He tosses another coconut shrimp into his mouth. “I don’t think confidence is a bad trait by any means.”
“There’s a difference between confidence and cockiness,” I state.
He places the palms of his hands on the table and leans in toward me. “See, these are the kinds of things we can debate when we’re roomies. Come on, Sunshine. It’ll be fun.”
I place a hand on his and hold his stare. “It would be fun, but”—I shake my head—“no. I just need to find my own place.”
“If that’s what you really want, I’ll help you look. Though I really think you should reconsider. We would have a blast. I’ve been thinking of offering a couple of my rooms to some of the guys on the team, but I’m hesitant. As much as I love them all, we already spend so much time together. It’s nice to have my own space.” He presses his lips together in a sheepish grin. “But I do get lonely.”
“Out of curiosity, why’d you buy such a large house for just yourself? Why didn’t you start with a nice condo or something?”
He places a couple of his coconut shrimps onto my plate next to my half-eaten chicken breast and gives me a look that says, ‘I told you to order the shrimp.’ He did, too, and I didn’t listen. Compared to his decadent meal, my chicken breast is boring and tasteless.
“Well…” He scoops up a forkful of rice. “I guess I thought it was the right thing to do. I always heard growing up that property was a great investment. So when I started making good money, I figured I should be responsible and buy a nice home. I don’t regret it. I mean, it’s a sweet house, but it’s big for just me. Which is exactly why you should move in.”
“It’s definitely nice, but it’s like a grown-up house, and you’re still so young.”
He chuckles. “You love to act like I’m this kid. I’m basically your age.”
“You’re twenty-four. That means your brain isn’t even fully developed. For a guy, that’s young.”
“Okay, Grandma. You do realize you’re only two years older than me.”
“Well, for a guy in his twenties, that’s a lot.”
“Plus, I’ll be twenty-five next month.”
“And I’m turning twenty-seven.”
He nods slowly. “Yes, Miranda… you will always be two years older than me. That’s how it works.”
I toss the tail of a shrimp at him.
“Hey, this is a nice place,” he teases as he catches the shrimp tail. “No foot fights allowed. When do women’s brains fully develop?”
“Way before men’s.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yes. It is one of the many facts stored in my fully developed brain.”
“Again,” he says, pointing the shrimp tail toward me, “something we could debate if we were roomies.”
I shake my head. “Just eat. We should get back to the party before it winds down.”
“I know we’re both new to bye week. But I hear there is no winding down on the last night. We’ll basically be up until we head to the airport.”
“Really? That sounds exhausting.”
“Oh, it will be.”
Miles and I chatter away as we finish our meals. Everything with him is so easy. I know he’s right—we’d be great roommates. Yet there’s something about the arrangement I find unsettling. Plus, I’ve never truly been on my own. Not since I was fifteen and Anna took me in. Yes, I’ve stayed in my own hotel rooms, but they’ve never been more than a few feet from Anna’s. I had a small apartment in LA, but I spent more nights in Anna’s guest suite than in my own place.
Anna is moving on and starting a new chapter in her life, and I’m just treading water. I need to do something for myself, and I’m not certain what that is—but getting a place of my own seems like a step in the right direction.
CHAPTER
TWO
