“If they are messing around at school, they’re good at not getting caught.”
“Ugh, I know. It makes me even more curious.”
“Same. We’ll have to watch them a little bit closer.”
She held out her fist. “Done.”
I bumped my fist against hers and we did the explosion thing.
Light rain started to fall as I turned on my truck and pulled out onto the street. We chatted a little more about the goings-on at the celebration of life on the way back to Penelope’s house.When I dropped her off, I thought about walking her to her door, but ultimately didn’t. Seemed kinda weird. And I didn’t know if Sean was home. I didn’t want to make trouble for her.
I waited until she got inside, then hesitated with the truck still running. Rain pattered on the windshield, obscuring my view of her front door. I was strangely reluctant to leave, although I didn’t know why.
With a glance at the painting she’d left on the seat, I backed out of the driveway. I’d see her Monday at school.
And it would have to be enough.
CHAPTER 9
Penelope
I wasn’tsure when Sean would be back. Either way, his absence after Theo dropped me off was a relief. I had a lot on my mind, and I wouldn’t have been able to think clearly if he’d been there.
Because it was Sean I needed to think about. Specifically, my relationship with him.
Suddenly overwhelmed, I wandered through the house, looking from room to room, wondering what on earth I was going to do.
How could I get out? I didn’t have anywhere else to go. But I couldn’t keep avoiding the truth. I needed to leave him.
The situation was so daunting. We weren’t just dating. We lived together. Leaving him would mean finding a new home. Would I be able to find something quickly enough? And if I did, would I be able to afford it on my own?
It wasn’t like I had a fallback. My parents lived in another state. And Grandma didn’t have her own place anymore. Her one-bedroom apartment couldn’t fit me, and there were probably rules against it anyway.
To make things worse, I didn’t exactly have a lot of friends.
But I’d stayed with Sean too long as it was—stuck in a rut and not sure how to get out. I needed to face the reality that this relationship, whatever it had been in the beginning, wasn’t good for me. It was time to move on.
You’re not getting any younger, you know.
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” I said aloud, pushing away the whispering voice in my mind reminding me how hard it would be to start over in my thirties. “Don’t remind me.”
With a deep breath, I grabbed my phone and took it to the living room. A new place to live wasn’t going to find itself. I needed to take care of that first, because as soon as I told Sean I wanted to end things, staying in his house would not be an option. I needed a place to land.
Before I had a chance to start my search, the front door opened and Sean came in, carrying a bouquet of red roses.
“Hey, babe.” He shut the door behind him and brought the flowers to me. “Here.”
I took them and the floral scent surrounded me. “What are these for?”
“Just because.”
“You bought me flowers just because?”
“Sure, why not?”
I couldn’t remember the last time he’d brought me flowers, except as an apology. Was that what they were? Apology flowers? Was he trying to make up for not going to the celebration of life with me?
“They’re pretty.” I leaned in and sniffed them. “Thank you.”
