“Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot to add the cream.” Miles leans toward me and pours a generous glug of creamer into the cup.
You can always judge a person by the amount of creamer they add—and he’s generous with his pouring. I’m feeling immediately better about this living situation.
“Why don’t I give you a tour of the house? There are two bedrooms to choose from. And if you end up wanting to buy your own furniture and move it in, we can, and I’ll move out the oldfurniture and put it in the garage or somewhere else. Just let me know what you want.”
This is the moment of truth. The part where I tell him I can’t afford new furniture yet. That wonderful, awkward money conversation. But I shouldn’t feel weird about it.
Before I can open my big mouth, he says, “Or you’re welcome to use whatever’s in there. It’s completely decked out, and it would save me the hassle of making space in the garage.”
He’s just offered the use of the furniture in the rooms. This is a game changer.
While I do have a paycheck coming regularly, the majority of that paycheck is going to end up going to my ginormous student loan. College is not for the faint of heart or shallow of pocket. Sometimes, I think I’m both of those.
“The furniture will be just fine. Honestly, it helps me out a lot to not have to move around a lot of furniture.”Yeah, good wording, Lucy. Sounds less desperate.
“No, I totally get that, your sister said you’re moving from Colorado. So, if you don’t have to worry about furniture, that’s great.” He picks up his coffee mug that saysStud Muffinon it and takes it with him as he starts down the hall. “Come on, roomie! We’ll get you settled in.”
I guess that makes it official. I’m moving in with my potentially commando roommate, Miles Granger.
All I feel is utter relief.
FOUR
Miles
I was so mad when Margaret first approached me about having a roommate.
That woman had pretty much threatened my life if I didn’t offer a rooming situation to Lucy. So I did it.
Begrudgingly.
I’ve been dreading having someone to live with. Someone in my space. Watching my every move…no chance to relax. And after I saw how competitive she was when we were playing football, I wondered if that was the intensity she brought to every area of her life. But Lucy is sweet and funny, a bit unorganized, and completely unbothered by me.
I couldn’t have picked a better roommate myself.
Maybe Margaret actually knew what she was doing.
Lucy has been here for five days now, and even though we’ve hardly interacted besides a quick, “Hello. How are you?” it’s nice to feel like the house is lived in. Lucy radiates happiness, which I didn’t know you could pick up on in such brief interactions.
When I was growing up, my family practically had a revolving door. If we weren’t having friends over, my mom would host dinners, and there was always some sort of activity going on in our home. My parents were very social, so it feltnormal to be around people constantly. Now, as an adult, I have the odd conundrum of being an introvert but also needing to be around people to feel some sort of normalcy. I’ve been rolling around this house by myself ever since I moved here, so it just feels right to have someone else living here.
Lucy is quiet, but even the soft clinking of dishes or her footsteps walking up and down the hall make this place a lot more enjoyable. Not to mention, she’s incredibly low-maintenance.
It’s perfect.
Since Kingston and I are working on our recent purchase of the Legacy building, which has a mix of commercial and residential spaces, I’m spending more and more time here in Green Valley. Before the whole Legacy building thing, I happily traveled the two hours between Green Valley and Sisters, Oregon, where my family lives. I told Lucy I wouldn’t be here much, but that might’ve been an exaggeration, because after my phone call with Kingston yesterday, I think I’ll be busy with our projects here in town for the next couple of months.
I skipped my run today, thanks to stepping wrong while climbing out of my car—I didn’t know something like that was even possible until I hit my late twenties—now that I’m going to be thirty-one next year, I wonder if this is my future?
But timing-wise, it means Lucy and I are in the house at the same time, getting ready for work. I hear her leave her room and close her door loudly. She probably doesn’t know I’m still in the house.
Opening my bedroom door, I step into the hallway.
“I’m so glad he’s doing okay. I miss him a lot.” Lucy’s voice carries to me, and I can hear her sad tone.
I stop walking down the hall and pause to eavesdrop.Miss him?
I stare at the huge family picture hanging in my hall. Mom and Dad, me, my sisters—Ainsley and Karis—along with Karis’s longtime boyfriend. I never thought to ask if Lucy had a boyfriend.
