Page 5 of The Grumpy Roommate Gamble

And now she was living in my house.

Right. I had to do something about that.

I also needed to do something about the persistent erection I’d woken with. Dragging myself into the bathroom, I indulged in a long shower, scrubbing every inch until I was sure I’d erased every last trace of sand. My damned dick still wasn’t wilting. It wanted release. But it felt wrong to do anything about it with her in the house. Disrespectful somehow. So I switched the tap to cold and stood under the frigid spray, which was its own luxury in a way.

When I climbed out, I wiped the lingering steam from the mirror and studied my face. Several days’ growth of beard darkened my cheeks. I started to reach for my razor, then stopped. I no longer had to shave for regulations. Maybe I’d grow my beard back. It’d be nice to have some insulation for my face as we headed into winter.

Toweling off, I pulled on some gray sweatpants and a T-shirt. They smelled weirdly stale from having been in my dresser drawers all this time, but they were comfortable. Deciding that was good enough for a start, I headed downstairs.

In the broad light of morning, I spotted even more plants than I’d noticed last night, along with other small signs that Felicity had made herself at home here. Colorful pot holders hung on little sticky hooks beside the stove. Equally colorful dishtowels were draped over the handle to the oven. An electric kettle sat beside the coffeemaker, along with canisters of tea.

Despite the tea, I could smell coffee. I sent up a silent prayer of gratitude when I found plenty still in the pot,because it smelled like heaven. I pulled down a mug and filled it, lifting the cup to inhale the rich, dark aroma of real coffee that hadn’t come from instant. That first sip tasted even better. I wondered if it was because I’d been drinking the swill the Army provided for a year or if it was because someone else had made it.

Turning, I spotted a familiar white box with 1980s action movie font in bold red declaringPIE HARD. I lifted the lid to find two massive, glossy cinnamon rolls that would’ve looked right at home on either side of Princess Leia’s head. My mouth began to salivate. Were these up for grabs?

“Your grandmother said they were your favorite.”

I jerked my gaze up to find Felicity hovering in the doorway, looking uncertain.

She offered a hopeful smile. “Consider them a welcome home present?” The fact that she said it like a question made it very clear she was nervous around me. Under the current strange circumstances, I couldn’t blame her.

“Thanks.” The word was barely more than a grunt, but one sip of coffee and eight hours of sleep wasn’t nearly enough to kick my brain fully into gear yet.

“I’ve already called Dorothy. She’s on her way over, but unfortunately I can’t stay. I have to get to the shop to open.”

The shop would be Bloomsday. Because she was the local florist. That explained why my house looked like a miniature botanical garden. I could only blame the prolonged lack of sleep for why that hadn’t occurred to me sooner.

“Okay. Well, I’ll talk to her about this whole situation and let you know.”

She bit her lip.

Damn, I wished she wouldn’t do that, because it made me want to take a bite out of that lush curve myself. But I was conscious enough to register she was really worried about thiswhole situation. Was there more to the story than she’d told me last night?

“Right. Sure.” She forced a smile. “Well, you know where to find me.”

“I do.”

We stared at each other.

The kitchen door swung open, and my grandmother bustled in. Approximately five foot nothing, with a riot of white curls and a penchant for velour track suits in primary colors, Dorothy Bishop was a force of nature. At least that’s how she’d always seemed to me. She’d had to be to take on my punk ass after my parents died. But she didn’t look larger than life now. In fact, she looked extra frail as she shuffled across the room in her orthopedic shoes and patted Felicity on the arm. “It’s all gonna be okay.”

Nana looked thinner and somehow more fragile. For the first time in ever, she looked… old to me. Worry set up like concrete in my gut. Was she sick? Was there other stuff she hadn’t told me about?

Felicity offered a blinding smile and hugged her. “I’m sure it will be. I’ve gotta get going. Y’all enjoy those cinnamon rolls.”

Then she was gone, and I was alone with my grandmother.

Nana narrowed the blue eyes that were still sharp in my direction. “Well, what do you have to say for yourself?”

This was not how I’d imagined our reunion going.

“It’s good to see you, too. About what?”

“About the fact that you didn’t bother to tell me you were coming home!”

I folded my arms and leaned back against the counter. “Why? So you could hide the evidence and move Felicity out of my house?”

There it was. The Look. The one that had snapped my spine straighter and prompted more automatic respect than theshouting of any drill sergeant I’d ever had. “Don’t you sass me, Gabriel Edwin Bishop.”

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