“Michelle?”
The sound of his voice directly behind me almost made me scream. Heart hammering, I clutched the blanket to my chest and spun to face him. My master thief skills were more like apprentice level. I caught a glimpse of his hurt expression before he smoothed his features into a carefree mask of indifference.
“I need to go into town for more paint soon. I was wondering if you wanted to come with me and help pick out the color.” His eyes held mine as he spoke. He stood a few feet from me, wearing paint splattered cargo shorts and an equally colorful printed shirt. A brush hung from a loop on his shorts.
I didn’t answer immediately, and he tucked his hands in his pockets, waiting. My stomach did its weird flutter. After talking to Nana, it felt more like a tug. It made me nervous all over again. Why did I react like that to him? It had to be the reason I couldn’t seem to keep my mouth shut.
“I’ll pass. I’m more comfortable here,” I mumbled. Riding to town to get paint meant taking the car since Jim had the truck. Thinking of any amount of time in the confines of Nana’s little putt-putt, alone with Emmitt, did funny things to my insides.
“Okay,” he said with a small nod. Then he turned and walked away. My shoulders sagged in relief.
He left me alone for an hour. Laying in the shade of the third floor porch, I heard his footsteps approaching, but didn’t scramble to my feet fast enough. He caught me on my knees.
“Thirsty?” he asked holding out a sweating glass of water. Who is Blake? The last time he offered me something to drink, I said too much.
Fine. The drink had nothing to do with it. Not really. Emmitt was the problem.
“No.” I popped up as if pulled by a string connected to the top of my head. “I have to pee.” I dashed through the French doors and closed myself in the bathroom. Again.
After a few minutes, I ducked into the bedroom, threw on a shirt, and rushed downstairs to ask Nana and the boys if I could join them. The boys eagerly welcomed me while Nana gave me a curious look. She didn’t stop her lesson, though.
Since she kept her door open, I saw Emmitt pass by several times before lunch. Each time my stomach trembled, and I wished the stupid thing would stop causing me so much trouble.
When Nana announced her lessons complete for the day, I left the apartment with trepidation and led the boys upstairs for lunch. Our door stood open. I made Liam go in first while I hid around the corner.
“Emmitt! Are you cooking lunch today?”
Liam’s excited greeting caused me to throw a spontaneous quiet tantrum in the privacy of the hallway. There was a lot of silent foot stomping and some pantomimed fainting involved. Thankfully, Aden walked in right after Liam and missed my awesome display.
Straightening my shoulders, I stepped through the door. For the first time ever, Emmitt didn’t look up at me. Not even briefly. He focused on the boys and their sandwiches.
“Yep. I thought maybe I’d eat with you guys. How about we carry these sandwiches downstairs and eat on the grass?” He handed each boy a sandwich and, carrying one for himself, left with the boys.
Owl-eyed and confused, I stared at the empty door as the lone sandwich he’d left on the counter mocked me. I’d hurt his feelings with my avoidance. Drifting to a stool, guilt ate at me. Dejectedly, I took a bite of the sandwich. Turkey. With bacon. Frowning at the delicious taste, I set the sandwich aside. Didn’t he know I had no choice? Couldn’t he stop asking me questions for five seconds? Cradling my head in my hands, I grimaced remembering his questions today. Simple, harmless questions.
I sighed and admitted an ugly truth. The problem wasn’t Emmitt. It was me. I wanted to tell him everything. How stupid could I be? Not even a week had passed since he’d revealed his secret. Though I’d decided to learn what I could from him, I’d yet to resolve a few things in my mind. Primarily, the trust issue. It was too soon for that.
Hardening myself against the guilt, I decided to keep avoiding him.
A brief rain shower Friday morning, followed by a hazy, breezeless sky, spiked the humidity. Instead of lessons inside, Nana encouraged the boys to play in the sprinkler while they recited the things they’d learned during the last few days. The sweltering heat of the apartment drove me outdoors, too. I brought the blanket and book with me.