Savior Complex: A Small Town Love Triangle Romance

Page 33



“It’s not me, it’s Hazel,” I say, giving her a noogie while she fights to break free, laughing the whole time.

“Bear, my hair!” she cries. She finally escapes, then smooths her hair, peering at her reflection in the window as she does. “Who’s that?”

I glance outside, and my heart skips a beat as I see a familiar ocean-haired head emerge from an old Cadillac.

“Wow, I love her hair,” Hazel breathed. “Mom, we should do that to my hair.”

My mom looks outside too, and I suddenly realize how country bumpkin we all look, staring out the window as if Nina is our first visitor in years.

“Come on, get away from the window,” I say, blocking Hazel’s view as I stand in front of her. “We don’t want to weird her out before she even meets you.”

“Is she the new hire?” Hazel asks, pouring coffee in a travel mug. She tops it with a healthy dose of sweet cream before grabbing her backpack from the corner.

“Possibly. It’s why I asked her to come so early. I thought it would be nice for her to meet you before you take off for school. Can you hang out for a few minutes?”

“I can blow off the whole day, if necessary,” she says, setting her backpack on a chair, then sitting with her coffee.

“No you can’t,” my mom says, and I wink at Hazel as she groans.

“In just a few short months, you’ll be done with high school, and you might even miss it,” I say, just as there’s a knock on the door. I take a deep breath, willing my heart to stop pounding, trying to appear nonchalant as I go to the door.

“Doubtful,” Hazel calls after me.

I open the door, and there she is. If I thought she looked irresistible in her short skirts and heeled boots, it’s nothing compared to the way she fills out a pair of jeans. I lean forward to give her a hug, my head feeling lighter as I inhale the perfume of her skin. So womanly and fresh, making me want to grab her around the waist and pull her body into mine. Instead I invite her inside.

“Nina, this is my sister Hazel, and my mom Angela.”

“You can call me Ang,” my mom says, standing and holding her hand out across the table. Nina shakes it, and I can sense her shyness. They’re going to love you, I want to tell her. As she does the same with my sister, I realize what this feels like. It’s almost as if I’m introducing my new girlfriend to the family.

“I love your hair,” Hazel says to Nina, and doesn’t even ask before she reaches out and takes a lock of Nina’s hair in her hands. “How long does this take you to do?”

“Not long.” Nina leans closer to give Hazel a better look. “I mean, my hair is totally ruined now, but that just means it takes color better. It helps that my natural color is blonde, so I don’t have to bleach it, and I just use washout color because I get bored of wearing the same color every week.”

Soon all three of them are engrossed in hair talk—what it will take to change Hazel’s hair. and if my mom’s fading strawberry hair should actually be purple. Nina even helps clear the table as they talk, and I’m left off to the side while they forget I’m here. I smile, remaining out of it until Hazel finally breaks away and grabs her bag.

“I like her,” she whispers, then slips out the door.

I do too.

The sound of wheels on hardwood makes me turn, and I tilt my head as my dad rolls to the threshold of the kitchen.

“Oh, you need to meet Nina,” my mom says, guiding Nina out with her hand at her back like they’re already great friends. “Pete, this is Nina, she’s the new hire.”

I look sharply at my mom, who widens her eyes, but looks amused at the slip. “If she wants to work here, that is,” my mom adds, even though I’m the one who’s in charge of hiring. But I’m not arguing.

“Really?” Nina looks to me, then back at my mom. Then she looks at my dad and collects herself. “Hi, I’m Nina,” she says. She doesn’t stare at my dad’s wheelchair, or even seems affected by his handicap at all. Instead she crosses the room and offers her hand, just like she did to my mom and sister.

My dad, however, is a hard nut to crack. I realize I should have warned Nina, especially when he grunts in her direction. He can speak, no problem. There’s nothing wrong with his mind. But ever since the accident, it’s like his manners broke with his spine. At least he shakes Nina’s hand, but then he rolls forward, forcing Nina to jump out of the way.

“Don’t mind him,” I whisper into her ear, and she shivers before grinning at me. Her smile is like a thousand sun rays in our already bright kitchen.

As my dad takes the rest of the coffee, I lead Nina away to show her the parts of the house she’ll need to know along with the things that will be under her care, because let’s face it, she got the job. My mom will go into more detail when she starts tomorrow, but at least I can give her a tour of the ranch.

The early morning fog still hugs the tree line behind the cabins when I bring her outside. I’m usually caught up in the beauty of these early mornings, but today I can’t help noticing the slope of Nina’s neck, the small wisps of hair escaping her messy bun, or the way she bites her bottom lip when she’s paying attention, her teeth like pearls resting on a plush rose petal. The urge to press my lips to hers—to learn what it feels like if she nips my lips in the same way—is so intense, I feel like I’m white knuckling an addiction.

“It’s so darling,” she says of the cabin, as I stand in the doorway, watching her survey the room. It’s just like a small studio apartment, with everything in it except a kitchen, but all I see is the bed and how good it would feel to lay her down and cover her body with mine.

This is a problem, but I’ll learn to move beyond it. The only other option is to let her go, to continue my search for the perfect house manager. But that’s not really an option because the thought of not seeing her every day is worse than knowing I’ll be fighting my attraction to her on a daily basis.


Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.