Page 30 of Love is a Roller Coaster

And it looks like she’s…arguing with Brittany? Her face is red, her lips pinched together, and she’s clutching a folder inher fist.

Brittany spots me first, panic in her eyes. She mouths, “Go away!”

I furrow my brows at her, just as Brooke looks over and completely shifts her expression from frustration to elation. “There you are! Brittany said you weren’t here today, but I knew you would be.”

She struts over to me, heels clicking and hips swaying, and I berate myself for being unable to fight my attraction to her.

Stay strong, Tyler. She’s just a woman. You don’t need to break down.

“I need to speak with you,” she says softly.

“I think we’ve already said our goodbyes.” I’m surprised at how cold my voice sounds, a stark contrast to the way my chest warms at her nearness. Maybe I can do this after all.

“I don’t…there are things you don’t…” She bites her bottom lip and blinks up at me. “Please.”

Well, turns out my self-will is a lot weaker than I’d like to admit. “Okay.” I lead her to my office, and she follows behind, her heels clicking the entire way.

I leave the door open this time, though. Sitting on the edge of my desk, I cross my arms over my chest and look at Brooke. “So?”

Her hands fidget with the folder for a minute as she meets my eyes. Then she reaches into the folder and pulls out a piece of paper. She holds it out to me.

I hesitate a moment before taking the paper from her and skimming the words “lease agreement” and “contract” and “early cancellation fee.”

“What is this?” I ask.

Her lips turn up into a small smile. “It’s the lease agreement. To my new apartment.”

I look down at the paper for an address.

1 Shore Drive, Apartment 24A.

Canyon Cove, California.

And then I see the lease term length—twelve months.

My eyes snap back to her. “Wait. You’re…moving here?”

She nods.

My traitorous heart beats a little faster. “But how can you afford this?”

She reaches into the folder and pulls out another paper, handing it to me. I take this one quickly and find that it’s an employment contract.

“I got a job at one of the art galleries. It’s a couple of doors down from here.” She presses her lips together. “The one with the toddler art.”

I can’t help myself; a laugh bursts out of me.

“But that’s not all,” she continues, handing me another piece of paper.

This one is a schedule of classes for the Canyon Cove Art Institute.

“I enrolled,” she says. “They were kind of difficult to convince, because the program is usually full by now, but they had someone drop out last week.”

“Brooke, I…” My voice trails off. I’m completely caught off guard, and I don’t know what to say.

She takes a step toward me. “This is what I’ve been setting up for the last few days. I didn’t want to let you know until it was official. I’m not leaving. Because I want to be here…with you.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

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