Page 7 of Ms Perfectly Fine
“I thought I locked it!”
“The keys are on the seat,” Autumn pointed out, and Nina frowned.
“I must have got distracted when I texted you.” She sighed. “Thank God it wasn’t stolen!”
Autumn felt theft wasn’t likely since the old Bug was more suited to the scrapyard, but she would never say that to Nina. The car was her friend’s pride and joy.
Nina took the keys from the seat. “Mystery solved. Now, back to your invader. This is amazing—you’re literally living my rom-com dream! I didn’t think this stuff actually happened in real life.”
“How is sharing a house with a complete stranger a dream for you?” Autumn demanded, brushing her hair away from her face as the wind picked up.
“If you read more romances, you would understand,” Nina told her, raising her eyebrows suggestively. “The sexual tension, the mystery…” She winked, and Autumn tried not to roll her eyes.
The only tension between us is frustration. She thought of him standing over her, the charged atmosphere…no, that had been irritation, not attraction.
“I love a romance as much as the next person, but waking up to drilling and a stranger in my home is not what I’d have in mind for Prince Charming’s arrival,” she said, placing the box of doughnuts in the back seat.
“You could use a good drilling,” Nina muttered, the engine rattling as she turned the key.
Autumn would have thrown a doughnut at her, but she wouldn’t waste such deliciousness. The last thing she wanted to do was talk about her dating life. “This isn’t a movie, this is my life! Right now, a stranger is moving into my house!”
“Fine, I’ll stick to serious questions. What does he do?” Nina asked, raising her defined black eyebrows. “Is he attractive? Single?”
Autumn groaned. “He does something with games. From the one conversation we’ve had, he’s arrogant, smug, he knows how much his smile is worth, and I don’t plan on falling for his bullshit charm.”
Nina smirked as they set off for the theatre. “So heischarming and attractive!”
“No, hetriedto charm me. I wasn’t going to let him get away with ordering movers into the house without telling me he was coming.”
Nina was clearly amused by the situation. “Okay, so he lacks manners. Maybe you got off on the wrong foot. I’m sure he was surprised to find a hostile redhead in his house.”
“I’m not hostile, and if I was, I was justified,” Autumn said, gripping her coffee so tightly the lid popped off.
Nina held her hands up in submission before quickly placing them back on the steering wheel. “Okay, yes. He handled it wrong. Does this non-charming guy have a name?”
“Elijah.” Autumn’s mind drifted to the white shirt that emphasised his broad shoulders.
“Did you get his last name? We should look him up. He might have socials we can stalk—might be able to find something to use against him,” Nina pointed out. Autumn appreciated her willingness to help.
“Wells, but no prying. The less I know about him, the better. He won’t be staying long if I have anything to say about it,” she said, looking out the drizzle-covered passenger window.
“Maybe him staying isn’t the worst thing. You need someone to shake up your life,” Nina said, eying her hesitantly.
“I like my life just how it is. I have my piano, I have you. What else could I need?” Autumn argued.
“There’s more to life than work.”
Autumn didn’t want to hear it. Her pain therapist told her the same thing, but she didn’t want to have another setback by adding more to her life. She was content, and that was enough.
“I’m fine. Happy, even. Please, let’s not have this conversation again.” This morning had been hard enough as it was.
Nina pursed her lips. “I’m sure he’ll be gone soon enough. Once you’ve set your mind on something, nothing can stop you,” she said as they pulled into the busy car park at the back of the theatre.
They headed in through the back entrance, moving through the dark passages until they reached a rush of voices and broken music as the others warmed up.
“You’re here! I was about to call,” Aimee said once they came through the red velvet side curtains. Aimee was the lead cellist, with a caffeine habit that rivalled everyone else’s.
“No need to send out a search party for your coffee. One Americano with extra shots,” Autumn said, handing her the tray with Aimee’s coffee. Autumn loved Aimee’s wigs, always changing from one day to the next; today, her pink hair was braided to perfection.
