Page 26 of The Grumpy Roommate Gamble

I wasn’t at all sure I could eat, but it would keep her occupied. “Sure. That sounds great.” I tried to force a smile and failed miserably.

Austen squeezed me tight. “I’ll get ice cream, too.”

That had tears welling again. “Thanks. You’re a good friend.”

“Damned straight. See you in a bit.”

When she was gone, I headed back into the house and began carting out my plant babies. The used minivan I’d purchased for deliveries for the shop was already full of boxes. But I’d packed it in such a way as to create little nooks for the pots. I was just securing the last of them when Gabe’s truck pulled into the driveway.

Did he have some kind of radar for when I was finally out of his house?

He slid out of the truck, hesitating as he saw me with the plants. Something that might’ve been regret passed over his face. For just a moment, I wondered if the reality of seeing this would make what he’d asked of me finally sink in. If he’d realize he’d made a mistake and ask me to stay.

Instead, he pocketed his keys. “I’ll help you with the last of it.”

God, I couldn’t endure that. There were still a handful of boxes in the house that I’d intended to save for another trip. I’dsend Austen by to get them later. She could give him his keys, too.

“You really don’t have to. You’ve done enough.” I didn’t even know what I meant by that. Whether I was talking about the good or the bad.

Just the sight of him had my heart cracking into pieces all over again. But I was determined to get through this without crying in front of him. Swallowing hard, I lifted my chin. “Thank you for giving me a place to stay. And for fixing my house. And thank you for giving me back a piece of my father.”

My throat went thick, and I had to take a few moments to get myself under control again. “And thank you for giving me resolution to my lifelong crush. It didn’t end how I was hoping, but I enjoyed our time together, nonetheless. I don’t regret anything.”

Painful though this whole thing was, I found that part was absolutely true.

“I hope you find what you’re looking for, Gabe.”

Turning my back on him, I slid into the driver’s seat of the van and quietly shut the door I really wanted to slam. No reason to subject my plants to the heartbreak and rage I really wanted to let fly.

Keeping a few miles under the speed limit, I drove back to the house I’d been avoiding like the plague for months. Using the keys he’d left on the kitchen counter at his house, I let myself inside. Austen wasn’t here yet, and I took the time to walk through. I’d only absorbed a little of what he’d done the last time I’d been here because my focus had been entirely on him.

At some point, he’d gotten rid of the furniture that had been ruined by the flood. We hadn’t talked about it, but I appreciated that. The sofa was probably full of mold, and the warped bookcases had simply broken my heart every time I saw them. I’d need to get more furniture at some point. Money was tight rightnow, so I’d make do with what I had until I found something second-hand that would work.

Moving through the house, I saw that everything looked new. There were no signs of the flood that had devastated my life. And in the living room, against the freshly sheet-rocked wall that was still painted only primer white, was a new bookcase. I could tell at a glance it was Gabe’s work, not something that had been purchased and assembled. Even in breaking my heart and kicking me out, he’d given me a parting gift. Because that was the kind of man he was.

Sinking to the floor beside it in the empty house I’d once called home, I finally gave in and let the tears come.

SEVENTEEN

GABE

I stood in the driveway long after Felicity left, staring at where her van had disappeared. All I’d ever wanted to do was make things better for her, the way she’d made things better for me. Instead, I’d bruised that petal-soft heart. She’d been on the verge of tears, and I felt like something that ought to be scraped off the bottom of a shoe. But I’d done what needed doing. By her own admission, I’d cured her of that years-long crush. She wouldn’t be coming back.

The idea of that made me want to howl and destroy things. But this was for the best. She’d be safer without me. And eventually, she’d find someone better. Someone who deserved her. That was never going to be me.

It took me far longer than it should to make myself go into the house. The moment I stepped inside, it felt wrong. My footsteps echoed in a way they never had before, highlighting the emptiness. All signs of Felicity had been erased. All her plants were gone. The pillows and blankets that had softened the living room had disappeared. The kitchen counter was empty of the tea canisters and her electric kettle, the drawers devoid ofthe cloth napkins and candles. Every single thing that had made this house into a home was gone.

A few more boxes were left in her room. Had she run out of space in the van, or had she just been in that big a hurry to get away from me? I could load them up. Carry them over to her place. Leave them on the porch or in the garage, if she didn’t want to see me again. Then she wouldn’t have to come back over here. She’d be truly out of my life.

Because that thought made me feel even worse, I left the boxes where they were and wandered back to the kitchen to snag a beer from the fridge. Unable to take the empty house, I went out onto the back deck and dropped into a chair to brood.

The little bistro table and iron chandelier still made a picture beneath the big oak tree. Of course, that just reminded me of our attempt at an outdoor dinner and dancing with her in the rain. My fingers itched with the remembered feel of her wet clothes clinging to the lavish flare of her hips. I’d never forget the press of her body against mine as I’d kissed her for the first time, losing my mind and getting absolutely drunk on the taste of her. As if I had a right. As if we could have anything more than the temporary.

Felicity Harmon wasn’t a temporary kind of girl. She was a forever girl. She just couldn’t bemyforever girl. Letting her go was going to scar me in ways I hadn’t been prepared for. But what was one more demon to add to the collection?

My brood had slipped into a steady tailspin downward by the time I heard someone moving through the house. The traitorous heart in my chest perked up like a hopeful dog, urging me to my feet to rush back inside, in case Felicity had changed her mind. But I forced myself to stay put. No matter what I wanted, I was going to do what was best for her. That wasn’t me.

When the backdoor opened, I curled my fingers around the arm of the chair to hold myself in place and didn’tlet myself look. I needed to appear cold and disinterested, no matter how much it killed me.

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