Page 56 of Always a Roommate
I slid down to the floor at her side, not at all surprised by how okay she was sitting on a dirty floor outside. It was peaceful here. But in the quiet, I still only saw myself on my own, and suddenly the peace didn’t seem so appealing. “Have you ever lived by yourself, Mom?”
She nodded. “Once, for about a year before I married your father. The first few months were not a good time for me. Then, he was there all the time.”
“Why were the first months bad?”
She sighed. “Some people aren’t meant for a solitary life, Shane. I was one of them. There’s something about waking up and knowing you won’t eat breakfast before speaking to another soul. Or going to bed after spending the evening chatting and laughing.”
I rested one arm on my knee as I listened to the inspector and the real estate agent speak in low murmurs at the side of the house.
Mom reached out and put a hand on my shoulder. “You’ve always been the quiet one of the family, Shane. I don’t think it will bother you like it did me. Some people enjoy the peace.”
For the first time, I wondered how my family saw me. I knew I was a lot to take sometimes, a silent and imposing presence. But that didn’t mean I had nothing to say, just that I wasn’t quite sure how to say it.
“Shane, honey?”
“Yeah, Mom?” I realized I’d been staring at the pond too hard and turned to look at her.
“You don’t have to give me the specifics, but I’m worried about you. Can you at least tell me… is this about a woman?”
I considered her question, turning it over and over in my mind. Was it about Rae? Everything with her had come so suddenly, so intensely. We weren’t anything to each other more than… what had she called it? Fun? Yet, this morning, I still found myself lying in bed with a smile on my face, listening for any sign that she was awake.
And then, I’d made her breakfast, not something we did.
I never imagined I’d enjoy being her roommate, but that was all we were. And still, I thought of her. I wanted her.
“No, Mom.” I realized that was the truth. This morose feeling I couldn’t shake had nothing to do with Rae and everything to do with me. “It’s about me.”
She didn’t get a chance to respond because the inspector walked into the lanai, a frown tugging at his weathered face. He rested a hand on his round stomach and held a clipboard with the other.
I stood to meet him and helped my mom to her feet. “What’s the verdict? The house suitable?” This was the final hurdle.
The inspector chewed on a lip, and his eyes flicked to the clipboard. “Mr. Kelly, this house has sustained substantial hurricane damage.”
“What?” That couldn’t be right. “It looks fine.”
“It’s a problem with the roof. The whole thing needs to be replaced. Other than that, I found black mold in the attic.”
The roof could be fixed and probably paid for by insurance, but black mold… it could be in the vents, the pipes. Sure, it could be handled, but it would be a mess. “Thank you.” I stuck my hand out.
He shook it. “I’ll email you the final report with a list of other issues, and you can negotiate with the homeowner.”
I nodded as he walked away.
Above us, the sky groaned. It had been an ugly day already, and it seemed like it would only get worse.
“Come on.” My mom grabbed my arm. “Let’s get out of here before it starts to rain.”
I barely saw the house as we walked back through, and the real estate agent locked the door behind us.
The moment Mom and I climbed into my truck, the skies opened up.
23
RAE
It was midafternoon when I found myself sitting outside Gulf City High with a bag of cheeseburgers and fries and two milkshakes.
Students poured from the front doors, climbing into cars that were lined up in the pickup zone. These doors provided the logical route for Trevor to skateboard across town to pick up Cane, so I hoped it was the right spot.
