Page 51 of Show Me

“Because it’s him?”

“Because it’s him.” I echo her question with a statement as I push off the counter. There’s no reason for either of us to clarify who I’m talking about. It’s Xavier. It’s always been Xavier. “I’ve always had feelings for him, Em. That doesn’t just… go away for no reason.”

After passing by the pigs, I turn the lock for the back door and survey the empty driveway. Nothing. No movement. No unexpected visitors. My shoulders tense in frustration. I hate being on guard.

“And you think working for him is going to make that worse.”

“Yes. I don’t want to make it awkward. I don’t want to ruin whatever this is. He doesn’t see me that way.”

“Are you sure about that?”

I huff a breath. “He’s Xavier. He samples. He doesn’t stick.”

“People change.” Her tone is optimistic. I love that she’s in my corner, but neither one of us needs to get our hopes up.

“People rarely change that much.” I’m not willing to risk my heart by believing he could settle down with one person. With me.

“Fine. You’re probably right,” she sighs loudly, as if she doesn’t want to agree with me but knows the truth. “I think you should try it anyway.”

I pause near the straw and watch the piglets shift in a soft, squeaking cluster.

Delilah lifts her head, then settles when she realizes I’m not bringing food. Samson stays on his feet, eyes tracking the edges of the room like he’s cataloging every shadow.

“If it gets complicated,” Emily continues, “you leave. If it doesn’t work, you find something else. But right now? Your safety matters more.”

I lean against the wall. The yard is dark beyond the backdoor. “More important than my heart?”

“Yes,” she says, without hesitation. “In this case, it is.”

I roll my eyes even though she can’t see me. “You’re being dramatic.”

“No. You are.”

I step closer to the pigs and crouch to check the piglets. One noses at my boot, tiny and determined.

“I left more because of how Greg was acting than some secret admirer hassling me.” I bite my bottom lip and frown. “He was getting…. I’m not sure what word to use. Controlling? Possessive? Dismissive? They all kind of blended together.”

“And the notes?” she asks.

“I’ll handle it.”

“Handling it includes not putting yourself in a position where someone has access to you. A new job solves that, and Xavier’s office is a more controlled space with less customer contact.”

She’s right. Not that I didn’t already know it. Xavier knew I’d already agreed to the position before he rang his father. I stand, brushing my hands on my jeans. “Two weeks. That’s what I gave him.”

“Good.”

I move through the house, turning off lights as I go. My footsteps echo a little too loudly in the quiet.

“Are you alone?”

“Yeah.” I hesitate. “I mean…. Yeah.”

I open my mouth to tell her that Xavier just left, but I snap it back shut. Revealing that would raise a bunch of other questions I’m not ready to explore, like why Xavier keeps stopping by, why he’s helping, and why he offered me the job in the first place. I’m too tired to delve into that tonight.

“Okay. Keep it that way tonight.”

I force a smile she can’t see. “Bossy.”