This is our bed. She shouldn’t be here.
I think of her emails. Evianna Halle. It’s a nice name. Her references checked out. Cecelia liked her, loved her even—said that she’d be good for us.
But she’s in my bed, and that makes me mad.
Very mad.
Eight.
Evianna
I wake up smiling, surrounded in the most comfortable feather blanket imaginable. I feel so rested. Why am I so comfortable? I turn and see Bria sleeping peacefully next to me. As I sit up and look around, a scream bubbles in my throat.
There’s a man standing in the doorway watching me.
“You,” he whispers, pointing to me angrily. “Out here, right now.”
I take in his wrinkled suit and tired eyes.
Oh my god, this must be Nick Wilder.
And he just caught me sleeping in his bed.
I jump out and quickly walk over to him. I’m suddenly aware of my pajamas—small, patterned shorts, and a tank top. Ever the professional.
“Oh my god,” I whisper frantically. “I’m so sorry. It’s just that she had a—”
He grips my arm tightly and leads me out of his room.
His room. I groan. Fuck.
I am so stupid. He’s probably about to fire me.
He shuts the door gently and continues to pull me down the hall.
“Nick,” I whisper again, “I swear, I was just—”
He spins around.
I get a good look at him.
Hot. Damn.
He’s not old, he’s not fat, and he’s definitely not ugly. He’s tall, at least six feet two. He’s muscular, sturdy, like he works out regularly. His suit fits perfectly, and though it’s wrinkled, I can imagine the kind of body he has underneath it.
Oh my god. Did I just think that?
His dark-brown hair is tousled, and his honey-brown eyes pierce me when I look up at him. He has a beautiful face. Strong, carved, a straight nose, nice eyebrows, full lips, and a five o’clock shadow that he rocks.
This is Bria’s dad?
This is Nick Wilder?
He looks like he belongs in a magazine.
“You are Nick, aren’t you?” I ask, unsure. He’s so young…
“I am. And you are Evianna Halle?” His nostrils flare, and I can tell he’s still pissed.
“I prefer Evi,” I say.
I watch him as he drops my arm and backs up a couple of steps.
“Okay, Evi,” he hisses. “What the hell are you doing in my bed?”
I feel my cheeks get hot, and I look away. His eyes are so angry… I didn’t expect him to be angry.
“I’m sorry, Nick. I was sleeping in the spare room, and then Bria woke me up in the middle of the night because she’d had a nightmare. She begged me to sleep with her in your bed. I was only doing my job,” I say defensively.
His face softens, and he looks at me with concern.
“She had a nightmare?” He looks from me to the closed bedroom door. “Oh.”
I watch as he puts his hands in his pockets.
“I wasn’t sure if I should, but she was so scared. She was crying, and I didn’t know what to do. I switched out your pillow and used my own, and I’ll wash the sheets—”
He holds a hand up.
“Don’t worry about it. You’re right. She had a nightmare, and I wasn’t here,” he says, looking pained. “You made the right call.”
I look down at my feet and rock back and forth on my heels, waiting for him to say something else.
“Are you going to fire me?” I ask, and my eyes meet his. They soften around the corners, and he assesses my face.
“No, Evianna. I’m not going to fire you,” he says, and he sighs loudly. “You just surprised me, that’s all. No one…” He looks away. “No one has slept in there since Isabel, besides Bria and me.”
“Oh,” I say, suddenly feeling horrible. “Oh my god,” I whisper, and I cover my mouth with my hand. “Nick, I’m so, so, so sorry…”
“I just don’t want to confuse Bria. There are boundaries—work boundaries and personal boundaries. Do you understand?”
“Of course,” I whisper.