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Nolan and Milo got to work unboxing a cabinet and putting the million pieces together. There were at least five more to go, and at this rate, they’d be finished by Christmas.
The door opened, and Nolan didn’t even have to look. He could feel her presence like a strong wave coming onto shore. He wasn’t going to look, but he couldn’t help himself. His gaze darted to the door where she stood, blonde hair pulled in a ponytail and her long legs covered by a tiny pair of jean shorts. He didn’t let his eyes linger on the curves of her thighs even though he wanted to. Instead, he dragged his attention up. Beside her, Harper’s brother Tom stood, eyes directed at Nolan with an evil glint in his irises. Tom had down syndrome and was the sweetest soul, except when it came to Nolan.
Tom had a massive crush on Isla, and from the moment Nolan and Isla started dating, Tom had hated him. Not that Nolan could blame the guy. Isla was special, and she had always been extra sweet with Tom.
Harper turned, a smile lighting her face as she pulled her earbuds out. “What are you guys doing here?”
“Isla picked me up from work,” Tom exclaimed.
“I know. I asked her to.” Harper gave her brother a hug and rested her cheek on his head.
“We were driving by, and I saw the lights on. Wanted to see if you needed help, but I can see you have more than enough hands.” Isla’s gaze traveled to him before dropping to the floor.
Nolan put the screwdriver down and walked over to the trio. “We have a bunch more cabinets to put together. The more the merrier.”
Isla’s lips parted, and Tom scowled at him.
“Hey Tom.” Nolan held his hand out to him, but Tom crossed his arms over his chest.
“Tom, don’t be rude,” Harper said.
“He made Isla cry!”
Isla’s eyes went wide, and Harper stifled a laugh.
“He made Isla cry, and I must defend her honor!”
“Oh, for heaven sakes,” Harper said. “Have you been watching soap operas with Mom again?”
Tom stood defiantly, shoulders back, head straight. “It’s the right thing to do.”
Nolan could have sat back and waited to see how this unfolded, but he also didn’t want to get blindsided by a punch from Tom, or worse, be taken down by one of the many wrestling moves he learned from his nights of watching WWE.
Nolan held up his hands as if surrendering. “I never meant to hurt her,” Nolan said, making eye contact with Isla. “Honestly, it was never my intention. But she made me cry, too, so I’d say we’re even, and you don’t need to defend her honor, though I find that very noble of you.”
Tom didn’t respond. Instead, he kept his arms crossed and, with his head held high, walked right by him and over to greet Milo. Nolan tried not to be jealous that Milo got a high-five from him.
One day. One day, Nolan would get Tom to like him.
***
Nolan’s words still echoed in Isla’s mind.She made me cry, too. She had no way of knowing if Nolan said that to try and get on Tom’s good side, or if he was being completely honest. With Tom speaking with Milo, and Harper disappearing in the back to grab donuts, Isla stood with Nolan, unsure if she should leave or stay.
She glanced at him just as he looked at her. Their eyes caught, and an awkward smile pressed on her face.
“I didn’t know you were here,” she said.
“Do you want me to start carrying around a sign and posting it on doors to warn you?”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“You’re the one refusing to leave your house when I’m out and about in the yard.”
“That is not true.”
His dark blond eyebrow lifted, and head tilted slightly. “I saw you staring at me from the window.”
She didn’t want him to think she had been spying on him because she wasn’t… not really anyway. “I wasn’t staring at you. I was trying to figure out where all the noise was coming from.”
