10. Cole

She sneezed.Again. In my book, that was just one more piece of evidence that corroborated what I'd overheard Bailey and her sister discussing. She sneezed when she got turned on. I'd seen the look in her eyes right before it happened. Her cheeks had flushed, and the air between us was charged.

I hadn't stopped smiling since I'd left the reception.

Today had not gone as I'd expected; it had been even better. Even though I lost one of my favorite clients, I couldn't be happier for Layla and Enoch. I loved playing such a pivotal role in their love story. And I'd seen Bailey with the green eyes and golden hair. And she sneezed…again.

"Hey, there, young man. You've got quite the pep in your step!" Arthur called out from where he sat on his fire escape.

"It's the clothes. How could I not?"

Arthur tipped the brim of his San Francisco Giants ballcap toward me with a nod. I could see how happy it made him to see his suits being worn and appreciated. I waved before heading into the building. On the way up the steps, I couldn't stop thinking about Bailey. I wondered if she was thinking of me, too.

Today, her hair had been in a style I'd never seen it in before. It was pulled up in a bun, which revealed the sexy slope of her neck. She'd had on a blazer that should have concealed her hourglass curves but instead hinted at them just enough that even a gay man could appreciate her form. Literally. Layla and I sat next to a very nice same-sex couple during the reception, and both men commented on what a snack the wedding planner was. I'd kept my opinion to myself out of respect for both Layla and Bailey, but inwardly, I wholeheartedly agreed with their observations.

If things were different, if my life were different, I would have asked her out today. I'd almost done it, despite my lifestyle not being conducive to romantic relationships. If she hadn't gotten called away, I might have.

After Layla left to go get her man, I heard someone around the corner. I got nervous when I saw it was Bailey. I was worried that she had overheard my conversation, which she had. But now I was glad the truth was out there. It felt like she knew a part of me that few people did. I'm not sure what I had expected her reaction to be upon finding out about TPOP, but I thought she had taken it well. She didn"t seem judgmental at all.

I was drawn to her in a way I'd never experienced before. I just wanted to be near her. Whenever I was with her, I felt calm and totally at peace. She was like the sun after a freezing, cold winter. She radiated warmth and was a sustaining life force.

Even as I thought it, I didn't quite recognize my own thoughts. I was starting to sound like the men in the romance period dramas Sara had been watching lately. It started with Bridgerton, but then she moved on to Sanditon, and Outlander. Now she was on the final season of Poldark. Since she didn't have a television in the nook that served as her room, I was stuck watching the shows. Which, honestly, I didn't mind. They had decent storylines.

The grin that had been on my face since I left the reception slipped as I approached the door to my apartment and got a sinking feeling in my stomach. It took me a second to realize why my internal alarm was going off. When I approached the door, I didn't hear anything. There was no noise coming from inside. I opened the door, hoping to find the boys or Sara or Carly on the couch reading or something, but there was no one. I was met with an empty apartment and deafening silence.

Where was everyone? Why wasn't the TV on? Why wasn't anyone in the kitchen? Had Sara been taken to the hospital?

I rushed back to Sara's nook and found it vacant. Next, I checked Carly's room. Empty. And no one was in the twins' room.

Adrenaline was rushing through me like whitewater rapids as I pulled out my phone and dialed Sara's number. It had just started ringing when I heard the front door of the apartment open.

I rushed down the hall just in time to see Sara walking inside.

"Are you okay? What's wrong? What happened?"

She looked surprised to see me. "Nothing. I just walked the boys over to Jeremiah's. They're spending the night."

"Where's Carly?" I barked. Even though I could see with my own eyes that my sister was okay, the rush of emotions I had been feeling were still coursing through me.

"She's at Riley's." Her brow furrowed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm…I just…I thought something happened to you."

"CJ, I'm so sorry. I…I didn't even think about letting you know."

"No, don't apologize. It's fine." I knew that I was overreacting; it was just hard not to think the worst when the worst had happened. "I could have taken the boys when I got home. You shouldn't be walking."

"It's two blocks. I was fine."

She was saying she was fine, but I could see the dark circles under her eyes. And her cheeks were sunken in.

"Have you eaten?" I asked.

"I was going to grab a shake."

The doctor had advised her to drink protein shakes to try and keep up her strength and for the calories, but they tasted like chalk to me.

"I'm gonna grab a shower, and then I was going to grill."

"Didn't you eat at the wedding? Are you still hungry?"

Yeah, I did. And no, I wasn't hungry. But I knew that there was no way Sara would eat dinner if it were just her.

I patted my stomach. "I'm a growing boy. Give me ten minutes."

After a quick rinse off, I pulled on some sweats, and when I walked into the kitchen, Sara was at the sink rinsing off veggies. I opened the fridge and found the chicken I had marinating for the next day"s dinner. We could have that now, and I'd make burgers tomorrow, which the twins would be happy about.

"So, how was the wedding? This was Layla, right?"

"Yeah, it was. But this was the last time I'll be seeing her."

Sara cringed. "Did she tell you she has feelings for you? I was worried that was why she kept hiring you."

"No." I smiled as I walked onto the fire escape where the small grill was set up. I lit the charcoal and put the chicken on. "It was the opposite. I walked in on her making out with, I think she said his name was Enoch."

"Enoch?"

"Yeah. Apparently, he was the reason she'd been hiring me. She said she needed to light a fire under him, or he never would have made his move. I'm not sure why she didn't just tell him how she felt."

Sara sighed wistfully. "Sometimes it's not that easy. Sometimes, you have to let them make the first move. It has to be their idea. You just have to help them make it."

It didn't make sense to me, but my sister clearly understood where Layla was coming from. After a few minutes I flipped the chicken, then after a few more, I flipped it again.

"Well, it sucks that you lost a client, but I'm happy for her," Sara relayed as she stood in front of the freezer and filled our glasses with ice.

"So am I."

"And what about the wedding planner? Did you talk to her?"

"I didn't say she was there."

A wide smile spread across my sister's face. "You didn't have to."

Right. I'd forgotten that she could ‘tell' whenever I'd seen her. "Her name is Bailey, and, yeah, I did talk to her."

I flipped the chicken and felt Sara's eyes boring into the side of my face. Without looking in her direction, I asked, "What?"

"Details. I need details."

Using the tongs, I grabbed the chicken off the grill and plated it. We sat down at the table, and I began to eat.

"She overheard Layla telling me that she would no longer be needing my services."

Sara's eyes widened as her hand flew over her mouth. "Oh no."

"It's fine. I think. She didn't seem that bothered by it."

"Did you explain that you do not have sex?"

"Yep." I nodded. "That's exactly what I told her. I said I do not have sex."

She tossed a carrot at me. "You know what I mean. Did you make it clear that you don't hook up with your clients?"

"I did." The corners of my mouth curved upward. "Sort of. I started to, but I didn't actually know how to phrase it. I fumbled my way through it, saying something like, I don't…there's no…and she blurted out hanky-panky."

"Aww." Sara's hands clutched at her chest. "Hanky-panky, that's adorable."

Yeah, I thought so, too.

"Soooo…" Sara took another bite, and I saw some color back in her cheeks; she didn't look quite as pale.

"So what?"

"So, did you tell her how you feel? Did you ask her out?"

No, I didn't ask her out, but I wasn't going to tell my sister that because she would ask why, and the answer would only make her feel guilty about things that weren't her fault.

"What do you mean, tell her how I feel?" I deflected.

Sara rolled her eyes, and she looked exactly like Carly. "You like her, like her."

"Like her, like her? What are we in elementary school?"

"You're the one who's too afraid to tell a girl that you like her."

"I'm not afraid."

"Right. Okay. Sure."

I wasn't afraid. I just...there was no way I could start something with anyone. Not until our living situation improved and I could stop moonlighting as a plus one. Before that, it wouldn't be fair to bring anyone into my life. But if my sister wanted to believe that my hesitancy was because of fear, then I'd let her. She felt bad enough, and I knew if she knew the real reason, she'd only feel worse.

"I hate that you have to put your life on hold for us." She sighed as she looked down at her food. "One day, you won't have to put your life on hold for us. I promise."

I knew Sara was making that promise, fully intending to keep it. But some things were out of her control, like her health. And putting my life on ‘hold' was a small price to pay for the peace of mind, knowing that Sara and the kids were taken care of. They came first. And they always would.