Page 125 of A Bossy Roommate

She slides off my lap, and I hurry up to shower and change. By the time I’m done, she’s packed up the rest of the smoothie to take with her to work.

While we drive,Eden calls her sister. Last night, we had not only discussed calling Auntie to “fess up,” but also discussed the matter of calling Diane to inform her that Eden won’t be returning to Maine. Eden’s worried she’ll be mad, especially since she hadn’t spilled the beans about our relationship. Eden has insisted she’ll handle the conversation solo, but observed that starting with an invitation to the wedding—just like I had with Auntie—is a great strategy. At one point, Eden puts the phone on speaker for me to eavesdrop.

“…and that’s why I decided I’m not coming back to Maine. I probably wouldn’t have even if the six months were up, to be honest,” she tells her sister. “I love it here. I’m thriving here.”

“Wait, what? Did you just say that you’re getting married to Mr. Bancroft?TheMr. Carter Bancroft? Your boss, as in the man who’s helping me turn our family business around?” Her sister’s voice comes over the speaker, while incessant ringing of phones persists in the background.

“Yeah…the very same.”

“Good for you. Congratulations! With a man like Mr. Bancroft, I would have moved to New York within a day. No questions asked. Ofcourseyou’re not coming back. You’d be crazy to. I’m itching to know the whole story, and how and when he proposed, but now’s not a good time. The phones won’t stop ringing. Before I go, let me tell you, I’m so proud of you!”

“Wait, what—you are?”

“Even now, everything you’ve done in such a brief period of time, picking up after such a devastating setback, moving to awhole other state, and opening your heart again takes more guts than I’ve ever had. Eden, I’ve always been proud of you.”

“You told me I’m always running away from my problems.”

“Well, weren’t you?”

“Not really. Okay, I was! But that’s not the point. The point is?—”

“I’ll do better,” Diane interrupts her. “I’m with you, sis. I know I’ve been hard on you in the past… It’s not because I don’t think you can make your own decisions, it’s because I love you and I want the best for you. I always have.” Her sister falls silent. “I apologize if I didn’t express that clearly enough, but I firmly believe that you deserve nothing but the best.”

Eden takes a deep breath, and I notice the tension in her body starting to fade.

There’s more background noise.

“Thanks to Mr. Bancroft’s help, our business is flourishing. It’s thriving! Seriously, he’s agenius. All the articles about him? Absolutely true. I can’t even be upset at you for not telling me earlier that you two are a thing!”

Proudly smiling eyes meet mine, and then she refocuses on the call. “I’m sorry about that.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Gotta go. Love you, sis. I’ll see y’all at the wedding! Say hi to the lucky groom!”

“Well,” I turn to her after she ends the call, “that went better than expected, didn’t it?”

“It sure did.” Eden squeezes my hand and looks out of the window, a radiant smile adorning her face, illuminating the world. Her hum fills the air with a lovely melody.

It’sstrange taking the route that had been part of my mornings up until a few days ago. Especially with Eden by my side. It makes me think of those last few days when we were workinglike mad to fix all the problems. I miss working with her. She was a good assistant, and I know she’s going to do wonderful things, not only at Legacy but wherever her career takes her in the future, namely—Bancroft Consulting.

Right before we enter the building, I slide my hand back into hers. She beams at me and squeezes it, the significance of the act not lost. Hand in hand, we walk through the lobby, greeting a new receptionist as we go. She gives us a warm smile and greeting.

The office is already buzzing when we step off the elevator. No doubt, everyone has heard about the upcoming board meeting and is busy swapping rumors and gossip. Truth is, that’s one thing I definitely won’t miss about working in that office. Heads turn to watch as we walk by, and I can hear the murmuring. It dawns on me that Eden has likely been dealing with that bullshit since I left. How she hasn’t snapped at someone is a testament to how strong and positive my woman truly is.

We ignore them, our hands still firmly clasped together as we walk to her office.

My old office.

Bradley is already there, waiting for us, typing away on his tablet as he fires off his morning texts. When he sees me, his face splits into a grin. He gets up and pats me on the back. “Good to see you, man,” he says. “Are you ready for this?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Do you need me to prepare anything for the meeting?” Eden asks him, putting her stuff down at her desk.

“Not this time,” Bradley says. “It’s just us and the board. You should be good to go about your normal duties, though you should connect with Gretchen. She has some…updates…you might be interested in.”

Eden smiles, her eyes briefly darting to mine. “Thank you.”

“Great.” Bradley turns to me. “Let’s do this, bro.”

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