Page 77 of Fake Engaged to the Enemy

As I get up to close the curtains and allow myself to get back to sleep, though, I remember.

I had been trimming molding for Lynn’s house last night. I left everything outside, intending to put it away in the morning.

With everything that happened with Catherine, I completely forgot about it.

“Darn it!” I breathe. I race to throw on a shirt and sweats over my boxers.

I grab my keys on my way out the door.

The rain is thundering down full force by the time I reach Lynn’s road. It’s so thick I have to take the familiar drive slowly, because I can’t see enough of my surroundings to know where I am.

When I reach the house, I jump out of the truck and race for everything I left outside.

Only when I get there, the molding and tools are all gone.

Lights glow from inside the house. A figure appears in the doorway and waves at me. I can only see their silhouette.

I bolt up the stairs and enter the house.

Catherine closes the door after me.

Her hair is plastered against her skull, brown eyes wide as she turns to me. She’s shivering.

“I remembered my tools,” I say.

“You c-could have c-called,” Catherine says. Her teeth chatter.

I wince. “I’m used to Lynn’s landline going out in the storms. Let me build a fire in the living room to warm you up.”

Catherine nods. “I’m going to ch-change.”

She heads upstairs and I go to the living room. Soon, I have a small fire crackling in the fireplace. Its heat fills the room.

I hope that Lynn is sleeping. After the last storm, I bought her special noise-canceling sleeping earbuds so she could sleep through the storms.

Lynn is tough and pretends as though the storms don’t bother her. But I’ve seen how nervous she gets when it starts to thunder.

Catherine rejoins me after a bit.

“Thanks for rescuing my tools,” I tell her.

“I remembered you left them outside and couldn’t just leave them.” She holds her hands to the fire but seems to have stopped shivering.

All the same, I eye her worriedly. She had gotten absolutely soaked through! “I hope you don’t get sick on my account.”

Catherine shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter if I do. You see, my new job has amazing health insurance.”

Right.

I stare at the flames, tamping down the disappointment that rises in me.

My construction company doesn’t have what it takes to compete against her other offer.

I am happy for her. She deserves a great job, and with the benefit of working remotely, it’s a great opportunity.

Mostly I’m disappointed in myself. Because I like the idea of us working together.

“When do you start?” I ask.

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