Page 210 of Tormented Billionaire Romance Series

Maggie waited until I finished talking and then burst out, “Why the hell did you offer to do that for her?”

“She was upset…”

“Oh, Megyn. You are way too nice. This girl has been nothing but a pain to you and you’re worried about her feelings.”

“Yes,” I admitted. “I also thought about if maybe she might tell someone about the work I’d done. Maybe I’d get more people interested in my work. I know that probably won’t happen. But it feels so good to be working on something. Finally. I don’t really regret it. And Suzie isn’t a total bitch. She’s almost tolerable sometimes. I just think she has, like, Little Dog Syndrome.”

“You know what that means, don’t you?” Maggie asked.

“Huh?”

“That makes you the big dog.”

I groaned. “No way.”

“It absolutely does.”

“Maggie, no!”

Maggie glanced at me and said, calmly, “Woof.”

I shrieked and picked up a pillow, lobbing it at her.

Maggie deflected the pillow with a slap of her hand, sending it launching across the room, reminding me that she used to play volleyball in high school and was pretty good at it. I turned my head to watch the pillow’s flight. It hit the floor with a resounding thump.

From somewhere else in the house, Deacon let out an inquiring murmur, though he didn’t follow up on it. Presumably, he was too busy tinkering with this or that to bother with an odd sound coming from the direction of his sister’s bedroom.

I turned back to Maggie. “If you slapped Suzie like that, her whole head would fly off.”

She smiled, pleased with herself.

I touched her deadly slapping hand. “I’m really grateful to have you as my friend.”

“Glad to be of service.”

“I’ve been thinking of something.”

Maggie said, “That was a terrible segue.”

I ignored her, since I knew sometimes the best choice was to not give her any further ammunition to work with. “I want to find a small apartment.”

“I think that would be a great idea. It’d be way easier to manage, financially. But what about the house?”

My heart ached, knowing what I was about to say. “I think I should try getting rid of it. The house. Selling it.”

Maggie stared at me. She slid closer across the bed and picked up my hand, holding it in hers. “That house means a whole lot to you, Megyn. All the memories. You’ve talked before about why you can’t get rid of it. What’s made you change your mind?”

I swallowed hard, staring at her hand wrapped over mine. “I don’t know.” I swallowed again, my throat suddenly dry. I did have reasons, but those reasons suddenly seemed fragile and pale in the light of day, less convincing than they had been while I lay in my bedroom trying to fall asleep. “Like, they’re memories. In the past. I’ve held onto the house so long because I don’t want to give up on the past. But maybe…”

I stopped talking, my throat too tight to force out more words. Maggie sat with me in silence, watching me.

I licked my lips, pushed the pain down. “Maybe it’s because I’ve been so invested in the past that I can’t move forward. Being unable to give up on the house means I can’t save up money. I can’t do anything, accomplish any of my dreams.” A pang of pain went right through my heart. I struggled to finish. “The people who made those memories aren’t there anymore. The house is… just a relic. It can’t do anything for me.”

Maggie slid even closer to me, pressing her side to mine, letting me lean on her firm, taller frame. She wrapped her arm around my back. “I know why you’re feeling this way.”

“Why?”I haven’t even been able to figure it out myself.

She rubbed my back. “It’s Carter, of course. Spending time with him is making you want to look to the future. You’re not a burden, Megyn, but that house is and you’re finally seeing it. You’ve been dragging that house with you all this time, like a woman with a suitcase full of boulders and maybe a few diamonds. Just take the diamonds with you. Leave the rest behind.”

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