Shit.
This was an actual nightmare. Harrison’s voice at the door. He sounded small and scared in a way Josh hadn’t heard in a long time.
What the fuck was he going to do? He had to make sure Harris was okay, but Rose didn’t have any clothing. The special icing on the awkwardness cake was that Josh’s erection was rapidly deflating
Rose jumped. She hid herself on the far side of the bed, but she wasn’t hidden all that well. There was really no place to go. Her clothes had gone down to the laundry and hiding in the bathroom would require passing the door, where his son’s curious eyeball was most likely peeking through the open crack.
As calmly as he could, Josh fished out a pair of boxers from his suitcase. He also grabbed a T-shirt and some shorts to toss to Rose. They wouldn’t fit well, of course, but it was better than her standing in the middle of the room with a sheet wrapped around her.
“Dad?” Harrison’s quiet voice came loud and clear through said crack in the door.
Josh jumped to attention. “Hang on, buddy. I’m coming.”
He cast a glance at Rose, who was already throwing the shirt on over her head. “Let me just close the door for a second so I can undo the security lock.” And hide the woman I was about to have sex with.
He pushed the door shut and motioned for Rose, who ran into the bathroom as if she were being chased.
Josh stuck his head through the bathroom door, where Rose was frantically pulling on his shorts. “Sorry,” he hissed. “Obviously, I wasn’t expecting them. Not until tomorrow morning.” He ran a hand through his hair. “The thing is, I hadn’t given a lot of thought to you and Harrison meeting.”
She busied herself with digging through the hotel toiletries. “He’s already met me.”
“Not as someone I’m having a relationship with.”
Her eyes went wide. Josh immediately realized his error.
He’d used the “r” word. The “R” word. Capital “R.” Big, bold “R.”
Still gripping the door handle, he took a step back. “I meant in the special-adult-friend sense of the word, not the until-death-do-us-part sense of the word.”
The look on her face wasn’t one of a woman convinced. “I’m going to get cleaned up.”
“Good idea.” He left her to it, then pulled open the door to the room.
There stood Harrison in his pajamas, holding his favorite stuffed turtle. Marina looked slightly harried, but also amused.
“I’m so sorry we interrupted your evening,” she said with one eyebrow raised. “Harrison threw up after dinner and he wanted his dad. I think that waiter lied to us at the restaurant. He said the meatballs were dairy free, but I swear I tasted parmesan. I’m so sorry.”
“Not your fault, Marina. Thanks for bringing him.” He bent down to take a look at his son, who leaned against the wall looking ashy and tired. “Sorry you’re not feeling so great, buddy. Give me a few minutes, and I’ll get the sofa bed opened up for you.”
“I wanna sleep in your bed, Daddy.”
Josh glanced at the rumpled sheets where he and Rose had only minutes before been rolling around extremely naked. A dropped condom wrapper peeked out from under the edge of the duvet.
“Let’s stick to the sofa bed, in case you feel sick again. It’s closer to the bathroom. Just hang tight.”
While Harrison and his stuffed friend made themselves comfortable on the love seat, Josh turned to Marina. “Thanks for taking care of him.”
She glanced around, questioning gaze stopping at the bathroom. Light seeped out from under the edge of the closed door. “Anything I can do to help before I leave?”
“Uh…” His foot bumped a high-heeled shoe that had landed in the hallway. Quietly, he cracked open the door, pushing the shoes inside with his foot. He chuckled as he shut the door again. “We’re good. Thanks.”
Not that she looked like she believed him, but she didn’t argue. After a quick trip to the couch to ruffle Harrison’s hair, she left.
Rose cracked the door and peered with one eye through the opening. “Psst! Can I come out yet? This bathroom is pretty swanky but I’ve used all of your complementary toiletries and now I’m just getting bored.”
Josh glanced over to his son. “One sec.” He grabbed the remote on the TV, turning it to the cartoon channel. Even in his current state, Harris was immediately engrossed in some show about a mermaid and a shark.
“Go,” Josh mouthed to rose.
Shoes in hand she crept out the door.
Just as Harrison’s show hit a commercial break. Fantastic.
“Dad, my head feels–– Oh. Hi.” Harrison peered at Rose from behind his stuffed turtle. “Who are you?”
Rose stiffened, but pasted a smile on her face. “Oh! You remember me, right? I’m just a friend of your aunt and uncle.”
“And my dad?”
“Yes. Absolutely. Your dad and I are friends.”
Josh gave her a curious look, which she pointedly ignored as she backed toward the door. “See, what happened was, my washing machine wasn’t working, and your dad said I could come here to do my laundry. Isn’t that nice of him?”
Harrison nodded slowly. Poor kid looked a little green.
“Hey, buddy, you’re looking a little tired. How’s your stomach?” He pressed his hand to Harrison’s forehead. “Doesn’t feel like you’ve got a fever but you definitely need some rest.”
“There’s an urgent care right up the road,” Rose said. “If you decide you need to take him to a doctor.” She jabbed her finger in the general direction of Victoria’s office building. “And of course, also the hospital is only a few miles away.”
Josh was too grateful to be worried about the awkwardness of the situation. “Thanks.” He leaned toward Rose. “Listen,” he whispered. “This is really shitty timing, but I need to focus on Harrison. Can I get your clothes to you tomorrow, or will walking through that lobby in my shorts and T-shirt be the thing that makes you kill me?”
“Please. I’ve done far more ridiculous things,” Rose said brightly. “Take care of your son.” She pushed the open door a little too hard. It swung towards the far wall and hit hard, drawing Harrison’s attention. “Oops. Bye, little guy,” Rose said.
Her words were all rainbows and sunshine, but she scurried from the room fast enough to nearly trip over herself.
Josh followed Rose into the hall. “This obviously wasn’t how I’d expected tonight to go. I had no idea––”
Rose pushed her hand against his chest. “We had a whole conversation earlier about how maybe it was best if we keep things platonic.” She motioned between them with her hand. “Maybe the way we keep getting interrupted is some kind of sign.”
Josh wasn’t sure what to say.
She smiled, almost sadly. “I need to go home and slip into something a little less nylon. I hope Harrison feels better.”
With her head held high, she slipped into her heels and swept down the hall with more grace than any person wearing heels with basketball shorts and a shirt bearing a picture of a llama ever had. Josh gave it a 50-50 shot, whether or not he would ever see his clothes again. Or whether she’d even want to speak to him tomorrow.
They had agreed to not seeing each other after tonight. Though Josh had more or less been going along with the flow, it probably was for the best.
He didn’t know how they’d work out any kind of relationship, her in Virginia and him in Colorado. He didn’t have much time for dating. When Harrison got a little older, when he depended on him a little less, then things would be different.
Right. Then why wasn’t he relieved that she’d let him down before he put his foot in his mouth?
He shook his head and turned away as Rose floated down the hall toward the elevator without a backwards glance.
He returned to the room to check on his son. “Hey, kiddo. Let’s get you settled and then let’s get you a good night’s sleep.”
After the day they’d had? They could both use one.
A pricey SUV cut Rose off without signaling. “Learn to drive, motherfucker!”
Traffic wasn’t usually this ugly in the middle of a Tuesday. Today looked a lot more like a Friday afternoon when everyone was rushing to leave work early.
She’d need to work on her language today. But sometimes f-bombs were just so much fun.
She parked at Josh’s hotel, wondering what insanity had prodded her to return to the scene of the crime. As the parking attendant took her keys and drove off with her tiny little hybrid, she took a sixtieth look at her phone. At Josh’s last message.
Please. Rose, I wouldn’t ask you if I weren’t desperate.
Right. Now she remembered.
She slung her tote bag full of puzzles and board games onto her shoulder and marched through the lobby. She could do this. She wasn’t a “kid person,” but Harrison seemed sweet. And it wasn’t as if being near one would make her burst into flames.
Hopefully.
Josh stood waiting in the hall when she reached the room, shirt half untucked and expression haggard. “Thanks for coming. I know this is a huge inconvenience. Dave’s driving Vick home from the hospital, Marina’s in Annapolis for her son’s birthday, and my mom…”
He shook his head in that way that made Rose want to hug him forever. If there was one thing she could relate to, it was parents who let you down.
“It’s fine.” Actually, it was a huge inconvenience. She’d taken the day off work and everything. Then again, work was possibly more stressful than a sick kid, so… Whatever. “So, where are you going?”
Josh’s face clouded. He pressed his lips together and focused on straightening his clothes. No answer.
Huh. “I mean, it sounded pretty urgent. Must be, if you’re calling me of all people to babysit instead of rescheduling.”
“Couldn’t reschedule.” For looking as bedraggled as he had when she’d arrived, he was tucking that shirt as if there would be a test later.
Okay, so this was how he was going to be today? No point in dragging it out. She dropped her bag inside the door. “I’ll just go see how Harrison’s doing. I brought some games—”
He caught her arm as she passed. “Harrison’s sleeping. He got sick again last night. He needs to rest.”
“Okay, are you sure he’s not contagious? You didn’t bring me over here to babysit your germ factory while you go off to—I don’t know—sex up some other unsuspecting woman, right? Is this how you get babysitters?”
“It’s not contagious.” The frustrated expression and the bright pink cast to his face improved her mood more than it should have. “Sometimes if he eats something he shouldn’t, it takes a little time for his system to get back to normal. He needs to sleep and stay hydrated and he should feel better soon.”
Wonderful. “I guess it’s a good thing the hotel laundry still has my clothes. Sounds like I might need them.”
He gestured to the closet. “They came up this morning.” He pulled her into the bathroom, eyes dark. “Look, sorry. About last night. And my shit mood. I’ve got this thing in Richmond and I’m stressed as fuck. Just ignore me right now.” He slid his hands up and down her arms as he spoke, almost absently. Was he touching her this way on purpose or did he know he was doing it at all?
“I’m sorry about last night, too. For you, I mean. I was perfectly satisfied.”
A sudden grin appeared. Sun breaking through the clouds. “I enjoyed satisfying you.”
She mentally chastised the warm-fuzzy feeling between her legs. They were not here for naked fun times, nor would they be again. It had been decided.
But a girl could fantasize, okay?
She cleared her throat and backed away. Too fast. Her butt banged painfully on the door handle behind her. “Ow.”
His hands gripped tighter to her arms, pulling her close. “Are you okay?”
“Oh, sure. Butt bruises happen. You know how it is.” She pulled herself back—slowly this time—so he couldn’t notice the rapid pace of her breath.
If he noticed, he pretended not to. Just as she pretended not to notice the soothing caress of his hand on her butt. She cleared her throat.
“Um. So. It sounded urgent. Whatever this…meeting is that you need to get to. Since he’s sleeping, I’m going to hang out and read a book. Maybe take advantage of the free cable. Harrison and I will be fine.”
He looked grim and tired as he pulled away. “Let me know if anything comes up.”
“Hey.” Her hand had risen to the side of his face before she knew what she was doing. The soft, scratchy stubble soothed her.
Josh leaned into her touch. His minty-fresh sigh ghosted across her face as she leaned back. Once again, he didn’t answer. He simply stood, looking unsteady.
“Josh, I don’t mean this in a jerky way, but you don’t look so well. Are you sure Harrison’s not contagious?”
He straightened suddenly, giving a final squeeze to her shoulders before he backed away. “No. I mean yes. I’m sure. We had a long night. I just need to stop for coffee on the way.”
He stepped back out into the short hall that led to the hotel room door, suddenly all business. The connection broken, unless Rose had imagined it altogether.
A strange urge shot through her. To reach out again, to hug him, to tell him that whatever seemed to weigh so heavily on his shoulders, she was here to listen. He seemed closed off though, and the gesture seemed like something of a gray area since they’d just agreed to be only friends.
But the dazed expression on his face worried her. “You should cancel. You’re clearly tired. Get some rest. I can hang out here for a bit in case Harrison needs anything. Whatever you’ve got scheduled, surely they’ll understand if your son is sick.”
He mumbled something she couldn’t understand, followed by, “I really do have to go. Thanks.”
“Drive safe,” she managed. It wasn’t at all what she wanted to say. It was just the only thing she could manage to spit out.
Her stomach twisted as Josh nodded tiredly and walked out the door. Across the room, Harrison slept fitfully on the pullout sofa.
She sat on the bed with a thriller she’d been dying to read for weeks, but the words swam in front of her face. She looked back at her tense text exchange with Josh, and then the door he’d left through.
What was going on that would have him leaving here looking so grim?