Then on day three, the house went silent and I came out for water. That’s when I first saw her through the window, drawing in the morning light. After that, hiding wasn’t an option.
“Prince Charming, you’re still here.” Chantel swept into the kitchen, catching me mid-stare.
I stepped back from the window. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
“Well, good morning to you too, sunshine.”
“It’s almost noon.”
“Not in my world.” She stretched and yawned, then followed my gaze outside. “You know, you could just go talk to her.”
“I’m making a sandwich.”
“Oui, but only so you can stalk her. You can’t fool me.” She reached across the counter and stole my sandwich off the plate before I could react, biting into it with a groan of approval. “This is incredible. You can earn your keep around here as my personal chef.”
“Glad to be of service.”
“I mean it. Cook, clean, keep me company when I’m off shift.” A hard look flickered through her expression. “And if anyone comes knocking that I don’t want to see, you can tell them I’m not home.”
“Are you expecting someone?”
“No.” She took another bite of the sandwich, but the casual act didn’t match the tension in her shoulders.
Still, I didn’t push it. “Do you think I made a mistake? Moving back here?”
“That’s a dumb question.” She scoffed, still chewing. “You decided for a reason. You wanted to be here, right?”
“Yeah, I did. I still do. But I’m starting to wonder if living in the moment without a plan is just setting me up to crash.”
“Please tell me this isn’t about Zadie.” She glanced back toward the window.
I didn’t answer. What the hell was I going to say?
“Ah, Charming, don’t stress about it. Timing’s just bad, and I probably should have told her you were coming.”
“You didn’t tell her?” Fuck, that explained a lot.
“I didn’t think it was that big a deal.” Chantel shrugged. “Of course, I didn’t know you were going to go full stalker-boy and ask her out the second you walked through the door. What were you thinking?”
“I didn’t see the point in waiting. And honestly, I thought I could convince her.”
“Would it help if I said it’s genuinely bad timing? It’s not about you.”
It didn’t help at all. “Don’t worry, I won’t cry on your shoulder. I’ll survive the friend zone. Besides, there’s a lot I need to figure out. Which reminds me, do you think you could set me up with the volunteer coordinator at the hospital?”
“Maybe…” She glanced at the clock on the microwave and winced. “Shit. I was supposed to drive Zadie to school.”
“You forgot?”
“I didn’t forget. I lost track of time.”
The back door slid open and Zadie stepped in with her sketchbook tucked under her arm and graphite smudged across her cheek. My gaze snagged there, then lifted to her deep brown eyes.
They passed right over me and fixed on Chantel. “You forgot.”
“I didn’t forget.” Chantel brushed crumbs from her pajamas, then caught Zadie’s glare. “Okay, I forgot. I’m sorry.” She held up the half-eaten sandwich like a peace offering. “Hungry?”
“Never mind.” Zadie was already turning to leave, not having looked my way once. “I’ll catch the bus.”