Page 30 of Falling Together
“No.” Blair’s voice was so loud and stern it startled Erin. But when she looked up, the softness of Blair’s expression was in complete opposition to the intensity of her tone. Blair cleared her throat, as if she also noticed how intense she sounded. “We want you all to come. Seriously. Please? It’ll be fun.”
Erin knew she should say no. The fact that she couldn’t force that small word through her lips was reason enough for why sheshouldsay it. But that wasn’t what she said. Before she even realized she was talking, she heard her own voice say, “Okay. Thank you. There’s nothing we’d rather do.”
This is about to get very interesting.
Chapter 11
Blair
Blair paced back and forth in her room as she tried to sort out all of her thoughts. Since it was Friday, she’d normally be watching Nolan, but it was the Fourth of July, which meant Erin didn’t work. It probably would have been a relief to have the day off if Erin wasn’tcoming back to her house today.How the hell did she get herself into this mess? She was supposed to be separating her personal and professional life, not bringing them together like two long-lost twins separated at birth.
“Would you please stop pacing and tell me what the hell has you so rattled?” Marisol asked.
Blair stopped and took a deep breath. She needed to tell Marisol now, so she wasn’t shocked when Erin showed up in a few hours. “So, someone is coming today.”
“Okay. Who is it?” Marisol’s eyes lit up. “Is it the girl you were hooking up with? I figured things had fizzled out since you didn’t say anything else about her, but was that because things were becoming more serious?” Marisol wiggled her eyebrows.
“Nope.” Blair shook her head dramatically. “It’s Nolan. And Erin…” Blair hesitated for a moment. “And Erin’s family.”
Marisol’s eyes went wide in amusement, and she let out a low whistle. “Meeting the fams, huh? This is getting serious.” She waved her hand in a go on motion. “I need details. How did this happen? When did you invite her?”
“It happened on Monday, but I didn’t invite her. My dad did.”
“Hold up!What?” Marisol jumped from the bed and made a mind-blown sign over her head. “She already met your parents? And your dad invited her to the Fourth of July party just like that?”
Blair nodded. “I brought Nolan here on Monday, because the public pool was closed. When Erin came to pick him up, my mom invited her for dinner. Then, my dad proceeded to invite her and herwhole familyto our Fourth of July party. I think they are overcompensating since they know she’s a single mom. You know how my parents are. They mean well but take things too far sometimes.”
Marisol sat back down. “I guess I’m more shocked that she actually said yes.”
Blair hesitantly put one hand in the air. “That’s kind of on me. I told her I really wanted her to come. Practically begged her to say yes.”
Marisol laughed. “Of course you did.”
Blair sat down next to Marisol and petted Moon, who had followed her onto the bed and laid down right beside her. “It’s not like that. I got this strange feeling that she realized my parents had ulterior motives. Well-meaning motives, but still. The last thing I wanted was for her to feel like people were taking pity on her. I know she wouldn’t want that.”
“Okay. That actually makes sense. But why did you wait until today to tell me? We’ve texted every day this week and even hung out on Wednesday night. You didn’t say anything.”
“That’s because I was putting off hearing what I know you’re going to say next.”
“And what would that be? That this totallyisn’ta lush anymore?”
Blair cringed. “Yep. That would be it.”
“Luckily, you didn’t need me to say it sinceyouclearly already realized that.”
“I know.” Blair lay back on the bed and Moon moved with her, pushing against her side like a needy child. “What the hell am I supposed to do? I can’t have a crush on the mom of the kid I babysit for and clearly my original plan to distance myself isn’t working. So, what now?”
Marisol lay down beside her and took her hand. “I realize I’ve been teasing you about this all summer, but it’s really no big deal. It’s a crush. I know it’s all new to you since you never let yourself have them for whatever reason, but a crush doesn’t have to be the end of the world. Have fun with it. Picture her naked. When you masturbate, fantasize about her having her wicked way with you. After a while, you’ll get over it and you’ll move on to your next victim, who just might happen to be someone you actually have a chance with.” Marisol elbowed Blair playfully in the side.
Blair knew Marisol was teasing her, and it’s not like she was wrong. Of course she didn’t have a chance with Erin. Still, hearing the words spoken out loud definitely stung. She wanted all of those moments they shared to be more than just wishful thinking. She wanted to believe she wasn’t just imagining the way Erin sometimes looked at her.
“So, just have fun with it, huh?” Blair asked, trying to keep her voice as level as possible to avoid showing Marisol just how deep this crush was.
“Exactly. Since you’re the queen of fun, I’m sure you’ll have no problem with that.”
Maybe Marisol was right. Why couldn’t Blair just have fun with this? Herbosswas hot and fun, and Blair got to spend time with her outside of “work.” What more could she ask for from her first job? Blair wasn’t naive enough to think there was any chance they could ride off into the sunset together, so why not enjoy whatever ride they were on right now? Plus, Marisol wasn’t wrong. This was the type of thing wet dreams were made of. If she wasn’t going to get the girl (which she obviously wasn’t), she might as well get a few orgasms out of the deal.
“You know what? You’re right.”
