Page 69 of So Not My Thing
There would be no such thing as a fling for me with Miles, and I didn’t want to put myself back together again when he was done and on to the next woman. I didn’t want to have to live above him or interact with him in a professional way if we dated and he moved on. There would be no moving on for me.
My mom always said, “Believe people when they show you who they are.” And Miles had done that. He was a good guy. I could see that. But he wasnotthe guy for me.
Still...
I hated the idea of Miss Mary’s becoming a foreign space. What if Chloe and I could be as easy there as we’d always been with Miss Mary? What if we felt as free to pop our heads in to say hi to the kitchen staff and filch something to eat as we had the entire two years we’d lived here so far?
Miles made it sound like that’s what he wanted for us. I tried to imagine how it would feel to drop by before they got busy each day, to say hey to Miles and wander through the kitchen on my way upstairs after work.
If we kept it at that—hellos and easy chat as I passed through—that could work, right? It would be good to have this place feel comfortable.
I ate my stir fry and pictured it. Friendly greetings with the Turnaround staff. I already knew Jordan. It would be fun to keep up with new talent he brought in.
Maybe...
Maybe this would be okay.
Chapter Eighteen
Can I get your opinion?
It was a text from Miles. I hadn’t stopped by downstairs in three days, not since our last conversation. But the soundproofing had gone in Monday while I was at work, and Tuesday morning, I hadn’t even heard them start construction. I was curious about how it was coming along but stopping in at this point would be about seeing Miles. It wasn’t like he had any other staff hired for me to get to know. I’d decided to wait until he started hiring and training before trying out his invitation to become a familiar face.
Now, though, I stared at his message. Was he sending it from downstairs? I’d barely gotten home from work. Had he seen me drive in?
My opinion on what?I texted back.
Decorating stuff. I’m lost. You always had good ideas when we were looking at properties.
I could do that.Sure. What’s the question?
Want to run down and take a look?
So hehadseen me drive in. Did I want to go down and look at fabric swatches or floor samples or whatever it was with Miles? I tried to think about what I would do for any other client.
I’d offer an opinion or refer them to someone who could help them if it was outside of my expertise.
