Page 77 of Ewan

SCARLETT

A few hourslater

“Yes,Miss Stolz. Mousy has been great. She slept well,” I say on the phone, petting her dog. “Yes. We’ll go out right now. Don’t worry. We’re both fine. Okay… All right. Mm-hmm. Thank you. We’ll talk.”

I end the call and drop my phone into my backpack before leaning into the back of her couch.

What a beautiful view her condo has.

In the distance, behind the fog, the water stretches wide. Gray and freezing cold. A few snowflakes sway in the wind, and my mind goes back to this morning.

Seeing him again made my heart sing.

I rarely had the chance to meet a man without some practical reason.

Whoever the person was, we either worked together, went out together, or he was one of the people fixing stuff around the house.

No matter how friendly I was, I could never have a male friend. Although Joachim liked to believe he was my friend, he was far from what a true friend is.

Ewan is not my friend––I’m not a kid to believe that––but he behaves like he is.

And considering that I’m someone who’s never had a male’s attention without an ulterior motive, I enjoy the new experience.

He was clean-shaven this morning, his dark hair swept back, and he wore nice-looking yet comfortable clothes.

He put some thought into his appearance, and I appreciated that.

His disposition was calm and neutral in many ways. Not too warm, and not too cold, but friendly enough so it didn’t feel like he didn’t want to be there.

I offered him a cup of coffee, and we chatted all the way to Manhattan. We talked about my job, the private school where I work, Long Island, my neighborhood, and little Colley, as well as my love for children.

I was relaxed and in a good mood.

And having a conversation with a man like two adults? It was the best thing ever.

The time passed quickly, and soon, the roads started to get busier, and I directed him to where he needed to take me.

We entered Manhattan a few moments later, and for some reason, he suggested we should exchange phone numbers. I was thrilled, although I let nothing out.

I put his number under Ewan. And he put mine under Miss Scarlett.

In front of the building, I thanked him and acted like we wouldn’t see each other again.

For sure, not today, but things didn’t work as planned.

He asked me to text him when I was done so we could make the trip back together.

He said he’d take care of some business in Manhattan but we could coordinate our schedules and return together.

Never in my life have I met a man like him.

Smoking hot, well-mannered, and above all, behaving like an adult.

So, now that I’m staring out the window, it’s not the gray buildings that I’m seeing. It’s mostly his penetrating eyes and subdued smile.

I look at the clock on the end table.

I should go out with Mousy in about fifteen minutes.

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