I wasn’t going to enlighten her. If she thought that we were friends, then it was true. I considered her a friend. A very small friend that I had to take care of, but a friend nonetheless. We were gearing up for kindergarten in the fall. She already knew how to write her name, and we were working on some of the soft skills like sharing.
On Wednesday, the skies cleared up, and we were able to walk down to the pond. We spent a few hours playing outside, which was something we both loved to do. Since Flynn wasn’t around, we were free to get as messy as we wanted to. I, of course, didn’t want to get too messy, but I allowed Seanan to crawl around in the dirt and fish through the pond with her bare hands.
Before lunch, we cleaned up and put on fresh clothes. After lunch, I put Seanan down for her nap. She was a champ about falling asleep, which gave me an entire hour, sometimes even two, of free time in the middle of the day.
I often went to my room to read. Flynn had told me at one point that I could watch television or surf the Internet in the living room, but I didn’t want to intrude. All his expensive equipment seemed like a minefield to me. I was afraid if I touched something, I might break it. Better to just retreat to my own private realm and pick up a form of entertainment that couldn’t cost me a fortune. Not that I expected Flynn would charge me if something went wrong. If I knew him, he would just raise an eyebrow, regard me with his patented mixture of frustration and admiration, and buy a new TV.
I had just gotten into my novel when the doorbell rang. I ignored it, figuring that some other member of the household staff would get it. I had effectively erased the intrusion from my mind when there was a knock on my own door.
“Come in!” I shouted, putting the book down.
“You have a visitor,” the cook said, leaving my door open as she walked back to her station.
I wondered who it could be. I hadn’t told anyone where I was, except for Connor, and I didn’t think he would just show up unannounced. Maybe it was Millie. It would be nice to see her, but I couldn’t spend a lot of time. I was lucky if I still had an hour before Seanan woke up, and I couldn’t be entertaining strangers in the family home.
Maybe it was about my parents. Maybe someone had tracked me down to tell me something important. It was with equal parts trepidation and excitement that I opened the main door. Outside, my earlier suspicions were confirmed when I found Connor waiting on the steps.
In the background, his expensive sports car was parked next to the garage. I saw the juxtaposition of Flynn’s vehicle, a much more understated town car, clear as day. If Flynn saw that car in his driveway, he would know something was up. Connor’s appearance at the front door was ludicrous. Hadn’t I told him that things were heating up between me and Flynn? What on Earth possessed him to drop by without telling me?
“Connor?” I sputtered. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s good to see you too,” he said with a grin.
“You can’t be here,” I insisted, looking around for any sign of the homeowner. “If Flynn finds you, he’ll be livid.”
“Flynn, is it?” Connor teased. “Not Mr. Campbell?”
I sighed. “I told you about our relationship.”
“You told me you didn’t have a relationship.”
“But I might want one.”
“Do you now?” He didn’t seem in the least bit put off. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying himself.
“Maybe.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
He stepped up to meet me, narrowing the space between us until it was just a hair’s length. “And is what we had meaningless?”
“It’s not meaningless,” I demurred. “It was very nice.”
“Nice?” He acted like he had been shot.
I laughed. “Okay! Hot. It was hot.”
“That’s better.” He slid an arm behind my back, pulling me against him. “I’m not trying to break up you and your boss. If you really like him, go after him.”
“Then what are you doing here?” I repeated myself.
“I have another friend I’d like you to meet.”
“Oh really?” I leaned back, putting as much space between us as I could without stepping out of the embrace.
“Really. My good buddy Dex, Declan. He’s a doctor.”
“Are you trying to pawn me off?” I gasped.
I had misjudged the meaning of Connor’s visit for sure. He wasn’t trying to score another date for himself; he was trying to set me up with his friend. And yet, at the same time, he wasn’t backing off as a potential love interest. Did he think I wanted to date all three of them? Was that even legal?