Clearing my head of images of what Vance would look and sound like first thing in the morning, I nodded.“Thank you so much for helping.”
“I said I would.”
So he did.And it seemed he didn’t say anything he didn’t mean.
Vance’s warm hand touched my back, and together we walked the last few steps into the kitchen, where Keely was once again busy wrapping plates.She looked up when we approached, her attention pointedly on his hand on my back.
I narrowed my eyes at her, silently telling her not to say a word.
“Where do you want me?”Vance asked, having dropped his arm from my back.It was now resting against his side, brushing mine since he was so close.
“Um, we need to finish wrapping the dishes.And I haven’t emptied any of the shelves in the living room.”The rest of the house was pretty much packed up since I’d been busy wrapping and boxing up the few things I hadn’t sold all week.
Thankfully, that meant there wasn’t much left on the shelves.We might even get everything moved today.I’d be leaving a lot of the furniture so the house didn’t look so empty when the realtor showed prospective buyers.And most of it wouldn’t fit in the apartment anyway.I’d sell it as soon as I accepted an offer on the house.
Vance grabbed a stack of wrapping paper and set up on the kitchen table.I placed items on it, and he wrapped them and then carefully placed them in a box.We were almost done in the kitchen when everyone else showed up.
Thad, Sebastian, and Vance didn’t waste time moving the furniture I’d be taking, which only included the foldout couch from the spare room, the dining table and chairs, two dressers, and a bunk bed.It was all we would be able to fit.
“Are you getting a new bed?”Thad asked when I told him what to take apart and put in the truck.
Pressing my lips together, I shook my head.“Ah, maybe.I’m not sure yet.”
Please don’t ask any more questions.Please don’t ask any more questions.
Turned out, it wasn’t Thad I should have worried about but Vance.“What about your bed?It’s no problem to take it as well.It’ll definitely fit in the truck.”
“No, that’s okay.I want to leave it here so the rooms aren’t so empty.”
Lies.All lies.But it was a good excuse.
Vance, of course, didn’t buy it.“What will you sleep on?”
“The couch.But it’s comfortable, so it’s no problem.”
There was also only one bedroom in the apartment.So even if it was uncomfortable—which, luckily, it was not—I’d be sleeping on it.
I pasted a flimsy smile on my face and turned to Keely.“Can you give me a hand with the boxes?”
She’d been watching the exchange, a deep line now marring her forehead.She definitely didn’t buy my bullshit either.But they’d soon find out what exactly I could fit into my apartment.And by then, there was nothing anyone could do about it.
We only filled the truck halfway and were done by midafternoon.It would have been hard transporting the dining room furniture in the cars, but everything else we could have probably moved without the truck.
Vance stared into the back of the truck as if he was trying to will more stuff to appear.“Are you sure this is all you want to take?”
“I’m sure.The rest will stay here until the house is sold, and then I’ll get rid of it.”
Which would hopefully include a money exchange, but one way or another, I’d have to get it out before the buyers moved in.
Not giving anyone else a chance to probe further, I walked to my car.“Meet you at the apartment?”
Everyone murmured their agreement, and I jumped into my car.My passenger door opened, and Keely dropped into the seat beside me.“You’ve been keeping quite a few secrets.And you have exactly fifteen minutes to tell me what the hell is going on.”
I buckled my seat belt, then turned the car on, buying myself time.Might as well tell her now so she wouldn’t freak out when she saw the apartment.“The new place is too small to fit anything more than what’s in the truck.”
And even that would be a squeeze.
I pulled out of the driveway, pointedly keeping my eyes on the road.
