Page 24 of Make You Love Me
“Thank you, but you’re biased.”
“Maybe. I’m still right, though.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m excited for Nora to move in. When is she calling?”
Nora took a few friends to her mother’s storage unit and promised a video chat so Josie could pick out what she wants for the apartment.
She stops to check the time on her phone. “In about an hour,” she answers, pushing the chair into motion again.
“I’m glad you two are getting to know each other. Makes me happy.”
No response.
“She’s the one, you know?”
More silence. Odd. That statement would normally spark some kind of emotion from her.
Seeking an explanation for her lack of reaction, I shift in my seat to see her. Dark sunglasses cover much of her face, denying me the opportunity to read her. The sheer fact that she’s stoic shocks me. After a few seconds of me staring, her head tilts toward me, and her frown softly curls into a placating grin.
“I know.” She pats me on the shoulder.
Something about the way she says it makes me uneasy. Her voice inflections sound sad—not her usual irritation.
“I know you’ve never approved of our casual arrangement, but we’re committed to each other and that’s not changing.”
Unnerving silence follows that declaration all the way to the apartment.
“Do you have a problem with Nora and me?” I ask when she parks me in the living room.
“No.” It’s the answer I want to hear, but I’d appreciate it not coming with an exasperated sigh. “It’s just going to take me a while to fully trust her.”
“I get that. If you were dating, I’d have a hard time trusting them, too. Never trusted that Ryder guy.”
“Then I guess it’s a good thing we broke up. He’s enough to turn me off dating your species for a long, long time.” She taps her chin with her finger in mock deliberation. “Maybe Grant has the right idea.”
I snicker. “Any man or woman would be lucky to have you. But don’t judge my gender by that one bad seed. If I had anything to say about it, he’d be kicked out of the club.”
At that, an authentic smile brightens her eyes, only for them to dim again as she removes a few cans of vegetables from the cabinet. “Looks like you’ll have to load up on calories at dinner tonight. Gonna be a corn and carrots kind of lunch.”
“I have money saved, Josie. We can afford to buy groceries.”
“Not an option. You have plans to fix up Mom and Dad’s house and live happily ever after there with a family of your own someday. I’m not messing with your nest egg. You’ve worked too hard.”
“So have you, Josie. I—”
“If I can sell a few paintings at this show and finish the mural at VETS, we’ll be set for a while.”
“Josie.”
Ignoring me, she opens the two cans and dumps both into a pot. “I’ve got a few commissions in the works as well that will get us—”
“Josie!”
She drops the spoon she grabbed from the drawer into the pot and stares at me over the counter. “What?”
“You don’t have to shoulder all this alone. I’m the reason you’re here, remember? I’m the one who needs constant babysitting. I’m the reason your life is on hold. Let me help.”
