Her lips are pressed together, and she looks me over with her arms crossed like she isn’t sure she believes me, but at this point, I think it might be more of an act than anything. “Okay.” She holds up a finger. “But if you complain about anything I choose, I’m gonna be pissed.”
I hold up my hands, laughing a little, but more because I’m surprised than because it’s funny. It sounds like that’s something she has experience with. Part of me wants to ask, but there’s not time now. “I swear I won’t complain,” I reassure her instead. “You can make the whole thing Pepto Bismol pink, and I’ll be in heaven, without a word of complaint.”
She arches an eyebrow. “There you go, daring me again.”
This time, my laugh is more genuine. “Do whatever you like, Hailey. Try me if you want to, but I think you’d be happier with something other than pink everything.” She’s not much of a pink person. The only things of hers I’ve seen that are pink are a couple of tops and a few of her body care products that have pink containers. That’s it.
Grinning, she shrugs. “Okay, fine. You’re right. I’ll choose things I like. And if I’m unsure, I’ll text you pictures?”
I nod. “That works. I might not always be able to respond right away.”
“I know. That’s fine. Just as long as you don’t leave me on read for eternity, I won’t be upset.”
“I promise not to do that. I won’t read your texts until Icanrespond, and then they’ll just show as delivered until I get to them.”
She laughs. “Deal. I’ll do the same.”
Even though I thought I’d already given her one last kiss, that feels like it needs one to seal it, so I steal another one, making her laugh again. “Okay. Much as I’d love to stay, I need to head out. I’ll let you know when we get to Edmonton, okay?”
“Sounds good. I’ll be here, so call if you feel like it.”
That invitation makes me grin. I don’t think she’s ever invited me to call like that before. I didn’t call when I was out of town before this, though we did text a few times a day. “I will.”
We stare at each other for a second, and it feels like I should say something else, but I’m not sure what. Then it hits me. All the interactions between couples I’ve ever witnessed where they’re parting ways, the final words between them are, “I love you.” But I know that’s not the thing to say. Not now, at least, even if it seems like it might be—at least on my end—in the future.
Instead, I heft my bags. “Have fun without me. But not too much.”
She grins at me again. “I will. Or won’t?” She points at me. “I’ll do what you said.”
Laughing, I head for the door. “Talk to you soon.”
Her faint, “Bye!” follows me out the door as I pull it closed behind me.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Hailey
I expectedto enjoy being home by myself more than I am. It’s … boring.
When I lived with Whitney, I couldn’t wait for the hours she was at work. Any time I could be in the house by myself was heaven.
But living with Jason?
It’s totally different. Even though I still tend to only practice when I know he’ll be gone for a while, and I do my best to keep myself and all my stuff in my room, I know he’s not going to get pissed at me if I leave a book on the coffee table or music I’m looking at on the kitchen table. He even insisted on making space for me to hang up my purse and coat in the coat closet, saying that it’s ridiculous for me to keep those things in my room when I need to grab them on my way out the door.
“Look,” he’d said when I protested that keeping those things in my room was no problem, dragging me over to the console table by the door. “Here.” He points at a little carved wooden bowl, a souvenir from somewhere. “This is where my keys go.I keep them here, then I know where they are. Do you have a fun bowl or dish that you like? You can put it next to mine, and your keys can go there. Then you’ll always know where they are. And the weather’s not bad now, but it’ll be rainy constantly soon, and you’ll want to be able to take off your shoes and jacket right away. If you tramp mud and wet through the place, Miss Kim will have my hide. And I’m not going to take the fall for your crimes. I’ll throw you under the bus in a second.”
I’d gaped at him. “What? Me? You wouldn’t.”
“Try me.”
I’d had to bite my tongue at that point, but I’d acquiesced to his insistence that I keep my things in the hall closet—there’s a shoe rack and coat rack, and he added a set of hooks on the back of the door for me to hang my purses. My keys now live in a dish next to his, though mine’s only a small plate from his regular dishes since I didn’t have anything special. He says we’ll have to look for one when we do touristy things, either here or later when we travel.
At first, that had given me pause, because why would Jason and I be traveling together?
But now? After what’s happened between us? I get the feeling this was always on his agenda. Sure, he’d never push anything on me. Okay, well, notthatkind of thing. Just coat closet space.
But it’s clear he always envisioned ustogether. And not in any kind of short-term capacity. Or at least, he expects this to function every bit like a real marriage—living together, traveling together, sharing a life together—untilIdecide I’m ready to move on.
