“You do not have a rusted Tin Man heart,” Emma insisted.
“For everyone butyou. And my students. I’ll miss those little six-year-old clouds of dirt, germs, and potential. But you have the same brand of first graders here, don’t you?”
“Yes.” Emma laughed. “Probably even dirtier if they’re getting an early start on their topiary trimming skills.”
Haddie smiled, and then they made their way back into themain living area where the two brothers were still staring at Levi’s laptop.
“Who’s coming furniture shopping?” Emma called, and both men turned around. “Matteo, I volunteer you since we need your truck.”
Matteo grabbed his fiancée’s wrist as she approached, pulling her to him and kissing her on the top of the head. “I go where you go,” he told her.
Haddie sighed. “You guys are so cute it’s gross. I mean that as a compliment.”
She tapped Levi on the shin with the toe of her flip-flop. “What about you, roomie? You gonna join us?”
Haddie looked down, suddenly not sure about making eye contact with him.Ugh. Fine.Emma was right. It wasn’t like attraction just went “Poof!” and disappeared once you decided not to sleep with someone. Their chemistry or whatever it was would run its course soon enough.
Levi cleared his throat. “Um…no. You all go ahead.”
Haddie’s relief was capped off by an unexpected twinge of disappointment. She glanced into his room full of nothing but boxes, just like hers. “Not a big fan of beds, are ya?” she teased but immediately regretted the words as soon as they’d left her mouth because saying them only made her think of the hotel bed they had almost slept in.
“I’m actually a very big fan of beds,” he countered. “But I ordered one of those mattress-in-a-bag things online. It should be here in a day or two.” He turned his attention to his brother. “Dadsaid Tilly has an extra couch in her basement we can use, so I’m going to head over there and take a look, see if it will fit. But you three have fun.”
Once out the door, Haddie let out a breath. Of course things would be weird until they got used to each other, until they found their stride. Focusing on all the parts and pieces of moving and quickly furnishing an apartment before school started would keep them busy enough to forget about what almost happened.
“Shit,” she said before they’d even made it to the stairs. “I forgot my phone. I’ll meet you at the truck.” And while Emma and Matteo headed down to the street, Haddie jogged back toward her new front door and strode back through it.
Levi swore and slammed his laptop shut.
Haddie rounded the corner, brows raised and a bemused smile on her face.
“Levi Rourke, did I just interrupt something…scandalous?” She had no idea what he might have started watching once the rest of them had left, and she truly didn’t care. He was a grown man. He could watch what he wanted. But something about the look of abject horror on his face made her want to poke the bear. Levi Rourke had a secret, and she wasn’t leaving this apartment until he confessed.
“What’s on the laptop?” she asked.
“I thought you left,” he countered. “What are you doing here?”
“I forgot my phone,” Haddie replied. “There. I answered you. Now you answer me.” She took a step toward him, and he stood in front of the laptop on the breakfast bar, his big, broad body blocking any chance of her stealing it from him.
Haddie shrugged. “I’m not leaving here until I know you’re not partaking in any illicit affairs that might be unbecoming to a new roommate.”
His dark eyes blinked more than once. “I’m not even sure what the hell you just said.”
She threw up her hands. “Come on, man! Just show me already. Otherwise, I’m going to walk out of here thinking the worst, and then I’m going to have to ask Emma and Matteo if they know what’s going on, and next thing you know, whatever is on that laptop becomes the talk of the town, which, depending on what’s actually there, will either bode very well or very badly for you. At least now it’s just me, and you’re not afraid of little old me, are you?”
Levi scrubbed his hand across his jaw and swore again. Then he spun toward the breakfast bar, flipped open the laptop, and the screen immediately awoke to show a still from…Ted Lasso?
He turned back to face her, crossing his arms and leaning against the counter, a muscle pulsing in his jaw.
Haddie’s brows drew together. “Why wouldn’t you want me to know you were watchingTed Lasso? It’s a great show.”
“One of the best,” Levi agreed.
“Are you Team Roy or Team Jamie?” she added.
“Team Keeley gets to make her own damned choice,” he countered, quicker than she’d expected.
“Good answer,” Haddie mused, taking a step closer as the pieces fell quickly together. The videos of last year’s team made sense. This added another layer of complexity. “But something tells me that Keeley’s empowerment to choose herself over the two menwho aren’t quite worthy of her isn’t the reason you’re squeezing in a rewatch while we’re out furniture shopping.”
