Billionaire Mountain Man

“I’m not sure if I should take that as a compliment or insult.”

Sierra bumped my hip. “It’s a compliment, darling. Now let’s go shake our asses to ‘Wheels on the Bus.’”

After coming home from the record shop and lunch, Gina clocked in the longest nap to date at almost three hours. I had to wake her around four, so the timing of her bedtime wouldn’t be screwed up. Given how tired she acted for the rest of the day, I knew that wouldn’t be a problem. I’d texted Noah and ordered pizza that night earlier than normal. And by the time she finished eating, Noah came through the front door.

“Hey, Daddy,” Gina said wearily from the table.

Noah looked at me then back to Gina. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” I said. “We visited a friend of mine today.”

“Kimberly?” he asked.

For some reason, I didn’t appreciate his interest in knowing more about Kimberly.

“No, Sierra. She works at a vintage record shop. Gina likes this one album, and I think she tuckered herself out.”

I felt sorry for my snappy tone and brought it back down to a level one. I had been the one to set him up with Kimberly. There was no reason I should feel weird about it. Right?

“I’m sure the rain didn’t help,” he said. “This dreary weather had me dragging all day.”

“Me too,” I said. “I took a little snooze myself.”

“I wished I could have done that,” he said.

Light snoring from the table grabbed our attention. Gina had fallen asleep in her chair. Her forehead rested on the table next to her plate.

“I should get her to bed,” Noah said, dropping his briefcase on one of the empty chairs.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” I said. “What time would you like me here?”

“Would you mind coming by the house around five-thirty tomorrow?” Noah asked. “I have reservations for six.”

Six? That seemed a little early for a date. Did Noah expect to have a late night with Kimberly? Why did I care? I’d offered my services to watch Gina assuming he’d be out late. Damn Sierra for giving me these crazy thoughts!

“Are you looking forward to your date tomorrow?” I asked, trying to act like the person who orchestrated this entire date.

“Yes. But to be honest,” he said, “I’m a little nervous. I haven’t done the dating thing for a while.”

“You’ll be fine.” An image of Noah and me at a fancy restaurant popped into my mind. I knew together we’d be more at ease with going on a date. We never had any awkward moments between us. What would Kimberly and his date look like? Would they remain on surface topics like the weather or their careers? Or would Kimberly impress him with her killer body and flexible limbs?

I snapped myself out of those thoughts. Why did I care so much? A sick feeling of jealousy floated around in my stomach. I had no right to feel like that. I wasn’t jealous. I couldn’t be. Maybe it was a protective instinct like I had for Gina. I liked Noah as a friend, and I wanted to see him happy. There was no harm in that.

“I hope I don’t embarrass myself,” he said. “Any tips?”

I laughed. “I haven’t been on a date for a while either.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” I said.

“I pictured you going out every weekend on a new date.”

“Do I seem to be that kind of girl?”

Noah’s expression softened. “No, that’s not what I meant.”

I smirked. “I know. I’m just teasing. I don’t go out a lot, so it’s hard to meet people. It’s okay. I have plenty of time to find The One.”