7. Willow

My heart poundsas I press myself against the wall of the janitor"s closet. Footsteps come closer. I hold my breath and pray they pass without noticing me. It"s not like I"m doing anything I shouldn"t be doing. But Julie and Sandra shouldn"t be sneaking around the hallways. Especially when it looked like Sandra was keeping an eye out. Julie had snuck out of Mr. David"s room. Her actions looked suspicious, so I decided to duck into the janitor"s closet. What are they up to? Mr. David is a nice man. Not all our residents have dementia or other debilitating conditions. They"re just here for extra care and assistance.

The footsteps pass by where I"m hiding, so I think the coast is clear. I peek out cautiously and see them turn the corner at the end of the hallway toward the dining room. I breathe a sigh of relief and quietly make my escape, grabbing a hand full of paper towels. I smile as I pass Susan Wilcox, one of the senior managers. I can"t shake the feeling that the woman"s eyes are still on me.

With a belly full of nerves, I quickly enter Mrs. Southern"s room. I lean against the door in relief. I take a moment to catch my breath before carefully unfolding the paper towels. My eyes meet Martha"s.

"Are you okay, dear?"

I swallow hard and shake my head. What is wrong with me? Why am I suddenly freaking out over the most trivial things? Sandra and Julie are supposed to be working in Mr. David"s room. Susan is a manager and has free rein over the entire facility. I"m freaking out over nothing. I see things that aren"t there. I pull myself together and move away from the door. "I"m fine."

"Are you sure?" Martha gives me a suspicious look.

I force a smile on my face. "I"m sure." I put the paper towels on the counter, walk over to Martha, and drop into the opposite chair. "Well, maybe I should stop reading mysteries. Then I won"t see suspicion in others."

Martha laughs and shakes her head. "You"re too paranoid for your own good sometimes," she says, reaching out to pat my hand. I laugh nervously, grateful for her reassurance. I can"t shake the fact that I"m sure I wasn"t supposed to see what I did.

"So, enough about me. What would you like to do?"

"That"s a loaded question," Martha mumbles. "I think I"d like to go to Faneuil Hall. I haven"t shopped there in a long time. There"s a nice ice cream parlor there."

"I know the place." I grin. "Let me see if I can arrange a trip."

"Oh, talk to Wayne. He"s nice and accommodating, not like the other one."

I snort. I have no desire to see Susan Wilcox again so soon. Wayne isn"t as high up in the food chain as Susan, but he"s high enough to make that kind of decision.

* * *

I"ve only beento this place once since I"ve been in Boston. The variety of ice cream is mind-boggling. The flavors range from classic to unique, and I struggle to decide which to try. The store also has a cozy atmosphere that makes the experience even more enjoyable. Although I have the feeling that Martha"s excitement has been transferred to me, the elderly lady is buzzing in her seat as she waits for me to pick up our order.

I look around and smile at the kids with their faces pressed to the glass as they look at the ice cream. One of the staff catches my eye and hands me our tubs of pleasure—three scoops each. I sigh as I carefully carry them over to our table. "I"ll get some napkins."

"Oh, you don"t need to. Nikoli will bring them over."

I freeze. "What?"

"I hope you don"t mind if I join you." Nikoli gives me a sheepish smile as he sits down next to me. "Grandma here thought it would be fun."

My eyes flicker to Martha, who I notice is wearing a pleased expression as she tucks into her tub of ice cream. I feel Nikoli waiting for me to say something, so I turn to him and notice a frown.

He whispers, "I can go."

"No!" My eyes widen as I grab his thigh to hold him in place. "Stay. Please. You took me my surprise, is all."

His eyes light up with pleasure as he removes my hand from his thigh and wraps his own larger hand around mine. As my eyes move to our joined hands, he leans in and whispers, "Having your hand so close to my favorite body part would become embarrassing."

My cheeks immediately start to burn. "You"re a big flirt, Nikoli."

He winks and takes a large scoop of ice cream from my tub. "Only when there"s something I want."

"Willow and I," Martha begins, "ate popcorn and watched you on TV."

It"s almost a relief to have his attention taken away from me. He makes my body hot and aching. Even holding his hand gives me butterflies. What is it about this man? Ever since I left home, I"ve avoided all kinds of attachments. Now I"m attached to Martha Southern and want to do naughty things with her grandson.

As if he knows I"m thinking about him, he squeezes my hand before releasing it, then intertwines our fingers for a more intimate grip. He clears his throat. "So, what else do you ladies have planned?"

"Willow suggested we go to the harbor and sit and watch the ocean. Get some fresh air in our lungs." Martha pauses. "And I noticed you did not comment on us watching the game."

"You only watch the game to catch Dario all sweaty."

Martha bursts into giggles. Nikoli rolls his eyes. "I think the ocean is a good idea."

"Of course, you will join us, Nikoli?"

"I wouldn"t miss it." He looks in my direction. "Is that okay with you?"

My voice betrays me, so I nod, enjoying the feel of his palm against mine.

"I wasn"t expecting you until tomorrow." Martha comments, sitting back in the chair, her ice cream tub empty.

"Coach didn"t want to hang around town." He shrugs. "I think he wanted to get home to his wife. So, we got back late last night." He chuckles. "We had to show our faces at a meet and greet the boss had arranged. It wasn"t too hard to get us all to leave early."

"Well, I"m not complaining." Martha looks in my direction. "And I don"t think Willow is either."

I wish I didn"t blush. "I"m enjoying our outing."

"Hmm." Martha smiles. "I"m ready for some fresh air now."

"Let me help you," Nikoli says, and almost as if he regrets it, he lets go of my hand.

I quickly clean up and throw everything in the trash before joining Martha and her grandson.

I follow him as he leads his grandmother out of the shop. It"s a pretty nice view from where I am. Nikoli has strong thighs and a firm butt that holds my attention longer than it should. He has a tattoo on his neck that, along with his neatly trimmed beard, makes me hot and bothered.

As if he senses my eyes on him, Nikoli turns his face to me, and his blue eyes catch my gaze. I can"t look away. I"m sure the need I have for this man is written all over my face. I wonder where all this is coming from. Maybe my attachment to this man has been there all along. And that it is only now bubbling to the surface because I no longer want to hide it.

Nikoli stiffens, his gaze becomes serious. He knows that I want him. I mean, it"s not that sudden, considering we met four months ago.