Page 85 of North

I blow out a breath. “I don’t think so.” I glance back at Penn, disappearing from view. “I just think he’s haunted.”

CHAPTER 28

North

The house isquiet and it’s irritating me. I’m stretched out on the couch staring at a crack near where the wall meets the crown molding. The remote rests limply in my hand. The TV flickers with the muted chaos of some action movie I don’t care enough to follow. I’ve been flipping through channels for the last hour, restless and bored, trying to drown out the ache.

I shouldn’t be thinking about her. It’s been five days since Farren walked away from me, and there’s been nothing. Not a text, not a call. Nothing.

That asshole Rafferty had given me hope before I boarded the plane to Detroit. He’d said Farren was figuring things out, that she wasn’t done with me. And like an idiot, I believed him.

But again… nothing.

By day three, I’d given up on it. She would have reached out if she wanted to talk and I refuse to ask Rafferty anymore about it. I’ve spent the last few days mourning not what was lost, but what could’ve been.The what-ifs are always the hardest, especially when I know I was ready to give her everything.

The road trip didn’t help. I threw myself into the games, just like Penn. Whatever demons he’s dealing with, he exorcises them on the ice, and damn if it didn’t work for him. He somehow managed to get out of his head and was virtually unstoppable, racking up points like he didn’t have a care in the world. I played well too, but every time the adrenaline faded, the hollow ache came back.

Now I’m here, stuck in this house that suddenly feels too big, too empty. The silence is suffocating and I can’t sit here anymore. Maybe I’ll go for a run. The sidewalks are clear after a few days of warmer weather. Anything to get out of my own head.

Just as I’m about to get up, the doorbell rings.

For a split second, hope flares.

Farren.

It has to be her.

Who else would show up unannounced?

I roll off the couch, tossing the remote on the cushion and stride to the door. My heart hammers as I press my eye to the peephole.

Rafferty’s face stares back at me.

Disappointment punches through my chest, leaving me deflated. Of course, it’s not her. I open the door, my expression no doubt as sour as I feel. “What are youdoing here?”

He doesn’t answer but gives me a shit-eating grin before stepping to the side. With a dramatic sweep of his arm down the porch steps, my gaze follows and lands on Farren.

She’s standing on the sidewalk, her luggage piled beside her. She looks tentative, her hands fidgeting with the strap of her bag. A small, unsure smile plays on her lips, and it’s the most beautiful damn thing I’ve ever seen.

“I kicked her out of my condo,” Rafferty says casually, like this is the most normal thing in the world. “She has nowhere to go, so she’s your problem now.”

Before I can process what’s happening, he jogs down the steps toward his car parked at the curb. “You’re welcome,” he calls over his shoulder before climbing in and driving off.

I stand there, dumbfounded, staring at Farren. She meets my gaze, her smile faltering slightly under my silence.

“Is the offer to move in still open?” she asks.

I swallow hard, my heart pounding. “As just roommates? Or as more?”

She hesitates, her eyes searching mine. “I don’t know,” she admits, her voice trembling. “But I need to tell you why I freaked out last Friday.”

The weight of her words hits me, and I nod, steppingaside. “Come in.”

I help her with her luggage, bringing it inside as she slips off her coat and shoes. The tension makes my skin crawl as we settle onto the couch in the living room. She looks nervous, her hands twisting in her lap, and I ache to pull her into my arms but I’m afraid to move.

“You don’t have to tell me if you’re not ready,” I offer, though the curiosity and worry are eating me alive.

“No,” she says quickly, shaking her head. “I need to. I should’ve told you a long time ago.”

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