One and Done - S. Briones Lim Page 0,61
a chuckle, I shook my head and drove off. “Goodbye again, Rocky.”
Chapter 24
Knock. Knock.
“Jesse! Get your ass over to the front door and answer it.” My mother coughed twice as she struggled to get the words out of her mouth. Those coughs were the only thing stopping me from snapping back at her. I was really not in the mood for her shit that day.
Rolling my eyes, I opened the door to a shivering Michelle. Her red hair was tucked into an oversized knit cap and her teeth were chattering so hard I could have sworn I heard their impact above the whistling breeze.
“Hey, come on in.” I lifted my eyebrows in surprise, completely forgetting that I had insisted she begin work immediately.
“T-thanks,” she stammered as she rubbed her gloved hands over her arms. “I-i-t’s freezing out there!”
“I bet,” I replied glumly, staring longingly outside. I knew I had hit rock bottom when I favored sitting in an igloo outside over being cooped up with my mother…or going to Rossi’s Novelties.
“Sorry, I’m late,” she said as she peeled off her gigantic jacket. Not only was the navy blue monstrosity thick, but it went down to her ankles! How the hell was she still cold?
“Yeah, about that…” The corners of my mouth dipped low. “Honestly, I was in the middle of an emotional upheaval last night and well…I kind of forgot that I told you to come.”
Her eyes widened. “Does that mean I don’t have the job?”
“No!” I answered quickly. Calming my voice, I smiled apologetically. “I mean, of course not. There’s no way we could let go of a good nurse like you. I just wasn’t prepared to train you today.”
“Phew! That’s a relief. Talk about someone having an emotional upheaval.” She reached out and squeezed my arm, causing me to jump back quickly. With a sly smile on her face, she coyly asked, “Girlfriend gets jealous?”
“Huh?” I blinked in confusion.
She nodded her head toward my arm as if wary of touching me again. “You flinched when I touched you. Don’t worry, dude, I’m taken.”
For the first time I noticed the gigantic rock on her left finger. She was taken all right. Taken by someone who was loaded. The rock was so big that it almost looked fake, but judging by the smirk on her face it was five carats worth of real. It’s probably the kind of rock a guy like Ethan would give Rocky.
Shaking it off, I muttered, “Well, congratulations, and no, I’m not seeing anyone. Hence, no jealousy.”
Michelle lifted an eyebrow but didn’t respond. Instead she placed her jacket on the nearby couch, taking a moment too long bent over. It vaguely reminded me of Sarah back in art class and I immediately felt uneasy. I’m all about seduction or what not, but I drew the line at cheating.
“Um, coat closet is around the corner.” I shook my head and frowned.
She snorted knowingly and shook her head. “It’s obvious that this girlfriend or lack thereof really has you twisted inside. Just relax.”
I kept my lips pressed together firmly, definitely not appreciating her unsolicited comments. Brushing her off, I began to point to different rooms around the house. “Bedroom, bath, kitchen—”
“Why don’t you just fix things with this girlfriend of yours?” she interrupted. “It’s almost painful watching you.”
“Are you still talking?” I blurted without thinking. Mom must have heard because she burst out laughing in a nearby room.
Michelle shrugged, throwing me an innocent look. “All I’m saying is that there really is no use sitting around miserable when you can totally do something about it.”
“Point taken.” I rubbed at my eyebrows and sighed. “Well, we might as well begin training, yeah?”
She shrugged again, her smirk never leaving her face. “Whatever you say, boss.”
“I hired you to take care of my mother,” I grunted. “As far as you’re concerned, she’s the boss around here.”
“That’s too bad…” She took a deep breath and sighed. “I always wanted an alpha male for a boss.”
I stopped in my tracks. “What are you even talking about?”
“Gosh, can you lighten up? I was just referencing some books I read. Do you even understand pop culture or are you so far down your hole of despair to not get any of it?”
Great, another Stephanie with her elf porn.
“Yeah, you better not read on the job,” I muttered.
“Speaking of jobs, your mom mentioned you having one here in town. I take it you’re off today?” There was some sass in her voice, which led me to