Page 43 of Unforgettable

“Well, can you process faster because you’re freaking me out?”

“I mean, to be completely honest, I’m not totally surprised. I picked up on something going on between the three of you the first time I met y’all and before you told me about the night at the lake. It was only a matter of time before it all came to a head,” she said and then chuckled at her obvious innuendo.

I groaned and swept my hair into a bun at the top of my head. “What the hell am I going to do, Hazel? This is just all sorts of screwed up, and now it’s going to be my fault when everything goes wrong.”

“Okay, I understand your concern, but look at it this way: you have some sort of feelings for both of them, right? You care about them?”

I nodded and then realized she couldn’t see me, so, in a quiet voice, I mumbled, “Yes.”

“Now, what would have been worse, taking them up on their somewhat strange offer and seeing where things go, or not doing it and possibly regretting it? Even if it doesn’t go great, at least you tried. Otherwise, you may have regretted never pursuing the option.”

Although I was nowhere near convinced that I hadn’t made a crucial error, she was kind of right. But would I eventually regret trying if it turned out as horribly as it could?

“But—” I began, preparing to announce my possible alternative regret when the doorbell interrupted me. “Shit, I think that’s the maintenance guy. I’ll call you back later.”

“Okay, let me know when the gift is delivered to the house,andbe prepared to tell me all about your date tonight.” She laughed.

“Wait,” I said before she had a chance to hang up. “Don’t tell Luke about this just yet, okay? I need to figure everything out first before we tell everyone else what’s going on.”

“Fine, fine. I will keep secrets from my husband, but only for you.”

“Thank you so much. Enjoy your honeymoon!”

I hung up the phone as I peered through the peephole. I composed myself and refrained from doing a happy dance when I opened the door for the maintenance guy. His usually shaggy blond hair was covered with a beanie, and he was wearing a bulky blue jacket over his usual worn black T-shirt.

“My favorite tenant.” CJ gave me a flirty wink and sauntered past me. “Got the part that we need, so it should only take a few minutes to fix.”

“Great. That sounds amazing,” I said, my voice higher pitched than usual from my excitement. No more sharing a bathroom, thank goodness. “Do you want something to drink?” I asked from the kitchen as the banging of tools began from down the hall.

“Nah, I’m good. Thanks,” he hollered from the bathroom as I continued picking up the living room and kitchen, trying to stay out of his way. I wasn’t the best at keeping my apartment tidy and with Adam around, it was even worse than usual. It was always clean—the dishes went in the sink, at least, and there wasn’t anything dirty lying around—but there were often clothes piled on the couch and my bed after I’d washed them and sometimes folded them. And I wasn’t the best at straightening the pillows on the couch.

I was picking up a throw blanket from the floor while simultaneously contemplating the last time I’d cleaned the blinds when I heard the thump of CJ’s work boots on the wood floor. He appeared from around the corner, and I smiled hopefully.

“Done?” I asked, and he nodded with his attention still on something down the hallway.

“Umm, yeah,” he said, distracted. “You get a roommate?”

“Yeah, my brother moved in with me for a little while.”

“So not a boyfriend. Good, I would’ve been heartbroken.” He smiled.

I quickly changed the subject. CJ was always a flirt, but it was harmless. “Yeah, so I’m glad you were able to fix the toilet. I was tired of sharing a bathroom with him.” I chuckled, and he glanced at the console table underneath the TV—which housed most of my extensive DVD collection—his eyes landing on a photo of Adam and me from a few Christmases before.

He picked it up and tapped the glass with a large finger. “This him? Looks just like you.”

“Yeah, that’s Adam,” I said with a half smile. A look passed over his face, one that I couldn’t easily identify and didn’t have the chance to, as it was replaced by a soft smile.

“Well, you’re good to go,” he said, replacing the photo on the console table and slinging his tool bag over his shoulder. He gave me a quick wave before he slipped through the door.

Immediately, I straightened the photo and smiled. Adam was sixteen, which made me twenty-six. At that age, he still seemed so young and innocent, but it was around that time that it all went south. Each decision he made was worse than the one before.

Staring at that photograph would have upset me at one time but seeing how far Adam had come, I had the opposite reaction. I wanted to believe he was close to a breakthrough.

My phone buzzing in the pocket of my oversized sweatpants jolted me from my memories, and my smile widened when I saw the text message.

Josh: I know you’re going to ask, so here are your answers.

1. Dress comfortable and warm

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