Don't Get It Twisted, page 20
Chapter Thirty-Two
One day at a time. Haley’s words rang in Claire’s head. That kind of spontaneity was foreign to her, incomprehensible. She had always gone through life with a detailed plan, always knowing what was coming. The uncertainty of one day at a time was terrifying, but it was Haley asking, which meant all of Claire’s ability to reason was gone.
“We can try,” Claire finally agreed, because she knew she would regret saying no, as improbable as anything working long-term was. Her time with Haley had been cut too short too soon once already, but maybe it would be different when she was unencumbered by her ethical obligations.
The door to the office banged open as Noah pushed his way in, a heavy-looking box in his hands. He jumped when he noticed the two women, then quickly set the box on his desk chair.
“Claire.” His booming drawl seemed to fill the room as tipped his cowboy hat to her politely, a sharp contrast to his narrowed eyes and the scowl shadowing his face. “What are you doing at my house?” He glanced at Haley, whose cheeks had gone red.
“Technically, it’s our office,” Haley said. “And I invited her here.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re actually the most annoying person I’ve ever met, and I need someone normal around so I don’t strangle you,” Haley said lightly, though she was glaring daggers at Noah.
He smirked, breaking the tension. “Pretty sure your surgeon said no strangling for six to eight weeks. Where do you want your shit, in here or your room?”
“Somewhere here is fine, wherever there’s space.” Haley said. “We can go somewhere else if you’re trying to get some editing done.”
“I was thinking about streaming for a few hours. Check out some radar, maybe do a Q&A. Want to hop on with me?”
“Not while I look like this.” Haley gestured to herself with her good arm. Claire thought she looked as stunning as ever, but she could see why Haley might not consider herself camera-ready.
“You know they’re all going to be asking about you.”
“So tell them to respect my privacy. I’m not ready.”
Noah shrugged. “Fair enough.”
Claire looked awkwardly at the door, wondering if she should excuse herself to go find a motel for the next few nights. She felt like the uncomfortable third wheel as soon as Noah entered the room, especially when he and Haley were talking about work, and it would probably be better if she left them to resolve whatever tension her visit had created on their own. Tobey meowed from his carrier at her feet. She’d been surprised at how well he’d taken to flying, but she knew he was probably anxious to get out of his carrier and move around.
“Was that a cat?” Noah asked.
“His name is Tobey,” Haley answered defiantly. “I told Claire to bring him. Her cat sitters were busy.”
“Jesus fucking Christ, Haley,” Noah muttered, shaking his head with a sigh. “Whatever, we can talk about it later.” He turned to Claire. “How long are you staying?”
Claire looked to Haley, who had booked the one-way ticket. They hadn’t discussed how long Claire would stay. One day at a time, Haley’s promise echoed in her mind once more. “A few days,” Claire finally said. “Maybe until Friday?”
“We’ll see,” Haley said. “You just got here, let’s not jump right to leaving.”
Noah stooped to get a bottle of water from the mini fridge and offered it to Claire.
“I’m okay, thanks,” she said.
“Thought the cat might be thirsty,” Noah said gruffly. “Did you bring a bowl for him?” Claire was already digging through her duffel bag to find it, and Noah lifted his chin in the faintest gesture of approval. “My house is his house. Just don’t let him tear up the furniture.”
“Oh, we weren’t planning to stay here,” Claire said quickly, not wanting any of his charity. “I just wanted to see Haley before I figured out the motel situation.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Haley interjected. “There’s plenty of room.”
“I don’t want to impose,” Claire insisted. Besides, the less she had to see of Noah, the better.
“Don’t post any pictures of the house,” Noah said as if he hadn’t heard her. “Out here is fine, but not the front or inside.”
“Okay,” Claire agreed, because it seemed like she had no say in the decision. “I’m not much of a ‘poster’ anyway.”
“Good, since that’s settled, let’s go inside,” Haley said, slapping her knee with one hand and wincing as she stood.
“When did you last take your pain meds?” Noah asked Haley as he picked up Claire’s bag and Tobey’s carrier.
“I don’t know, a few hours ago.”
“You’re supposed to stay on top of that. Can’t heal if you’re hurting.”
Haley rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Dr. Cline.”
The trio made their way into Noah’s house via a large sliding door, Claire feeling like a fish out of water the moment she stepped inside the opulent estate. The kitchen was almost as big as her entire apartment, with gleaming marble or granite countertops—she wasn’t in a high enough tax bracket to know for certain. Some sort of expensive rock. The sink was almost big enough to bathe in, and the six-burner range set into the counter just seemed excessive. Yet apart from a lone cookie sheet with a few leftover crumbs sitting out on the cooktop, the kitchen looked like it was barely used. What a waste.
The formal dining room adjacent to the kitchen was tastefully decorated, but also looked like it had never seen a dinner party, and the living room was the first place to show signs of life. Rumpled blankets covered a dark leather sectional sofa, and a variety of pill bottles, cups, and Red Bull cans were amassed at one corner of the coffee table.
“Sit down and take your medicine,” Noah chided Haley. “I’ll get Claire settled downstairs.”
Claire didn’t particularly want to be alone with Noah, but she had to admit he was right and it was probably best if Haley rested for a while. She was looking a little shaky, and for once, Claire didn’t think it was because the overabundance of caffeine she consumed. Noah led Claire into the basement and gave her a quick tour of three guest rooms—one of which was occupied by Haley—a rec room complete with an ornately carved wooden bar, pool table and dart board, and finally into his home gym full of benches and weights with thick rubber mats covering the floor.
“I guess just let him roam around in here for a while,” Noah said, setting Tobey’s carrier down and pulling out his phone. “Easier to clean until the litter box gets here. Do you need anything else from Walmart? Cat food?”
“No, but I can go—”
“This is easier,” he cut her off. Whatever. As long as he was paying the delivery fees. “You’re not a vegetarian or anything, are you?”
“No, but I do eat vegetables.”
Noah snorted. “She really is the pickiest eater I’ve ever met. But don’t worry, I’ll order vegetables.” He stared at his phone a few more minutes, adding who knows what to the cart, before shutting the screen off and sliding it back into his pocket. “What are you doing here, Claire?” He asked, fixing his surly stare on her.
“I don’t know,” she said truthfully. “Haley asked me to come, and I couldn’t say no. Not after everything—”
“Do you love her?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
“Intend to treat her right?” What was he, some old-timey cowboy dad?
“That’s the plan,” Claire said cooly. She and Haley didn’t need his permission.
He nodded slowly then stuck out his hand. “Don’t know about you Boston folks, but a person’s word and their handshake mean everything around here. So make sure you stick to it.”
Claire took his hand and shook it firmly, keeping steady eye contact the whole time. She wasn’t intimidated by whatever chest-puffing, protective show of masculinity was going on, she was more worried with getting Tobey settled and going back upstairs to check on Haley. Noah nodded again, seemingly satisfied that he had fulfilled his chivalrous duty of attempted intimidation on behalf of a woman who hadn’t asked for it.
“There are extra towels in the laundry room if you need them. I’m going to unload my truck, just holler if you need something.”
Claire knelt to let Tobey out of his carrier after Noah shut the gym door behind him. Tobey was easily coaxed out into the unfamiliar environment by the rustle of his treat bag, and Claire sat down on the mats with him as she processed everything that had happened since she got to Tulsa. Knowing Haley didn’t hate her was an enormous weight lifted from her shoulders, and knowing Haley wanted to give her another chance felt like her wildest dream coming true. Breaking out of the routine and giving in to the whirlwind of spontaneity felt good.
Tobey padded cautiously around Noah’s gym, the tip of his tail twitching as he took in the new scents and situation. When his perusal was complete, he marched directly towards Claire and began meowing.
“What?” Claire asked, reaching out to stroke him. “Believe me, I don’t want to stay here any more than you do, but at least we’re close to Haley. You liked Haley, remember?”
Tobey meowed again, butting his head into her leg like he did when he was hungry.
“It’s not time for dinner yet, bud,” Claire explained, checking her phone. Oh, right. She’d gone back a time zone, and there was no point trying to explain that to a cat.
She opened a can of the food she had brought, spooning it into his bowl and checking her emails while he ate. There was nothing from Whitney, a good sign that the few hours of work she’d gotten done on the plane were sufficient to avoid scrutiny, and Tobey seemed settled enough for her to go back upstairs and check on Haley.
Noah’s mansion was big enough that Claire worried she might get lost on her way back to the living room, but she managed to reorient herself in the cavernous foyer that housed shelves teeming with golden rodeo trophies and diamond-studded belt buckles glittering behind plexiglass cases, turning left into the spacious living room. The TV was on, blaring out the weather forecast for Tupelo, but Haley’s eyes were closed and her breathing deep. Claire sat carefully on the other end of the sectional, not really knowing what to do with herself but not wanting to disturb Haley while she was resting. She clearly needed it.
“Come sit by me.” Haley opened her eyes, a smile pulling at the corners of her lips. “I’m not that fragile.”
“You seem pretty fragile right now,” Claire said, inching about a foot closer.
“But I want to hold your hand,” Haley pouted.
How could Claire say no to that? “Just tell me if I’m hurting you,” she said, moving to hold Haley’s good hand.
“That’s better,” Haley murmured, interlacing her fingers with Claire’s. She looked like she was seconds away from dozing off again. “Find us something else to watch, this guy’s an idiot. The remote is… somewhere.”
Claire riffled carefully through the fleece blankets until she found it, then flipped through channels before settling on a documentary about birds in the Amazon. Haley didn’t object, though Claire was pretty sure she had fallen back asleep, so Claire leaned back and immersed herself in the mating rituals of toucans and jacamars for a while.
“Did you know the Amazon makes its own weather?” Haley said softly. “The trees release enough moisture to make clouds that rain. I’d love to see it someday.”
“I’m sure you will,” Claire said.
“Have you ever been out of the country?”
“I did a semester in England in college, but that was it.”
“I want to go there, too. And France, to see the Mistral wind.”
“The what?”
“A weather pattern near the Mediterranean,” Haley mumbled.
Of course. Claire chuckled and shook her head and turned back to the brightly plumed jacamars flitting across the screen. The doorbell rang just as the credits rolled on the documentary, startling both women. Claire assumed Noah would answer it before realizing she hadn’t seen or heard him since she’d come back upstairs.
“Ooh, dinner. Can you grab it?” Haley asked. “I would, but I kind of don’t want to move.”
Claire wriggled off the couch, being careful not to bump Haley, and went to the heavy front door. She opened it to see a delivery driver, arms laden with heavy bags. Noah better have tipped him well– it looked like he had brought half of Walmart with him– but in her experience from her serving days, the wealthier the person was, the stingier they were.
“Hang on, the rest is in my trunk,” he said as Claire took the first load of thin plastic bags from him. “I’ll be right back.” He practically ran away from her.
There was more? Claire set the bags in the foyer then hurried down the brick walkway to help the driver with the second load. He produced two heavy boxes of cat litter from his trunk—more than Tobey would use in a month, let alone a few days—and insisted on carrying them all the way back to the house. He was halfway back to his car when he paused and turned back.
“Wait,” he said, just as Claire was about to shut the door. “I just wanted to say thank you. For the tip. I… it’s been a rough month, financially. And this really helps, so thank you. You didn’t have to do that.”
“Oh, I didn’t… it wasn’t…I’ll make sure to pass the message along. Have a great night,” Claire said awkwardly, realizing her assumptions about Noah being a bad tipper were unfounded. She hated being wrong.
She began ferrying bags into the kitchen and was surprised to find Haley waiting for her there, unslinged arm outstretched to take a bag from Claire.
“I thought you were resting,” Claire admonished.
“Yeah, but I don’t want you to think I just asked you to come be a maid for me. I’m injured, not totally incompetent.”
“Sit down at least,” Claire insisted, pulling one of the barstools out from under the large island and steering Haley into it. “You can tell me where stuff goes. Where is Noah, anyway?”
“Streaming,” Haley said, rummaging through the bags until she found a can of Pringles. “Want one?”
“Is that dinner?” Claire asked wryly, almost afraid that it was.
“No, he was supposed to get chicken.”
Sure enough, Claire found a carton of fried chicken in another of the bags, along with large tubs of macaroni and cheese, barbecue baked beans, and corn. Even Noah’s definition of vegetables seemed loose, though she was relieved to find a few packaged salad kits among the family sized bags of pizza rolls and air fryer taquitos. And cat toys. There were at least a dozen of them, along with treats, three scratching pads, and two litter boxes.
“White or dark meat?” Haley asked, clicking a pair of tongs with her good hand as she hovered over the open box of chicken.
“Either is fine,” Claire said, her stomach grumbling.
Haley fumbled her way through making three plates, insisting she didn’t need Claire’s help as she sloppily spooned sides out. Claire leaned on the counter and watched. The accident might have slowed Haley down temporarily, but it hadn’t changed her. She seemed as determined and fierce as ever, and in that moment—with barbecue sauce staining her tattered t-shirt and disheveled strands of hair falling into her eyes—she looked more beautiful than ever. Claire was overcome with a desire to kiss her, and she gripped the edge of the countertop to hold herself back.
“What?” Haley asked, glancing over when she noticed Claire staring.
“Just thinking about how much I wish I could kiss you,” Claire answered.
“Why can’t you?”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Claire whispered, reaching out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind Haley’s ear, her thumb lingering on Haley’s cheek. Her skin was so soft, just like Claire remembered.
“My collarbone is broken, not my lips.”
Their eyes met and Claire saw the depth of her affection for Haley reflected back at her, all the pain of the past still lingering but new hope glittering in the forefront. Let’s just start over, Haley had said, but starting over was impossible. Starting over meant erasing everything they had been through to get to that point, and it could never be struck out. But moving forward was all she wanted. She cradled Haley’s head, wrapping her fingers lovingly through untamed strands while she examined Haley’s face for any sign of discomfort, any sign she should stop. Haley’s breath hitched and her lips parted as she leaned into Claire.
Gently, Claire reminded herself before letting her lips brush against Haley’s, careful not to let their bodies get too close. Haley’s eyes closed and she sighed in satisfaction, her breath mingling with Claire’s in the golden evening glow that filled the kitchen. The second kiss was longer, slow and tender as they tasted each other again, relearning what it meant to feel their souls entwine as time stopped.
“Ahem,” Noah cleared his throat behind Claire. “Can I just grab that?”
She pulled away from Haley, feeling like a teenager who had been caught in the act, but if Noah was thinking any particular thing, his face didn’t reveal it as he reached around Claire to grab one of the plates of food.
“Thanks for ordering stuff for Tobey,” Claire said, though she wished he hadn’t gone as overboard on the toys as he did. They were only staying a few days. “Let me know how much to send you.”
Noah waved her off. “He’s a guest here, he should be comfortable.”
Claire grit her teeth and swallowed her pride. She was sure he could afford it, just as she was sure he knew she couldn’t. “Well, thanks again.”
Noah nodded to her before heading back out the sliding door, his mouth full of chicken.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Haley had hoped Claire would spend the night with her, but she had opted to stay in the guest room next door, claiming jet lag and calling it an early night after getting Tobey’s litterbox set up in the downstairs bathroom. By the next morning, that decision turned out to be a blessing as Haley contorted and twisted her way out of bed. Her pain medicine had worn off in the night, and just trying to sit up was excruciating. Trying not to yell was an exercise in willpower. Haley would have been mortified for Claire to see her like that; Claire treating her like she was made of glass was already bad enough.
