Page 29 of Ms Perfectly Fine
His mum glanced up from her stew, waiting for him to continue.
“It’s about a woman,” he hedged, afraid to tell her the full situation.
“How exciting! When can I meet her?” his mum said, getting the wrong idea.
“Ha. Don’t start planning the wedding. We barely know each other. I, um, rented out her house.”
“With her still living in it?” His mum dropped her fork in her stew.
“A friend offered it to me, so I took it. She…might not have agreed,” he explained, “but I didn’t know she hadn’t agreed until after I moved in.” He didn’t want to have to tell her about Tim’s investment. She would warn him against taking anything from his father, and though she was right about his attaching strings, Elijah needed the investment more than his pride.
“Have you apologised? I’m sure she was upset.”
“Not exactly.” He was starting to feel he was wrong to have accepted the offer in the first place, and yet he didn’t want to leave. He just wasn’t sure if he didn’t want to leave the house or leaveher.No woman had ever affected him this way; he wasn’t sure how to handle it.
“You should have. You might have rented the place, but it was her home. What if the same happened to you?” his mum said, pouring herself a glass of wine without offering him one. He suddenly felt like he was being scolded.
“I don’t want her to hate me. I want us to get along. I don’t want to spend the next few weeks fighting,” he confessed. He wasn’t proud of his behaviour so far, and he wanted to make both their lives easier. He swore to himself that he would try and do better. He just didn’t know where to start.
“I would go with a gesture, a peace offering.”
“A peace offering. I can do that. But I don’t know what would be appropriate in this situation,” he grumbled. “What if I make it worse?”
“I don’t think you could make it worse. She was living her life and now she has to adjust to a stranger! Even a simple gesture would go a long way.”
She might be right. Tim had mentioned Autumn wasn’t all that sociable.Perhaps the idea of living with someone caused her more anxiety than I realised.
“She likes music and plays the piano,” Elijah said, not wanting to give her name.I don’t want her to be my enemy, but I don’t want her to be my friend either. I want her. All of her.The thought surprised him.
“What type? You could take her to a concert?”
“Classical, and I don’t think a concert would win her over considering that she’s a performer.”
“A performer? I’m intrigued. An accomplished woman who makes you nervous. I want to meet her all the more,” his mother said, finishing her dinner.
He rolled his eyes. “Not helping,” he grumbled.
“I don’t know what to tell you. I suggest you find a way to make up for the misunderstanding,” she said, as if it were the easiest thing in the world.
“I’ll figure something out,” he said, wishing he could drive home.If I’m not going to leave and neither is she, then I’m going to have to figure out a way to make her see that I’m not a complete arsehole.
“I have every faith in you. Matters of the heart are always complicated,” she said while he put their empty bowls in the sink.
Before he could argue that his heart had nothing to do with it, his phone rang. He checked the caller ID. Autumn.
“Speak of the devil,” he said, but when he answered, crying came from the other end. “Autumn? Is everything okay?”
All he could hear was crying on the other end. Thoughts raced through his mind. Why would she callhimif she was upset? Maybe something had happened to the house.
“Autumn? Are you okay?” He moved away from the sink to grab his jacket. She still didn’t say anything. All he heard were muffled sobs.
“Answer me! Are you safe?” he asked desperately, but before there was any response, it sounded like the phone was dropped. The line went dead. Elijah’s chest tightened. He was still over an hour from home.
“Is everything okay? You’ve gone awfully pale,” his mum exclaimed, leaning against the sink.
“No. I think something happened back home,” he said, trying to call Autumn back. It still rang out. “I have to go. Can you put Brinkley and her stuff in the car while I try to call my…” He hesitated.What do I call her—my friend? Feels wrong. Acquaintance feels worse. Maybe just ‘housemate?’ It doesn’t matter!
“Of course—don’t worry,” she reassured him, leaving him to make his calls.
