hotels are crazy,” I add quickly. I have a few friends who work at the local hotels, and I can’t stop myself from wondering if they’d be willing to tell a stranded woman they were booked so I could convince her to stay with me. It would be better than shelling out the money she could be using to fix her place on a hotel room.

Besides, she clearly is over me, over whatever there once was between us, since she let a whole year span without a word. Unfortunately for me, I haven’t been able to think about anyone but her for a year. I wonder if it could give me the closure I need, some explanation as to where I went wrong with her all those months ago so I could finally move the fuck on.

Every night, my dreams are haunted by the promise of what I thought I had with Julianne, and despite it being only two nights, I can’t seem to get over it, like some kind of lovesick middle schooler.

“Even if it’s just for the night, you should stay in the cottage. Then, if you’re not comfortable, I’m sure I can pull some strings tomorrow, reach out to some friends, and find you somewhere that won’t cost you your entire savings. If I can’t, my mom might as well be the mayor of Evergreen Park with the amount of people she knows. She’ll figure out something.”

“Nate—”

“I mean this in the most genuine way, you will be doing me a favor if you stay at the cottage tonight.”

She gives me a disbelieving look before speaking. “I highly doubt that,” she says with a roll of her eyes, but there’s also a small smile on her lips.

Progress, I think.

She moves to say something else, but I interrupt her before she can.

“Look, Evergreen Park is small, and my family is nosy. Word travels fast in this town and faster when my sisters are involved. If it gets out I didn’t do my best to give you a safe place to stay for the night, I’d never hear the end of it from my mother.”

“You’re thirty-five, Nate. I don’t think your mom has that much sway on you.” She looks me over, and that smile spreads. “Unless you’re a total momma’s boy, which is a red flag by the way.”

I laugh out loud and shake my head.

“Not a full-blown momma’s boy, though I’m close with my whole family. It’s just that my mom raised me to always help someone in need, and I know Sloane is probably going to call her tonight and fill her in. We’re tight like that, and my sisters love to meddle. If my mom finds out I wasn’t a proper gentleman, I’m toast.” I nudge Sophie under the table with my foot, but she doesn’t need the hint to help me out.

“Yup, he is! Grandma will yell at him,” Sophie says, and I look at my daughter with a smile. “And probably take him off her Christmas list, and she gets really good presents.”

Never in my life did I think I’d use a five-year-old as a wingman, but here we are.

“See? Don’t get me in trouble with my mom. And then we can talk about the rest.” I shift my eyes to Sophie. “Later. Only if you want, of course. But even if you just want to spend one night in the cottage and never see me again, that’s fine, too. I think I fucked up big time a year ago, and if I can only make it up in this small way, so be it.”

Her brows furrow, a quick jolt of guilt flashing over her face as she bites her lip. What I wouldn’t give to get into her head for just a moment.

“I don’t know…” she says, hesitating, but I can also see her resistance is less now like she’s coming around to the idea, so I try another angle, trying to knock out any and all arguments.

“Your friend’s dating some security wiz, right?” She nods, and I reach for my wallet, slide out my license, and hand it to her. “Go. Call him, give him my info. Run me by him, look up my record so you know I’m not a psycho.”

“I don’t think all psychos have it written on their record, you know,” she says.

I smile at her, and she returns it, even if she doesn’t want to. I stare at her for a few more moments, waiting to see what she does. Eventually, she sighs and nods. I lift the license to her once more, and reluctantly, she takes it, sliding out of the booth and heading toward the bathrooms.

And even though I think she’s going to take me up on my offer, I send a few texts to friends, telling them if a young woman named Julianne calls, I’ll owe them a favor if they tell her their hotel is completely booked up for the night.