Page 18 of Prove Me Wrong
Noah’s light features loosen before he says, “It’ll start from next Tuesday if that works with you?”
“All right.” I dip my chin in agreement and ignore the trickle of anxiety racing down my back like a rogue bead of sweat. I can't back out of this. He needs the help, and I need the money. It’ll only be temporary until he finds someone better, or when I find a proper job.
His hand reaches out, grazing mine. I almost gasp when Noah’s skin touches me. His arm on mine this morning shocked me with how intense his touch was, and waves of warmth flooded my body. Just the brush of his flesh is enough to shoot sparks through my blood and flush my cheeks.
Noah’s smile loosens, and I fear that he might have felt that connection too, but he doesn’t mention it. I look at him through dark lashes,absorbing his kinder features that settle the anxious monster living in me, its voice reminding me I can’t trust anyone.
“Thank you, Grey. You have no idea how much I appreciate this.” His tone drops impossibly low. Eyes dipping to my mouth and back up to my flared gaze, Noah grins and turns to leave. My body tingles all over like I've been hit with lightning. Jade watches me with wide emerald eyes, hand in her mouth again, as Noah takes her inside.
Biting down on my lip, I race back into the safety of Gran’s house and slam the door behind me. Pressing my back against the cold timber, I let my head fall forward, feeling my thumping heartbeat rattle my bones. My throat burns as I try to force down saliva. Lips parting, I sharply inhale air, keeping my spine from trembling as my hand covers my mouth.
How can someone make me feel this way when I have been so careful to protect myself? How can one man make the walls I have carefully built around my heart threaten to crumble?
Chapter Seven
MIA
“Youwhat?”
A groan escapes my lips, the phone pressed firmly against my ear. The air is pleasant tonight, the backyard silent. Moisture hangs thick in the air, along with the scent of firewood and curling beech leaves. Foliage coats the ground in a layer of colour, and the trees move gently in the wind, blowing the mellow autumn air around. I had to take advantage of the weather before the winter chill sweeps through the town, bringing with it bitterly cold rain.
Slippers resting on the railing of the porch, I hold the phone close to my ear and answer my old roommate, Lila. “I said that I’ll do it. I don’t understand why you’re finding this so hard to grasp.”
“Probably because you haven’t so much as looked a man in the eye for three whole years, Mia.” Her voice rises with confusion and surprise. “I'm just wondering what made you suddenly agree to this.”
Honestly, I am wondering that myself. Why did I suddenly agree to this?
Oh, right, Noah’s face and Jade’s painful screams were partof the reason.
“I know, but it wasn’t just a snap decision. I considered it. I need a job and the money, and he needs the help.”
“Did he interview you?”
My face scrunches at her question. “What?”
Lila sighs heavily, repeating in a firmer tone, “Did you interview for the position?”
“No,” I say defensively, unsure of where she’s going with this.
Lila snorts a laugh. “How did he ask you then?”
I fiddle with the hem of my grey hoodie. “He came home after work and asked me after I offered to watch his daughter when he left this morning. She was sick and really upset, and it broke my heart seeing how much she didn’t want to go to daycare.”
“Hmm.” Lila hums. I can’t tell if she’s impressed or worried. It’s making my hands clammy with stress because I can’t tell what she’s thinking, and Lila always speaks her mind. This girl has no filter. “So you were the first person he asked?”
I bite the inside of my mouth, murmuring, “I think so. I don’t really know.”
“See.” She emphasizes loudly. “Snap, snap, snap!” Her fingers click into the phone in rapid succession.
I wince and pull the phone away to avoid going deaf. “It wasn’t a snap decision. Besides, I thought you would be happy for me…”
“Oh, believe me, Iamhappy,” she chimes, making me sit up in the cushioned chair.
“Good.”
Lila giggles softly. “Single daddies are thehottest.”
My eyes roll so slowly the ligaments might actually strain. “Lila.”
