“It’s not a bad idea,” Rosaline said, brow furrowed in obvious contemplation. “Gabby over atE!owes me a favor. I might drop her a line, hint that she should keep an eye out so she can jump on the story first. Nothing she writes will be defamatory or incendiary. Maybe the other outlets will follow her lead and keep it clean.”
“Maybe. Either way, it doesn’t seem like Cash and Lyric are too worried. Not the way we are.”
“It’s our job to worry about them. And even if it wasn’t, I still would.” Rosaline blew out a breath, ruffling the hair that had escaped the bun on the back of her head and fallen across her forehead. “God, I can’t believe Lyric plans to move to Portland.” She ran a hand over her face and huffed out a laugh. “Guess I better start looking at properties on Zillow.”
“Properties as in, you’re planning on moving too?” It probably shouldn’t have come as a surprise and yet, until this moment, she hadn’t even considered that Lyric moving to Portland meant that Rosaline might be moving back to Oregon too.
“I’m not sure why I’d stay in LA. The sunshine is nice, don’t get me wrong, but I can live without the traffic and smog and, to be honest, I miss living somewhere with seasons,” Rosaline confessed. “As Lyric pointed out, she can work from anywhere and so can I. And Portlanddoeshave its charms, after all.”
“True. Portlandishome to the most strip clubs per capita in the nation.”
Rosaline laughed. “I was thinking more along the lines of the mostPoppy Petersons per capita, but sure. Strip clubs too.”
Poppy’s cheeks hurt from trying to keep her smile in check. “ThemostPoppy Petersons, huh?”
“I’m really only interested in one particular Poppy Peterson. She’s enough of a handful.”
Poppy laughed. “Well, if during your home search you happen to stumble across a nice, cheap one bedroom, let me know, would you?”
Rosaline cocked her head. “How come?”
“No offense to Lyric and Cash, but I’m not really interested in being roommates with a couple of newlyweds,” she said. “Living with Cash wasn’t ever meant to be permanent. More of a... stopgap until I was ready to find my own place.”
“And are you thinking of renting, or...?”
She snorted. “Cash pays me disgustingly well but have you looked at the market here lately? All you people moving here from California are driving up the home prices,” she teased.
Rosaline pursed her lips. “I mean. You could just... you know.”
Her brows rose. She really didn’t. “I could just what?”
“You could just...” Rosaline shrugged, her gaze set somewhere over Poppy’s shoulder. “You know. Move in with me.”
Her breath caught and it was a good thing she was sitting down because she was pretty sure her whole world had just tipped on its axis. “What?”
“It was just an idea.” Rosaline shrugged tightly, shoulders creeping upward. “If you hate it—”
“I didn’t say that,” she blurted, not wanting Rosaline to get the wrong idea. “But... isn’t it a little early to be talking about moving in together?”
“Probably,” Rosaline admitted with a wry laugh as she reachedup and tucked her hair behind her ears, a self-conscious gesture Poppy recognized. A blush stained her cheeks and the bridge of her nose, but she met Poppy’s gaze head-on. “I know it makes me a hypocrite considering I just told Lyric she was moving too fast, but... what did Curran say?” The corner of her mouth dimpled into a smile. “When you know, you know?”
Poppy’s heart fluttered furiously. “Rosaline.”
“It’ll probably be months before I buy a place,” she said, squirming a little atop Poppy’s lap. “But if you’re not interested—”
“That’s not what I’m saying. I’m just...” Still pinching herself that Rosaline wanted to be with her. Because things like this? Things like this didn’t happen to Poppy.
Poppy survived on scraps of affection. She made meals out of breadcrumbs. Anything more seemed too good to be true.
But maybe... maybe she didn’t have to live like that anymore. In constant fear that what she did have would be snatched away. That she didn’t deserve to have good things in the first place let alone keep them.
“If you’re offering, then yeah.” Poppy grinned. “I’d really like that.”
An answering smile lit up Rosaline’s face and the fluttering in Poppy’s chest and stomach increased tenfold.
“Wow. Okay.” Rosaline gave a near-frazzled laugh. She pressed a hand to her stomach and the other to her forehead. “Oh shit.”
Poppy frowned. “What?”
