Page 16 of Starcrossed Colorado

“It’s not the first of the month yet.”

“True, but I needed to do some planning.”

He flinched. “Can you turn that noise off? It’s like nails on a chalkboard.”

Okay, so not a fan of Ayla Maxwell. I pressed pause on my phone screen.

“Maisie, you shouldn’t be down here,” Ashford said, though he’d softened his tone. “I asked you to head upstairs while I was making my phone calls. You didn’t listen.”

“But the dog, Daddy. I was petting her.”

“There shouldn’t be a dog here either. Go upstairs and pick up your toys, monkey. Aunt Grace will be here soon. I need to talk to Miss Emma.”

“But Daddy?—”

“No buts, please. Go.”

“Fine.” Maisie gave Stella another hug, showing a streak of defiance, then scowled at her dad as she marched past him. The two of them looked so much alike it almost made me laugh.

“Six going on sixteen,” Ashford muttered.

“Maisie seems great.”

His glare refocused on me. “You can’t just come and go. My apartment is upstairs. This is my home. I need to know who’s here when I send my kid inside.”

So much for all those sympathetic feelings I was having. For the daughter, yes. The dad? Not so much.

“Can we not do this, please? Let’s fast forward.” I made a grumpy face and dropped my voice. “I’m Ashford, I’m super territorial and unreasonable.” Then I smiled. “Oh, hey, I’m Emma. I’m a nice, innocent music teacher. Dixie did a full background check on me. I lock doors, and I would never allow an unvetted stranger around your kid.Thanks Emma, I feel much better. The end.”

I held out my hands like I was saying,Ta-da.

His frown softened. Just a tad.

I picked up my journal from the floor where Maisie had left it. “If you’ve got a few minutes, I had some ideas to make room for my stuff. I don’t have that much. I promise.”

He shook his head, glancing away. “This isn’t a good time. I need to meet a client for a personal training session in ten, and my sister’s on her way. I was just on the phone with the mechanic. He’s a friend of my brother. I arranged for your car to be towed, and it arrived at the shop, but I didn’t have your number.”

“Seriously? Oh my gosh, thank you. That was on my list for today, but I was worried about the cost. I’m a little short on funds at the moment.”

He sighed like I was the biggest inconvenience he’d ever encountered. “I can make sure you get the friends and family discount.”

“That’s…surprisingly nice of you.”

“It happens on rare occasions.”

“Do I detect a hint of sarcasm? Do you actually have a sense of humor in there somewhere?”

“Maybe. It’s rusty. Might not be salvageable.”

A smile tugged at my lips. Stella sensed her opportunity and approached, nudging Ashford’s hand with her nose. He ruffled her ears.

“How are the Ponderosa Apartments?” he asked.

I tensed up, smiling again but with my lips closed. “Just fine.”

“You sure? You might want to talk to Dixie. She could try to help you find another apartment. Assuming there’s anything available at this point, since the summer tourists have already arrived.” His tone was full of judgment. As if he was really saying,A smarter person would’ve figured this out ages ago.

“I can handle my own living arrangements.”

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