Page 67 of The Roommate Lie

But I’ve never felt more like a liar in my life.

Keep it together, Alice.

We don’t leave right away. I’d forgotten about our to-do list, but then Charlie leads me into the nursery, a small cozy room where they keep their baby animals, and I remember why we’re here: Nice List item number one.

Pet a raccoon (very carefully)

This would’ve been a dream come true yesterday, but a lot can change in a few hours. Now that I’ve been chased across an entire house by a raccoon and had my heart broken while eavesdropping, this is the last place I want to be. There are no blanket cocoons anywhere, no cat videos. There’s just a weird, anxious feeling in my chest I can’t get rid of and a perfect guy standing right beside me who doesn’t want me.

If everyone wasn’t being so nice, I would’ve tried to leave a long time ago. But Bill putters around the nursery preparing bottles of raccoon formula while Charlie’s mother chats with us, and I stay put—like a good girl. Doing everything I can to push those bad feelings away andkeep it together.

“You okay over there?” Charlie asks as we sit down at a long table to feed our raccoons.

I smile as I force myself to meet his gaze, but I make sure it’s a calm smile, nothing too bright or too much—which isn’t hard. I’m feeling a little hollowed out to force a thing like that anyway. Apparently, my atomic cheerfulness has its limits.

“I’m fine—I’m just a little nervous. Thanks for doing this, by the way.”

Gratitude. That’s what’s going to save me. Remembering this is a special opportunity, and I should be grateful for it, no matter how scared I am of raccoons or how sad I am about Charlie.

Gratitude.

That’s my sunshine strength, and I lean into it as hard as I can. It works, too. Charlie’s mom brings each of us the most adorable little raccoon to feed, and I’m amazed by how cute they are. How special it feels to be so close to them and get to feed them.

There are only two orphaned raccoons in the litter they rescued a few days ago, and they’re about four weeks old according to Bill. They have the sweetest little faces, their signature black mask framing big dark eyes. We drape them across a few rolled blankets on the table to feed them, tummy side down, and they fidget and squirm, reaching to grip their bottles with their tiny black paws.

I pet mine a little while it eats, and I can’t help the calm feeling that stretches over me. Baby raccoons are just magical like that, I guess.

“What’s the verdict, Kilpatrick?” Charlie asks. “Was it worth it? Is this Nice List–worthy?”

He searches my face as he waits for an answer, and he’s been so thoughtful today, so kind. Even if I’m not his type.

“It’s incredible,” I tell him. “This couldn’t be more perfect.”

And maybe I’m lying. But only a little.

Chapter Thirty-Five

ALICE

Spotted:

A certain visiting author still seems a little too distracted by our favorite rake. An afternoon at the Old Ponderosa Museum, a neighborhood stroll, and a visit to see his mother?

Though that begs the real question, the best gossip this town has seen in years: how many rakes introduce you to their beloved mamma?

A very interesting development indeed…

“It’s lilac day!”

I have no idea what that means, but I’ve never heard anyone more excited than Lydia when she flings open our bedroom curtains the next morning. And unlike me, when that girl speaks in exclamation points, she means it.

Outside, the world is a maze of lilacs. As soon as I peer out the window, there are pale purple blossoms as far as I can see. They line every sidewalk in the Lilac Hedgerow, spreading out for blocks, and I guess I finally understand how this neighborhood got its name.

The air is perfumed with it. We stumble outside in our pajamas, and that beautiful floral scent greets me like a smile. Heaven. This place is pureheaven.

I needed a miracle today. After everything I overheard at the wildlife center, Charlie’s words making me toss and turn all night, I needed a little magic to get me through another day with him. Nature’s good at that sometimes.

After we get dressed for the day, Charlie and Tyler are outside enjoying the lilacs too. It feels like Christmas morning. The quiet cottagecore version that’s going to live in my heart forever after I leave Ponderosa Falls.

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