Page 9 of Tapped By My Roommate
RHETT
“This is the place?” I asked as I pulled up in front of a small brick duplex, its driveway overflowing with two sedans and a monster-sized pickup with massive wheels. “Does that thing belong to a neighbor, or…”
But as I spoke, a slender redhead stepped out onto the porch alongside a beefy guy in a ballcap, and I suspected I had my answer. Tess was cute, with a freckly face that looked friendly, but her expression was set in a scowl, hazel eyes narrowed as she watched us park.
“No, the neighbor’s a retiree.” Ethan groaned, wrapping his arms around his stomach. “She didn’t tell me some guy would be here.”
I watched him with concern. The poor guy looked as if he were about to be sick. “It must be difficult to see her with a new boyfriend. She could have warned you.”
Ethan shook his head. “It’s not that. I just don’t want any trouble.”
I squeezed his shoulder. “That’s why I’m here, right? Come on. Let’s get it over with.”
Ethan took a deep breath and followed my lead when I opened the car door. We’d taken my Honda, because even though it wasn’t large, it was bigger than Ethan’s Mini Cooper. He’d assured me he didn’t have any seriously big stuff, like furniture, to haul. Just belongings that should all fit in the trunk or backseat.
“Hey, Tess,” Ethan said as he approached the porch. “I’m here to get my things.”
She glared at him. “You didn’t say you’d be bringing some guy. I’m not sure I should let a stranger into my house.”
Ethan faltered a step. “He’s only here to help me, and you’ve got…” He gestured helplessly toward the guy looming beside her, his arms crossed over his chest. The better to make his biceps bulge, perhaps? He was a square-jawed jock type, not particularly handsome, but someone who hit the gym often enough he was imposing.
“This is my boyfriend, Dan. He’s going to make sure you don’t take anything you shouldn’t.”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Why should I take your word for it?”
“Because I’ve never lied.”
She snorted. “Maybe not with words, but you hid plenty from me when we first started dating. Otherwise, we’d have never moved in together.” She added, with venom, “I’m so glad we broke up. It was the best thing to ever happen to me.”
Ethan’s shoulders curled forward, an involuntary hunching to protect his heart, maybe? He’d warned me his ex was likely to be hostile, and he wasn’t kidding.
“I didn’t hide anything on purpose.”
“Well, you didn’t tell me you’d be obsessed with geeky little kid stuff either.”
“I wasn’tobsessed…”
Ethan tried to stand up for himself, but the longer this exchange went on, the more she beat him down. She was like a little pit bull, relentless in her attacks. Ethan was keeping his head, not caving and not taking the bait, but I couldn’t watch much more of it.
I stepped forward, thrusting my hand out. “I’m Rhett, Ethan’s roommate.”
She hesitated only a beat before shaking my hand.
“Now we’re not strangers.” I beamed my best tip-earning smile at her, then turned to the scowling boyfriend. “I bet you want us out of your hair. We’ll be in and out. Ethan doesn’t have that much stuff to collect.” I gestured over my shoulder. “We’ve got some boxes in the car ready to go.”
Tess exchanged a glance with Dan, who shrugged.
“Okay,” she said reluctantly. “But we’ll be watching what you take.” To Ethan she added, “I moved all your personal stuff out of our bedroom, so you can’t go in there.”
“Okay. Where is it now?”
“The shed out back.”
Ethan grimaced. “That thing is not even watertight.”
She shrugged. “Why should I care? You left it.”
