“He’s a catch. He’s funny, handsome, and sweet,” Jade said. “You’re lucky.”
I felt my stomach dip, thinking about how just a few weeks ago, I thought the same thing. I thought that he was funny, and when he told jokes while we sat together in the corner, it made our relationship special—that I wasn’t just another person he knew, that when he looked at me and said something sweet, it was genuine. But I had been wrong, because he had ended the friendship without even bothering to let me know what I’d done wrong.
“He is,” I said, taking a sip of my wine. “But I think you are forgetting you’re happily married. Both of you are. Nothing to be envious about.”
“True,” they said in unison. “But still, it’s Westley.”
“So, how do you like him, Hazel?” They both looked at Hazel, who froze as she poured someone a beer. She looked at me for a split second before looking at them. “He’s nice.”
“Are you both living with him?” Jade asked, waving a friend at Hazel. “Does he have the space?”
“Yeah, we each got our own rooms,” Hazel said, and then quickly realized what she said. Jade and Nora both looked confused and looked at me.
“Why do you have your own room? Aren’t you sharing with him?” Jade asked.
“Or is there something we don’t know?” Nora asked, tilting her head.
I forced a laugh, hoping it didn’t come off wrong. I could feel my heart racing now. “She’s talking about how I have my own office. We turned the extra bedroom into an office for me since I work remotely.”
“Oh well, that makes sense,” Jade said. “And that was sweet of him. You guys must be so happy that he’s open about having both of you. You guys are kind of a package deal.”
I swallowed, looking down at my glass. I had to give Westley credit for that. He hadn’t been bothered by the fact that Hazel had to be part of everything.
Hazel looked at me, seeming unsure of what to say. “Things have been good. We’re adjusting well.”
“It’s kind of a nice break since you said you weren’t hearing back about a new apartment. Which I thought was just weird.” Jade’s eyes widened, and she made a pouty face. “I was about to start calling.”
“Things seem to be looking up for all of you,” Nora said, raising her glass. “To us all having a better future.”
I watched Jade click her glass against Nora’s, and they both looked at me. I forced a smile, raising my glass with them.
It wasn’t that I didn’t think that things were looking up because living in Westley’s house was nicer than the apartment we were in. And since he announced we were living in his house and I was his wife, we hadn’t seen much of the others. Hazel was able to get to work without a problem, and I didn’t feel like all eyes were on me.
But I also knew just how uneven things would be. He opened his house to us, and that meant higher bills. There would need to be more groceries. We couldn’t just accept this without paying him back or doing something in return. It wasn’t fair.
After we finished, we all headed our separate ways. I stayed back, sitting at the bar while Hazel made drinks. She raised an eyebrow at me. “Why do you look unhappy?”
“Because I am,” I grumbled, sliding her my empty wine glass. “And I wish things were different.”
Hazel made a face. “Why don’t you stop mopping around and just accept it? I mean, Westley has been very generous.”
I scowled at her. “You would be able to say that, you weren’t the one forced into a marriage. You just upgraded your room without an issue.” I looked down at the wooden table and ran my finger over the grain.
“How about you go home and talk to him about whatever your issue is? Because I’m not living in a house with you if you guys are going to argue all the time.”
I frowned, unable to deny that we had been doing that. Every time we spoke, one of us got into a huff. I knew that she had a point, and tonight was a good time. She was out of the house, and he was at home.
I sighed, pulling myself up. “Let me know when you get home.”
I headed outside and drove home. I found Westley’s car was parked in his normal spot, and I pulled in alongside him. I headed inside and found Westley sitting on the couch with a popcorn bowl in his lap. He had a movie playing with the lamp, filling the room with a low light.
“Hey,” he said, giving me a nod as he paused the movie. “Where were you?”
“Out,” I said, as I slipped off my shoes. I set my purse down and started walking closer to him. “We need to talk about this.”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “About what?”
“How this is going to work,” I said. “My sister and I aren’t a charity case, so we need to somehow contribute to this. Pay a bill or give you rent.”
