Once I put our dishes in the sink and clean up my mess, I head back to the living room and find Tatum asleep on the couch. Carefully, I lift her feet and take a seat, then place them in my lap. I pull the blanket over her, making sure she’s fully covered.
I watch TV before deciding to text Tristan. I still need to call my parents, but I’ll do that later so I don’t wake her up.
Easton: It looks fucking amazing in here. You guys did a really good job designing everything. Thank you again for understanding. Tatum loves it too.
Tristan: Don’t even sweat it. How are you holding up?
Easton: Besides feeling stressed, being here with Tatum isn’t the worst thing.
Tristan: HA! Piper told me to tell you “she knew it!”
I roll my eyes because I can hear her voice in my head saying those exact words.
Easton: I need to somehow figure out all the inventory I had, but without my laptop, I can't access my Dropbox files. I'll probably have to fight with the insurance company a bit until they give me the final report on how the fire started.
Tristan: All your purchase and sales reports should be enough for them. Otherwise, if you give me your login info, I can print everything you need and mail it in.
Easton: I'll let you know once I speak to them, but thank you. I appreciate any help.
Tristan: Whatever you need, brother. Just text or call me.
Easton: Appreciate that. I'm exhausted, so I'll talk to you tomorrow.
It's only seven when I finally cave and wake Tatum so she can go to her bed. I double-check the locks and security system before making my way to my room with George's cage. I'm used to hearing him run on his wheel at night, and even though I found it annoying at first, now it's like white noise, and I need it to fall asleep.
I tell Tatum good night one last time before she closes her door, then crash before I even pull down the covers.
Chapter Four
TATUM
DAY 2
The hot sun beaming through the windows wakes me, and though I’m in a different bed and place, I slept better than expected. I was tired as hell, but it took me some time to actually fall asleep. Probably because I had a nap on the couch with Easton sitting next to me. I hadn't expected to see him so close when he woke me.
I go to the bathroom and freshen up. The cabinets are stocked with everything I could need or want, which is a relief. I’m glad I didn't have to ask Easton to get me pads and tampons. It's bad enough he now knows my underwear and bra sizes. It's not that I'm a prude, but he's my boss. Though his little flirty comments don't go unnoticed, I've tried my best to keep my distance. Getting too close meant risking him finding out about my past.
Guess that's a moot concern now.
As soon as I'm back in my room, I pull out the clothes he bought. For a guy, he didn't do that bad. Mostly black leggings, black jean shorts, and T-shirts. He also grabbed a few sundresses that are lightweight and cute. The humidity is something I'm still getting used to.
I put on a pair of shorts and one of the racer tops. It's not something I'd normally wear since it's more revealing than I'm used to, but it's actually comfortable.
Just as I'm about to go downstairs, my phone vibrates, and I see Oakley's name on the screen. My sister has FaceTimed me every Friday since I left home. It's the only day of the week she doesn't have morning classes. Before then, we'd only text, but she insisted on seeing my face to make sure I was still alive.
“Hey, I was getting worried you forgot about me today.”
“No way,” she says around a yawn. “Just slept in a little. How are things? Still pretending you aren't crushing on your hot boss?”
Jesus. She's a blunt little shit.
“I'm too old to be crushing on anyone, nevertheless, my boss,” I retort, rolling my eyes.
“Mm-hmm.” She waggles her brows, then props the phone up while she starts a pot of coffee.
“So tell me what's been going on since we last talked. Did that guy from the cafe ask you out yet?” I ask so she'll stop making assumptions about Easton. Though I am interested to hear about the guy who runs into her every couple of days at the same coffeehouse.
“Mr. Suit and Tie? Nah. As soon as I told him I'm a painter and graduated with an art degree, he got all Mr. Uptight and Pompous. Apparently, he only dates women with half a brain so there's no chance they'll have a bigger IQ than him.”
I smirk. “Your education probably scared him off.”