Page 82 of If Our Hearts Collide

“Yes?” Her eyes are full of a hope I never want to diminish.

“I would love for you to help me shop.” I give her another hug. “I have a hard time committing to colors.”

Her squeeze tightens. “Oh yes, we can turn it into a girls’ day. If you want, we can even invite Angie and Claire to tag along and go get our nails done and just eat comfort food and?—”

“I am on board for all of that. However, I haven’t met my roommate yet, so I don’t want to overstep boundaries and pick out living room items yet that she may not like. Let’s just focus on my bedroom.”

“Do you know her name yet?”

“Not yet, but I’ll definitely have one,” I say softly. I’m pretty excited to hopefully meet a friend who I can bond with and talk about guys with. It is hard to see Angie and Claire together and not long for a bond like that for myself.

Momma bites her bottom lip. “What happens if you both don’t mesh well?”

“I can get out of my lease easily. The building doesn’t have a problem occupying its units, so having that stipulation isn’t going to backfire on them.”

“Oh, wow, that’s nice—and rare.”

“That’s why I jumped on the deal fast. I figure if it’s a bust, I have little risk—other than all of the time I spent moving in. I’m still holding out hope that this will be a good match.”

“You have to take that leap of faith sometimes, right?”

I smile. “Exactly.”

“Well, are you free tonight to do dinner out with the girls and then hit up some of the boutique shops in downtown?”

I think over my schedule. The perk right now of not having a social life is that I’m free most of the time. “I think tonight will work.”

“Oh, good. I’ll text the girls to see if they are free, and if they aren’t, we can still go just us.”

“Sounds good. Thanks, Momma.”

I make my way up to my bedroom, tossing my belongings onto the bed in a haphazard pile. I use the bathroom and then pull out my luggage from the back of my closet, placing it on the bed. I crank up the music on my phone, allowing the sound to play through the wireless speaker I have resting on my nightstand. I dance my way around my space, tossing in items I can’t live without. I figure now is a good time to donate a bunch, plus keep a stash here in case I spend the night for holidays and other family gatherings.

Feeling sweaty from shaking my ass to Beyoncé, I take off my clothes and slip on my magenta bikini. I slather on sunscreen, dig in my nightstand drawer for a pair of shades, and then make my way downstairs.

“Oh, good,” Momma says, “I may join you in a bit after I do some gardening.”

I smile. “Perfect.”

I pour some tea over ice in a cup with a lid, adding a straw through the center opening. When I get outside, the air feels smoldering. I pull out a float from the pool house, tossing it into the water. Situating myself on the steps, I carefully climb on top,surprisingly not spilling a drop of my drink. I twist my hair on top of my head and recline into the cushions.

I’m going to miss the quietness that Hillsboro brings. However, I’m also looking forward to living on my own. Well, technically with a roommate. I can’t forget about her.

My mind drifts to yesterday and the revelation that Collins and I will be sharing a building together. How is that ever going to work? He doesn’t even have to work hard to find me. Selecting that apartment for rent literally made his job a whole hell of a lot easier, but in return made my quest at freedom a whole lot harder.

Leaning up with my eyes closed, I take a sip of my drink and then settle back into the comfort of the cushions.

And I float and float, as the sun warms all parts of me.

I must have dozed off, because when I wake, Momma is getting out of the water.

“What time is it? I must have fallen asleep.”

“You did,” she says with a laugh. “I think it’s almost three? The girls can meet us for dinner around five, if that sounds good to you.”

“Sounds great,” I say, taking a sip of my tea that is already past the cool stage. I slide from the float into the water, feeling the chill hit my heated body from my head to my toes. “I’m going to go shower so I’m ready for later.”

“I will do the same. Glad we all can hang out.”

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