Page 40 of Always a Roommate
I knew the feeling. After everything we’d been through, the fear, being alone was preferable to having my family cluck over us.
Yet, I couldn’t stop myself from going to find her. Then, she was there, with tears running down her face, looking more vulnerable than I’d ever seen her. And Rae was not vulnerable. She was strong and capable.
But a hurricane can strip even that away.
By the time I kissed her, I’d completely lost my mind. It had seemed like the only thing to do at the time.
And now, I missed our bickering.
School was closed for a few days, but I couldn’t stay at the house I shared with Rae all day, not when she was working from home.
I hadn’t made coffee since the hurricane, picking it up at Mariana’s bakery instead. Just the thought of making Rae smell it after everything she’d told me made me sick.
This time, as I walked into Momma Loves Sugar, I found Tanner hunched over a notebook as he scanned a page. I waved to Mariana behind the counter.
“The usual, Shane?” she called.
“Yes, thank you.” I sat across from my brother and tried to get a look at the list he had in front of him. “What are you doing?”
Tanner jerked his head up like he hadn’t noticed me sitting down. “Oh, just… this is everything that was ruined. I need it for insurance.”
“Are they going to cover it all?”
He shrugged. “Who knows? I’m hoping they at least cover the major repairs, and then I can figure out the rest.”
I looked at my brother, really looked at him, noticing the bags under his eyes, the way his hair looked like he’d been tugging on it. I hated this for him. “Have you slept at all the last few days?”
A sigh rushed past his lips. “A little.”
Mariana set a mug of coffee in front of me and a scone in front of Tanner. “You need to eat something.” She looked down at him with concern.
His eyes met hers, and I detected something between them I hadn’t noticed before. Mariana and her son had practically become part of the extended family when her brother, Knox, and Finley got together. Was this what Grams meant when she said Tanner was spoken for?
Their connection snapped as Tanner looked back at the list. “Thanks, Mar, but I’m okay.”
She pursed her lips like she didn’t believe him. “You won’t save your business by starving yourself.” Turning on her heel, she marched back to the counter.
He shook off her comment and regarded me. “What are you doing here this early anyway? I figured you’d use your time off to sleep in.”
I lifted my mug in answer.
Understanding dawned in his eyes. “That surprises me.”
“What? You heard what Rae said. The smell of coffee—”
“I know what she said. I’m just surprised you’d go out of your way at the crack of dawn to make her happy.”
“Am I really that big of a jerk?”
“No,” he said quickly. “Shane, you’re the furthest person from a jerk, but…”
“But what?”
“Sometimes, I’m not sure you believe that.”
I grunted. “So, I left the house for coffee. It doesn’t mean anything.” And I’d kissed her. Did that mean anything?
Tanner refocused on his list. “If you’re free today, I could use some help clearing out some of the damaged stuff.”
