“It’ll be perfect,” she squealed, her eyes lighting up. “The downstairs bedroom will be a perfect workout room!”
I paused and tilted my head to the side. “How did you know there was a bedroom downstairs?”
She laughed and looked down at her place, swallowing. “Oh, Max must have mentioned it at some point. Most homes have one downstairs in the newer homes. It’s just a trademark of the tract house.”
That was true, so I let it slide.
“I’ll have my stuff out of there this weekend and then you can have at it.”
She sat her fork down and smiled. “Thank you so much, Kari,” she gushed. “This is so sweet of you.”
It made me feel good to have made her so happy. Maybe Max was right—maybe she wasn’t bad.
“My insurance just adjusted a little, so I’ll double check the exact amount and shoot you a text later.”
She nodded, pulling her phone from her pocket. “That would be fantastic.” She looked at the screen and giggled. “I just got a text from the guy I went out with last night.”
“How’d it go?” I asked, feeling a sense of camaraderie with her.
“Good, I think. He wants to see me again tomorrow night. He’s really, really good looking and super sweet. He seems a little hung up on an ex, though, so I don’t know if it’ll work out. But I intend on enjoying it while I can, if you know what I mean.”
I laughed, getting exactly what she meant. “You never know when the right one will just waltz into your life.”
“That’s true. You never know who is going to walk in that door.”
FOURTEEN
KARI
It had been a long and busy week, but I had managed. Max had been working a lot at Alexander Industries. I missed him but loved that he took his job so seriously. He felt such a responsibility to Cane and the company. Losing the job because of Dan’s error had really thrown him; he was determined to get another one right away. His absence gave me plenty of time to clear out most of my personal belongings from my house. I left my furniture for Sam to use since I really had no place else to put it.
When I told Max about my offer to Samantha to rent it, he was thrilled. His shy smile and dimple made up for any reservations I had. She was happy to pay the rent I asked and made plans to move in as soon as I had my stuff out. I still wasn’t her biggest fan, but she was growing on me. And if she was important to Max, then I would try to forge some sort of friendship, however lukewarm it might be.
I had just gotten home from an overnight shift at the hospital. I sat my bag down and looked around the living room. My things were sprinkled through the room, mixed with Max’s. On the mantle above the fireplace hung a painting of an abstract building. Max said he bought it atan art exhibit right after he graduated from college. Beneath it sat a framed picture of his grandparents and a clay sculpture Max had picked up in Mexico. Mixed in with his things were a picture of Jada and me, a few coconut-scented candles wrapped with a turquoise ribbon that I loved, and a tall vase filled with fake orchids that looked absolutely real.
Seeing our things coexisting like that, mixing and melding together, made a warmth erupt through my core despite being scared as hell.
Am I doing the right thing? This feels right, it looks right, but am I setting myself up for an inevitable heartbreak?
I shook my head.
Of course I am.
But Max would never leave me like ‘he’ did. He’s the antithesis of him. Just take it a day at a time. I still have my house and I can always go back there. This isn’t permanent.
I whirled around when I heard footsteps behind me.
“Did you just get home?” he asked. He was wearing a pair of jeans with a white button-up shirt. His cuffs were undone and hanging open, the top button of his shirt unfastened. His hair was still wet from the shower and he smelled absolutely divine.
“I did. Are you leaving?”
“Yeah,” he rubbed his forehead. “I have a shit ton of stuff to do today. I’m running out of time to get this bid together. I’m going to meet with another subcontractor today. If all goes right, they’ll cut me a good deal on the earthmoving. If it works, it could be our golden ticket to getting the job.”
I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “You’ll nail it. I know you will. You’re irresistible.”
He smiled a crooked grin. “I hope they find me as charming as you do.”
“They will. You’ll see.”
