Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 100202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
“Ooh, Calliope is a good name,” Maria said between bites.
“According to Sutton, she prefers Callie,” I corrected her. “So we’re…roommates. It’s a duplex with shared living space, but we each have our own rooms upstairs. We’re just sharing the common area.”
“You could have bunked with us,” Theo offered, his brow furrowing in concern.
“But he didn’t.” Jeanine inspected me. “In all the years I’ve known you, Weston Madigan, you’ve never once lived with a woman. Hell, I don’t know if you’ve ever let one stay longer than a weekend, and now you’re shacked up with one.”
“Roommates,” I clarified, eyeing my burger with more than a little interest. “And besides, you guys bought a three-bedroom house. That’s one for you two.” I held up two fingers. “And one room for Max, and the other for Selene.” I added two more. “I wasn’t about to bust into your new house and be a massive inconvenience. Not when I was the one who dragged you all out here in the first place.” I turned to Maria before she could argue too. “And that apartment you guys rented is one bedroom. Don’t even start with me.”
She took another bite and shrugged.
“Why wouldn’t you just tell us?” Jeanine asked.
“Excellent point.” Theo nodded.
“Not helping, man.” I shot him a look.
“I am always Team Jeanine,” he responded with a shit-eating grin.
“So why wouldn’t you tell us?” Jeanine repeated.
“Because I knew you would all do this.” I gestured around the room. “And make some big deal out of it.”
“It is a big deal,” Jeanine argued. “Theo told me he was the only one who could tolerate bunking with you during deployments because you’re such an uptight asshole who loses his mind when someone’s towel is hung on the wrong peg.”
“Honey.” Theo let out a dramatic sigh, his head falling back against the glass window that separated this office from the classroom. “That is privileged marital information you’re sharing.” He grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. “She’s not wrong though. I’ve lived with you and you’re not exactly the…easiest.”
“I’m not that bad,” I argued. “Fine, I like everything in its place, guilty. I’m a fan of structure, true. But there are way worse ways to be. I could be a huge slob who expects Calliope to pick up after me.”
Maria snorted, covering her laugh with the back of her hand.
“Hey, you’re just as particular about your tools.”
“At work,” Maria agreed.
“So there’s nothing going on with you and Sutton’s mom?” Jeanine asked, a definite sparkle in her eyes. “The girl is a pretty little thing, so I’m betting the mom is a stunner.”
“She’s…” Beautiful. Gorgeous. Hot as hell when she laughed. “Pretty.”
Jeanine smiled like a cat who had spotted her mouse. “Uh huh.” She’d been trying to set me up for years, but nothing ever worked out.
“We’re just roommates.” I put my hand on my chest. “Scout’s honor. Now can I please devour this cheeseburger?” I brought the burger up, but Jeanine was faster, snatching my lunch.
“Sure, once you agree to bring her over for dinner.” She grinned, the edges of her brown eyes crinkling.
I swung my head toward Theo. “A little help here?”
He flat-out laughed at me. “Oh man, if you’re living with someone we’ve never met, I’m on her side. Good luck with that.”
I stared at Jeanine.
She stared right back.
Finally, my stomach got the best of me. “Fine, I’ll ask her if she’s free next month.”
Jeanine held my burger out of reach. “Next week.”
“Okay. Next week.”
“Excellent.” She nodded and smiled, handing me back my burger and then starting in on her own.
“But no trying to set us up or anything. That house is awkward enough as is.” I bit into the burger and sighed with happiness.
“I make no promises.” Jeanine’s smile reminded me of the Cheshire cat.
“Awesome.”
Two nights later, I awoke from a dead sleep, my heart pounding. Adrenaline coursed through my veins and my palms ached. I sat up and flicked on the nightstand light. There were half-moons in my skin from clenching my fists too tight.
I took one breath, filling my lungs with clean mountain air to dispel the memory of dust and metal, then another, running my fingers over my hair. At least I wasn’t soaked in sweat. It had been a good year since I’d had a nightmare that had gone that far, but I also knew I wouldn’t be sleeping for a hot minute.
The clock read a little past one a.m. as I swung my feet over the side of the bed. I yanked a pair of plaid pajama pants on over my boxer briefs and shook off the anxiety that did its best to grip my throat as I walked out of my bedroom and opened the door to downstairs.
Light shone from the kitchen, and I put my back toward the wall as I crept down the staircase quietly, leaning forward incrementally until I finally saw Callie sitting on the kitchen island, her legs kicking between the stools as she ate ice cream straight from the pint.