The Workaholic Down the Hall

by Katharine Sadler

  “I'm never done nursing. Haven't you noticed?”

  “Have you pumped any milk?” he asked like he was talking about the weather. “I could try to give her a bottle.”

  I'd been pumping at least once a day in the hope that she'd take a bottle, but also as a way to get my milk production up so I could keep up with Sophie's enormous appetite. “There's some in the freezer.”

  “I'll get it,” May said. “It'll just take a little while for me to thaw it and warm it up.”

  She hurried into the kitchen, tossing a wicked smile of encouragement over her shoulder as she left. “It's going to take her a while,” I said. “Why don't you just go ahead and open the box for me?”

  His smile widened. “Sure. I'll open the box if you agree to go out with me.”

  Argh, he was infuriating. “When are you going to accept we're just friends and let this go?”

  His smile fell and his eyes clouded. “Never, Aubrey. I'm never going to accept we're just friends. Not until you've convinced me beyond all doubt that you don't feel anything more than friendship for me.”

  My heart leapt, but I punched it back down with logic and reason. He was in a baby fever, he didn't know what he was saying. “Can you please stop talking nonsense,” I said. “I can't deal with it right now.”

  “Okay. I won't mention it again. I promise.” He leaned in so close I could feel his words against my cheek. “But I'm not going to give up on us.”

  I snort-laughed. It was either that or melt into him and give him that date and so much more. “Do you have any idea how creepy that just sounded? You could be a really great stalker if you put your mind to it.”

  He leaned back and scowled, not looking at all amused. “I'm trying to be romantic.”

  I full-out laughed at that. Noah had never had any trouble getting dates, but I think that had a lot more to do with his good looks than with his charm or romance. “You might want to practice in front of a mirror or go online for tips.”

  “Har, har,” he said. “I'm not that bad.”

  “How are you here, anyway?” I needed to change the subject before he started listing all the women he'd successfully gotten to go out with him. “Is Jill running the company?”

  “We sold it. Alex Owings owns our hotels now.”

  That shocked me so much, I almost dropped Sophie. What had he done? That company meant everything to him. My heart pounded with fear. “Oh, Noah, why? Please tell me you didn't do this for us.”

  He leaned in close and stroked my cheek, his gray eyes warm with fondness. “Don't look so sad, Aubrey. I wasn't happy there and the company was on the verge of going under. I sold it for me and for Jill. I need to figure out what I really want, and Alex has what it takes to make the most of Dad's properties, the ones he keeps at least.”

  “Alex Owings? I wouldn't trust him to take care of a plant I liked.”

  Noah narrowed his eyes. “You worked for him, you know better than that.”

  I shrugged. “He's good at his job, and he's magic for making money. He'll make whatever properties he doesn't sell into luxury destinations or at least popular destinations. I just thought you'd want someone who'd take the kind of care with the properties that your father did, who'd put some heart and soul into it, not just cold rationality.”

  “Honestly,” he said. “He'll do what I didn't have the heart to do. He'll do what's necessary to make the properties worth saving profitable. Jill's working for him now, so she ought to keep him in line.”

  I gasped. “Why would she work for him? Doesn't she hate him with every bit of polish in her manicure?”

  “He made it part of the deal of the sale that Jill be his CFO. She insisted it would be fine, but I'm worried she's just saying that so I won't worry…”

  “Then she'll quit,” I said. “He can't force her to stay.”

  Noah nodded, but he looked doubtful. “Tell me the truth, how bad was he to work for?”

  I considered for several long moments. “I enjoyed working for him. He has high expectations for his staff, but he also has high expectations for himself. I wouldn't date him, he's terrible at relationships, but he's not mean or cruel or even particularly selfish. He just doesn't spend much time thinking about other people's feelings. Expediency, efficiency, and money are his priorities.”

  He smiled, looking reassured. “Jill can get behind that philosophy. She'll probably be okay.”

  “Of course she will. She's tough.”

  “Okay,” May said, stepping back into the living room. “I've got milk.”

  Noah reached for the bottle, which was exceedingly brave of him. Of course, he hadn't been around for any of the previous attempts at feeding Sophie with a bottle. He motioned for me to hand him Sophie. She started screaming as soon as I reached down and detached her mouth from my breast.

  Noah didn't flinch, he took her from my arms, snuggled her close, and put the plastic nipple to her little mouth. I smirked, feeling more than a bit smug, when she twisted her face away and screamed louder.

  He spoke to her in a soft, sweet voice and shook a bit of milk out onto her lips. I doubted very much that she was hungry and figured she liked the comfort of being close to me as much as she liked the food when she nursed. She kept screaming and Noah kept trying, long past the point I would have given up and just put her back to my breast.

  Finally, Sophie opened her mouth and closed it on that plastic nipple. She must have been worn out from crying, because her little eyes shut as she suckled and drank. Noah smiled at me, clearly proud of himself. “Open your present,” he said in a low voice.

  I didn't have to be asked twice. I grabbed the box and ripped into it like a starving woman going after a bowl of pasta. Inside was a coffee mug with a picture of a fierce grizzly and the words 'Mama Bear.' Next to it was a tea infuser and several varieties of loose-leaf tea.

  “I called the clinic where your doctor works and they told me all those teas are perfectly safe for you to drink while you're breast-feeding. You can't have caffeine, but I thought it might be nice to have something warm and soothing to drink when it's so cold out.”

  I wasn't much of a tea drinker, but his thoughtfulness was so sweet I figured I might become one just because every time I drank it I'd think of him and his sweet gesture. “Thank you,” I said. “I love it.”

  He smiled and slipped the bottle from Sophie's loose-lipped mouth. She was sleeping so soundly, she didn't even flinch. May took the bottle from him and returned to the kitchen. I picked up my gift and followed her in. I made tea for all of us and we enjoyed a few moments of peace while Sophie slept in Noah's arms. I'd probably never be a lover of tea, but it was nice to have a warm drink. And it was nice to sit comfortably with May and Noah, to watch Sophie so relaxed and easy in her father's arms. I could picture us as a family so easily it made my heart hurt.

  Noah carried Sophie to her bassinet in my room. When he walked back into the living room, I expected him to tell us he had to leave, but he sat on the couch.

  “I should go,” May said. “I've got to work tonight, and Mom said she could use an extra hand this morning.”

  “Thanks for your help,” I said.

  She nodded. “I'll be back later to help with the night shift. Now that Sophie will take a bottle, maybe you can get some sleep.”

  I was not at all sure Sophie would take a bottle again, but May, as helpful as she was, tended to sleep through Sophie's night feedings anyway. “That would be great.”

  May left and Noah gave me a nervous smile. That smile threw me off, because I'd never seen Noah nervous about anything. He was always so sure of himself, so capable. “I can go if you'd like to take a nap,” he said.

  I probably should have taken a nap, but I'd gotten a decent amount of sleep the night before and I was curious about Noah. “You can stay for a bit,” I said. “I'm feeling starved for adult conversation that doesn't revolve around Sophie.”

  He leaned back in his seat, looking more at ease, even hopeful
. I hated myself a bit for that. He shouldn't have hope, maybe I should be obvious about drawing the boundary lines, about making it clear there was no future for us. I was going to broach that subject, but he spoke first. “What's your plan for when Sophie doesn't need you so much?” he asked. “Are you planning to go back to work for Mom?”

  I'd planned to do just that, but I didn't think Sophie or I were ready for the routine a work day would require. “I've got enough money coming in right now that I don't have to work for at least a month,” I said. “I can probably do some stuff from home for your mom in the meantime, but for now I'm quite happy just figuring out this mom thing.”

  Noah nodded, his gaze thoughtful.

  “What about you?” I asked. “What's your plan now that you're unemployed?”

  He didn't wince at my use of the word, but he did frown. “I've always been interested in landscape design. It won't make me as much of an income as being a CEO at a successful company, but it will give me a lot more free time and, hopefully, it'll be work I'll actually enjoy.”

  I remembered the passion I'd seen in him when he'd talked about landscaping the yard and I couldn't help the smile that spread over my face. “That's wonderful. How do you get started in that?”

  “Education first. I've already applied to the landscape design program at the university here in Catalpa Creek. I'll have to find a job while I'm in school. Hopefully, something with one of the design firms in town.”

  “So, what does a landscape designer do, exactly? I know you could design gardens for this house, but what else?”

  His eyes lit and he told me, in more detail than I probably needed, about what a landscape designer does every day and the sorts of jobs he could do in a community like Catalpa Creek. I should have been bored to tears, but I'd never seen Noah speak with so much excitement and passion about anything. I was entranced. I even asked questions and was rewarded with a huge smile. He talked until Sophie woke up. He didn't try to feed her again, but he did feed me. He made me a delicious, healthy lunch and held Sophie, talking to her and bouncing her, so I could eat.

  Seeing his excitement about going back to school and about Catalpa Creek quieted my worry that he'd moved there out of some sense of obligation to me and Sophie. I loved that he'd be close enough to see Sophie every day, but I'd have to guard my heart even more carefully than ever.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Noah

  I knocked on Aubrey's door and sucked in a deep breath. I hoped I was making the right choice. I felt like I'd made good progress with her the day before, and she'd seemed more accepting of my presence, maybe even liked having me around.

  May opened the door, her eyes widened and she smiled. “She and Sophie are sleeping,” she said in a low voice. She stepped back from the door and gestured me, and the enormous tree in my arms, inside. “I'm afraid I wasn't much help last night. I slept through everything.”

  I bit back a growl of frustration. If Aubrey would just let me stay at the house, I could help. I carried the tree into the living room and leaned it against the wall next to the window. “I've got more,” I said. “Do you think I'll wake them going in and out?”

  May's brow crinkled in worry. “Maybe one more trip and then leave the rest until they're awake?”

  I brought in the tree stand and one box of decorations. Glancing in the bed of my truck before I slammed the tailgate shut, it occurred to me I may have gone a little overboard. Maybe Aubrey would have liked to pick some stuff out herself.

  If she did, I'd just return everything. I went back inside, got the tree set up in its stand and spread a red and green tree skirt under it. I left the rest of the decorations in the box for later. No point getting them out if Aubrey would rather pick her own.

  “That's a beautiful tree,” May said. “She'll love it.” I'd chosen a huge, fluffy fir that filled the front windows of the living room. It blocked out enough of the view to border on obnoxious. If Aubrey wasn't a fan of Christmas, I wasn't going to get the reaction I was hoping for.

  I followed May into the kitchen and sat across from her. “How are you doing?” I asked. I loved that Aubrey had May's help, but May was working at Mom's and at a restaurant in town, so I figured she had to be worn out.

  May smiled, her eyes bright. “I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me. I wouldn't trade a minute of the time I'm getting to spend with my niece and this way, I'll be sure to be the favorite.”

  “I'm surprised Mom isn't over more often.”

  May frowned. “I think it really hurt her feelings when I kicked her out of the delivery room. She just doesn't want to intrude where she might not be welcome.”

  I grimaced. “She might be waiting a while if she's expecting a formal invitation. Aubrey's a bit overwhelmed.”

  “That's what I told her,” May said. “But she's being stubborn. Maybe you could talk to Mom?”

  “And risk pissing Aubrey off? That's not a chance I'm willing to take. But I'll talk to Aubrey, find out what she'd like Mom's role to be.”

  May curled her hands under her chin. “You're really crazy about her, aren't you?”

  “I think I've always loved her, I was just too much of an idiot to admit it to myself.”

  “You were afraid of getting hurt,” May said.

  Those words were tough to hear coming from my kid sister, but I was enough of a man to admit I wasn't fearless or indestructible. “Yeah, probably. And I allowed myself to be distracted by other things, less important things.”

  She nodded. “It's scary to want or need someone as much as you needed Aubrey. Jill told me how you fell apart after she went to work for Alex Owings.”

  “I didn't fall apart.” Okay, I lied. I did fall apart, but even then I couldn't admit it was because I loved her.

  “I probably shouldn't tell you this, but…That day we took Aubrey out to lunch, before you left?”

  I nodded to let her know I knew which day she was talking about.

  “I told her how you'd always taken care of all us kids and how I thought you were running the company, working so hard, because you were still trying to take care of us. I told her you'd never really taken anything for yourself.”

  May had been so young when I'd moved out, when Mom and Dad moved into the city, I'd had no idea she was aware of all that. “I did what needed to be done. I never regretted it.”

  “I told Aubrey all that, because it seemed like she made you happy. I thought she might be the first thing, first person, you wanted for yourself, but she…” She drew in a deep breath. “She's convinced you're still sacrificing yourself, that you're pursuing her because you feel duty-bound to take care of her and Sophie.”

  I leaned back in my seat, thinking over conversations I'd had with Aubrey since I'd found out she was pregnant. There was very little I'd said that would contradict her assumption. “Shit.” I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated and bewildered. “How can I possibly convince her that's not the case? How can I show her I want her more than anything else in the world?”

  A cry from the back of the house alerted us that Sophie was awake. The screaming moved into the living room and I hurried out there. I wanted to see Aubrey's face when she saw the tree.

  Aubrey was looking at Sophie when she walked in, trying to calm the screaming baby. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail and she was wearing a stained t-shirt and yoga pants, but she was still the most gorgeous woman I'd ever seen. The pure love on her face when she looked down at our daughter took my breath away. I may not have intended for her to get pregnant, but I couldn't have chosen a better woman to be my child's mother, a better woman for the both of us. She sat on the couch and didn't look up until Sophie was latched on and eating. She saw the tree first and her eyes widened. She smiled and looked over at May, but May shook her head and pointed to me. “It was all Noah.”

  Aubrey met my gaze and her smile widened. “Thank you,” she said.

  “I should go,” May said. “I've got…Um, I really just think you two
should be alone, so I'm going to get out of here.” She looked at Aubrey. “Call me if you need anything. I'm not working tonight.”

  Aubrey nodded. “Okay. Thanks, May.”

  I took a seat next to Aubrey. She watched May leave and then turned to me. “It's a beautiful tree. Isn't it a little early, though?”

  “Early? I always put my tree up the day after Thanksgiving.”

  “But Thanksgiving hasn't even happened, yet…” Her eyes widened. “I missed Thanksgiving. How did I miss Thanksgiving?”

  “I assumed May had told you. We sent her home with a plate of food.”

  Aubrey shook her head in disbelief. “And I ate it without realizing it was Thanksgiving dinner.”

  “Didn't May tell you? We figured you wouldn't want to expose Sophie to germs and all those people, but I assumed May invited you.”

  “Honestly,” she said. “Those first few days after I got home with Sophie are a blur. I'm sure she did invite me and I wasn't paying attention or I forgot.”

  “Well, we'll just have to have a do-over,” I said. “But today, if it's alright with you, I thought we could decorate the tree. I got a ton of decorations, but if you'd rather pick your own, I can return them and we can go shopping—”

  She held up a hand, a smile tickling her lips. “It's fine, Noah. Since I was moved around so much as a kid, I never really had a Christmas tradition and I've never been sentimental about the holiday. I'm sure whatever you picked will be perfect.”

  She moved Sophie to her other breast and I tried to imagine what life must have been like for her, always moving around and celebrating Christmas in a different house every year. “I want to change that,” I said. “We're a family now. We can make our own traditions, and I want you to be a part of it from the beginning.”

  “Noah,” she said. “I—”

  “I'm not saying you have to decide anything or make any promises. I consider you and Sophie my family now, my whole world, and I want to have holiday traditions with you, even if we're never anything more than good friends.”