Page 5 of Faking Romance

“You got this, Gray. Go finish it. You’re going to kick some ass. I just know he’ll love it. You are meant to do this,” she says as she pulls back, giving me a giant smile.

“Thanks, Carly. I’m just stressed and I’m used to the quiet here and…well…” I trail off.

“I know. But remember, she’s new and she doesn’t know any of us yet. Cut her some slack, OK?” Carly suggests.

Shrugging, I start up the stairs. “Where’s Ava?” I ask, realizing that Carly’s nearly five-year-old sidekick is missing.

“She has a playdate with a little girl we met at the park a few weeks ago. It turns out I went to high school with the kid’s mom. How wild is that? Anyhow, it is giving me four whole hours to run errands with no child. I’m not sure I’m going to know what to do with myself,” she says with a laugh as she continues walking downstairs.

“I don’t want to see you on an episode ofMoms Gone Wild,” I tease as I open my door at the landing.

“Funny, Gray. Real funny,” she retorts and I hear the outside door swing open. Somehow, my little interaction with Carly has me feeling lighter than a few minutes ago.

Fuck my family. This one I found is so much better.

* * *

I hit send on the file. I’ve worked through most of the night in the makeshift recording studio I made out of my walk-in closet. It’s not perfect, but it’ll have to do for now. I couldn’t get time at my friend’s recording studio, and frankly, I don’t need the demo to be that polished yet. But I do want it to be good and I think what I just sent was damn near perfect.

I breathe a sigh of relief and decide to go for a walk. I take my travel mug of coffee and start down the Hearts Lane Park trail. The flowers are sitting on the bench as always.

I snap a photo and send it to the building group chat.

Me: (photo) Are we ever going to solve this mystery?

Brayden: I sort of dig keeping it a mystery.

Carly: I’m on Team Leave It a Mystery.

Hutch: No way, inquiring minds need to know.

Drew: I propose a stakeout.

Cam: You and Hutch propose a stakeout every time we discuss this. Just do it already.

I laugh. Drew Whiteford and Camryn Tanner are roommates, so I know they’ll be discussing this later. Carly Maxwell and Brayden Murphy live in the two apartments on floor three. They have been friends ever since Carly moved in with Ava, who was just a toddler at the time. And Hutchinson or Hutch Cromwell is my neighbor on the second floor. They are all wonderful people. And along with our other neighbors, we’ve been speculating on the mysterious flowers for years. People have stayed out looking at the bench but no one has ever seen the flowers delivered here. So the neighborhood lore continues.

I have half a mind to take the flowers today. Why not? Men never get flowers and it’s a big day for me. So I pick them up on my way back.

I’m just about to the building door when my mug splashes coffee on my pants.

“Shit,” I mutter as I try to brush it away. I’m not paying attention and run smack into someone. I look up to meet the gaze of Ms. Benedict. Great. Just what I needed.

“Oh, sorry,” she says as I stand back to my full height and look down at her.

She’s holding paint cans.

“Are you doing that today?” I grimace.

She nods. “Yeah, remember you asked that I do it today instead of yesterday. It’s just the trim. Everything else is already painted.”

I fucking did ask that, but shit, I’d just like to chill at the apartment today. If I lived a few stories up, then I’d probably avoid the smell altogether, but not right above it.

“So I did,” I mutter.

“Cool, well, I’ll be starting shortly,” she adds as she sets down a can and opens the shop door. I glance inside as the window and door are now covered in brown paper. There are rows of shelves lining two of the three walls and some smaller shelves by what I think is going to be a checkout table. I see boxes with stickers on them that appear to be more tables that need to be put together.

If I was a nicer man, I’d offer to help her, but not with paint fumes. And honestly, she’s annoying the hell out of me, so it’s better if I can keep my distance.

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