He thinks on that, then shrugs. “Maybe I can fit Hazel’s bed in my room. Then we can move your bed into her room.”
Hazel claps. “Yay! You-a staying with us!”
“Do you really want me to move in with you, Nick?”
He smiles, and it makes his green eyes twinkle. “It’ll be fun.” Slowly, my walls crumble. Especially when he wraps an arm around my shoulders and laughs. “I promise I’ll be a great roommate. I’ll even make us dinner tonight. What do you say?”
How can I refuse?
I don’t know if this is smart, but I can’t bring myself to say no.
18
ABIGAIL
“Dinner’s served!” Nick yells, but when I enter the kitchen, he’s tapping away on his phone. “Sorry, just wanted to check in with my dad. I swear, he doesn’t take care of himself. Always works too much.” He shakes his head, muttering, “Terco como una mula.”
“What does that mean?”
“He’s stubborn. Like a freaking mule.”
I laugh. “It’s sweet that you look out for him.”
“I’m hoping to get him to retire. It’s one of the reasons I need to get drafted.”
Ezra just wanted fame and fortune. It’s refreshing to see that Nick wants to help his family.
After I get Hazel into her booster, I offer to help with the food, but Nick says he has it handled. A minute later, he slides plates of spaghetti and meatballs in front of me and Hazel.
“Eat up.” He cuts up his daughter’s food before he sits across from me.
“This looks delicious. Thank you.” I bite into the most heavenly meatball I’ve ever tasted.
He chuckles. “Can’t take credit for the meatballs. Cadence made those the other day.”
Dang it, she really is a good cook. These are incredible, I grudgingly admit.
I feel weird asking about her, but since I’m living here now, I guess I’m not being a busybody if I inquire. “How’s it going with her?”
“Awesome.” He pours some milk in Hazel’s cup. “She’s super sweet, and Hazel loves her. And when she babysits, I end up with these incredible leftovers.”
“Great.” So, so great.
I cringe, hating that Ezra turned me into this jealous, crazy girl. Ironically, I never used to get jealous with my ex. I thought he was loyal, so there was nothing to worry about. “Sorry I can’t cook much. I had a few bad experiences and decided it’s probably best for humanity if I stay out of the kitchen.”
Laughing, he helps Hazel twirl up some pasta on her fork. “I can really only make scrambled eggs, pancakes, and bacon. I’m pretty spoiled with the food the school provides for athletes. Hazel and I live off that most of the time.”
“I’ve heard it’s a good spread.” I take a drink of water and then grab a pen and piece of paper off the counter. “How much do you want for rent? We probably should’ve talked about that first.”
He shrugs. “Some nanny positions come with room and board, so I’m not sure.”
“That’s for full-time work. I only cover a few days.”
He thinks on that a minute. “How ’bout you get back on your feet, get your deposit from your landlord, and then we can talk about rent. I wasn’t planning on having a roommate, so I made sure to get a place I can afford. If you want to pitch in for groceries and utilities, though, that might be helpful.”
“That’s really generous.” Too generous. I’ll give him what I paid when I lived with Paige as soon as I get my deposit back, which will cover two months’ rent. “If I’m your roommate, we should split up the work around here. Since I can’t cook, can I help with the dishes? I can also sweep and mop once a week. That way Hazel isn’t playing on a dirty floor.”
“You don’t mind doing that?”
