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Tilly
I look up when I hear the door to Sebastian’s bedroom open. I didn’t expect to see him this morning. I didn’t get home until close to midnight last night.
Carolyn had to perform emergency surgery on a poodle, so after I tucked Cooper into bed, I settled on her sofa with a bag of potato chips and a can of soda. By the time I finished watching a movie, I’d eaten the entire bag of chips. I dusted the crumbs off my jeans and shirt and when Carolyn finally got home, I filled her in on Coop’s bedtime request.
He wanted me to tell her he loved her one last time before I left.
I did.
Her eyes welled with tears and I hugged her.
She hasn’t had it easy, but she’s a fighter and her son adores her. It’s obvious that’s what keeps her going.
“Good morning.” Sebastian steps into the hallway wearing a pair of jeans and a black sweater.
“You’re not going to work are you?”
“That’s how I pay my share of the rent.” He smiles. “I take it you’re heading to work too?”
I look down at the blue scrubs I’m wearing. It’s the required uniform of every vet assistant who works at Premier Pet Care. “What was your first clue, detective?”
He laughs. “I like that look on you.”
I can’t tell if it’s a genuine compliment, so I ignore it in favor of my original question. “You worked all weekend. Don’t you get at least one day to recover from that?”
“My lieutenant doesn’t seem to think so.” He waves his cell phone in the air. “She called me twenty minutes ago. No rest for the weary.”
He may be joking, but I see the exhaustion in his face. I deal with death on a daily basis at the clinic. I know how draining it is.
What he does for a living is on an entirely different level. There’s no way it doesn’t eat at his core.
“How was your date?” he asks as he pours himself a glass of juice. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
I didn’t correct him about my plans last night because I saw no reason to. I was in a rush to get to Carolyn’s and he looked about ready to fall asleep where he was sitting.
“Last night I learned that shadows are darker on the moon and I was proposed to.”
He waits for a beat before he responds. “Proposed to?”
“By the six-year-old son of one of the vets I work with.” I run my fingertip over the edge of the counter. “Cooper is his name. He’s a great kid.”
“Smart too,” he offers with a smile.
“Carolyn, Cooper’s mom, was called into the clinic for an emergency, so I hung out at her place.”
“Learning about the moon?” He finishes his juice.
“Anything related to the solar system.” I glance over at the microwave to check the time. “Last night it was all about the moon.”
“I know the fascination. My parents got me a telescope for my seventh birthday.”
“Really?”
“Don’t look so surprised.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “I’d camp out on the rooftop of our building on clear nights to stargaze.”
“So you already knew that shadows are darker on the moon?” I study him, taking in how striking he looks when he’s edging toward a smile.
“I did. I also know that the surface of the moon is hot during the day and cold at night. That’s common knowledge though, so I’m sure you’ve heard that before.”
I shake my head. “I didn’t know that.”
He reaches to open the fridge door so he can peer inside. “The next time you see Cooper ask him if he knows that.”
“If I tell Cooper that you’re a fan of the solar system, he’ll...” I stop myself but not before Sebastian shifts his attention from the fridge to my face.
“He’ll what?”
“Nothing.” I wave the word away with a swat of my hand in the air.
“You were about to say something, Matilda.” His voice lowers. “Tell me what it was.”
I exhale softly. “Like I said Cooper is six and is fascinated by a lot of different things. One of them is policemen so when he found out I live with one, well...he asked if I could bring you along the next time I babysit.”
The expression on Sebastian’s face is impassive. I can’t read anything from it, so I keep talking to fill the silence. “I told him you’re very busy and besides, he doesn’t have any clue that we barely know each other. It was just the ramblings of a six-year-old who is fascinated by shiny badges.”
His gaze drops to where his badge is hanging from his belt. “If I’m around the next time you see him, I’d love to come with you to get an introduction.”
“You would?” I feel the edges of my mouth curl into a smile. “You’re serious?”
He leans his hand against the counter, narrowing the distance between us. “He sounds like a great kid. I already know I’ll like him.”
“Because he loves the moon as much as you do?” I laugh.
“No.” His eyes lock on mine. “Because he asked you to marry him. That tells me the kid is wise beyond his years.”
I break the moment when I feel a blush creep over my neck. “He asked me to marry him because I give him licorice before bed.”
“You’re a rule breaker?”
I nod. “Sometimes.”
“Good to know, Matilda,” he says in a low deep tone. “That’s good to know.”
I push a strand of hair back into the messy low bun I crafted after my shower this morning. I flick my tongue over my bare bottom lip, wishing I had applied the new pale pink lipstick I bought at Matiz.
“I need to get to work.” He rakes me with a glance. “Take care of yourself today.”
“I will,” I whisper as he brushes past me toward the apartment door.
I will take care of myself. I’m going to do it right now.
The scent of that man’s skin, the look in his eyes and the sound of his voice is all the fuel I need to get myself off before I go to work.
