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Tilly
I zip up the white sweater I pulled off the floor of my closet after I slipped into a pair of faded jeans. I kick a pair of sneakers aside to reveal black leather boots I haven’t worn in more than a year.
They’ll have to do. I step into those before I tie my hair into a ponytail and twist it into a messy knot on the top of my head.
Done.
I wouldn’t say that was a record-breaking change of clothes, but it’s fast enough to guarantee that I’ll make it to Carolyn’s apartment before her date arrives.
I worked an hour late tonight and just as I pushed the key into the lock of my apartment door, my cell phone rang.
It was Carolyn in a panic.
Her nanny had misread the schedule and made plans of her own on the one night this year that Carolyn has a date.
The lucky guy is a sales rep from one of the dog food brands that we stock at the clinic. He caught Carolyn’s eye a few weeks ago and when he invited her to dinner and a movie, she happily accepted.
I thumb out a message telling her that I’m on my way before I grab my purse from where I threw it on my bed when I got home from work just minutes ago.
The entire ride home on the subway I imagined walking into the apartment to the smell of a home cooked meal and the sight of Sebastian waiting by the dining room table with two glasses of red wine in his hands and that same look in his eye that I saw last night.
The only thing waiting for me when I did get home was a note taped to the apartment door asking me to keep my music to an acceptable level after midnight.
Apparently, I have at least one neighbor who doesn’t appreciate pop music the way I do.
I flick the switch to turn off my bedroom light before I race down the hallway to the apartment door.
A chime from my cell pulls my eyes to the screen. It’s a reply from Carolyn saying that she appreciates me filling in at the last minute.
I start typing out a message telling her how much I love hanging out with Cooper as I swing the apartment door open. I take a step forward and crash into the hard chest of my roommate.
I look up and into those brilliant blue eyes. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself.” Sebastian smiles down at me. “Where are you rushing off to?”
How can he look this good after working all day?
“I need to go watch Cooper.” I move to let him into the foyer. “His mom has a date and the nanny bailed.”
“Cooper? Is that the kid who loves the solar system almost as much as I do?”
I nod. “I’m going to research more moon facts on my phone on the subway so I can dazzle him with my knowledge.”
“Or I could tag along and feed you those facts firsthand.” He tugs on the lapel of his gray suit jacket. “Do you think he’d mind?”
I look down at his belt and the badge attached to it. “He’ll want to touch your badge.”
His gaze drops. “I’ll let him hold it.”
My heart sings in my chest at the idea of spending an entire evening with Sebastian, even if a six-year-old will steal most of his attention away.
“Cooper is going to love meeting you. I’m pretty sure you’re already his hero.”
He laughs. “I need to lock something in the safe in my room and then I’ll be set.”
It’s his gun. I catch a glimpse of it in the holster he’s wearing under his suit jacket when he moves.
As he walks away, I’m hit with the sudden realization that he puts his life on the line every day.
An unexpected wave of fear washes over me. I’ve known him for less than a month, but if something happened to him, I know instinctively that my life would never be the same again.
***
“You make the best grilled cheese sandwiches in the entire world,” Cooper exclaims as he stands on one of the dining room chairs. “Tilly usually gives me an apple before bed and some licorice. This was way better.”
A hint of a smile touches Sebastian’s mouth. “My mom taught my brothers, my sister and me how to make grilled cheese when we were a little older than you are.”
“What are their names?” Cooper asks as he eyes me.
I’m motioning for him to sit back down in his chair, but he’s still on his feet, bouncing in place.
“I have two brothers, Nicholas and Liam.”
“What’s your sister’s name?” He rests his small palms against the table as he stomps his feet on the chair.
“Nikita, but we call her Nyx,” Sebastian answers.
I’ve heard bits and pieces about all of them from Maya. She hasn’t met his sister yet, but she had dinner with his two brothers and Nicholas’s wife, Sophia, a few months ago.
“I don’t have any brothers or sisters.” Cooper reaches into the pocket of his sweatpants to pull out Sebastian’s badge. “Are any of them policemen like you?”
Sebastian gets up from his chair and goes to where the little boy is standing. He scoops him up effortlessly and tosses him over his shoulder.
Coop lets out a playful squeal.
“My brother, Nicholas, writes books,” he says as he walks toward the living room. “My brother, Liam, helps people when they’re sad and Nyx owns a candy store.”
“A candy store?” Cooper’s eyes widen when Sebastian places him down on the sofa.
“The best one in the city.” Sebastian takes a seat next to him. “If your mom says it’s okay maybe Tilly and I can take you there the next time we come over to hang-out with you.”
The next time.
I smile inwardly at the promise of another evening like this.
I’ve been on my own since we arrived two hours ago. Coop took to Sebastian immediately and they spent most of the evening looking at books and websites devoted to the moon.
I didn’t mind at all. I watched in wonder as Sebastian shed his suit jacket, rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt and got on the floor so he could read to Cooper.
“I can’t wait.” Coop pats Sebastian on his knee. “Why aren’t any of them policemen like you?”
Sebastian steals a glance back at me before he turns his attention to the inquisitive little boy. “It wasn’t what they wanted to do.”
“Did you always want to do it?” He looks at Sebastian’s face. “Sometimes I think I want to be a pet doctor, but today I think I want to be a detective like you.”
I see Sebastian’s shoulders tighten. “For a very long time I wanted to be a lawyer.”
“What’s that?”
Sebastian bows his head. “A lawyer helps the police to make sure that the bad guys go to jail and stay there.”
A lawyer? His admission surprises me.
“That sounds cool.” Cooper slides into his lap. “Why didn’t you do that?”
Sebastian runs his hand over Coop’s forehead. “I almost did, but I changed my mind. My dad was a policeman and his dad was too. It made them happy when I went to the police academy.”
Cooper looks down at the badge in his hand. “If you were a lawyer you wouldn’t have one of these. You can take it back now.”
Sebastian reaches toward it, his hand hesitating before he picks it up. “You’re right. I wouldn’t.”
“It’s time to get ready for bed,” I call from where I’m standing. Something has shifted in Sebastian’s demeanor and now is the perfect time to get Cooper tucked in between his sheets. “Say goodnight to Sebastian.”
Cooper slides off Sebastian’s lap and faces him. “Are we friends now?”
“You bet.” Sebastian musses his hair.
“I’m going to tell the kids at school that my best friend is a policeman.”
“Hey,” I say as I approach where they’re sitting. “I thought we were best friends.”
Cooper blows out a breath. “You’re my second best friend.”
I laugh. “I’ll take it.”
We start toward his bedroom when he stops in place and turns around to look at Sebastian. “I sometimes ask Tilly to marry me, but she always says no. She might say yes if you ask her.”
“Cooper,” I say his name in a rush. “Sebastian and I are just friends.”
He grabs my hand and pulls it toward his bedroom. “Come on. I want you to read me the book about the astronaut.”
I glance back at Sebastian. We lock eyes and he smiles softly.
I turn away when Cooper yanks on my hand again. I can’t wait to get him into bed so I can spend time alone with the man I think I might be falling for.
