Page 61 of My Brother's Roommate (Frisky Business 2)
My heart squeezes again, but this time, it’s from pure bliss.
Homemade breakfast, a fresh pot of coffee, and I get to put my feet up? I could definitely get used to this.
I pull my favorite French vanilla creamer from the refrigerator door, then settle in at the table to enjoy the view of this gorgeous man cooking for me.
“Is this all part of your grand plan to get me to move in with you?” I tease.
He glances over his shoulder, one thick brown brow arching in playful curiosity. “Why, is it working?”
I nod, holding up one finger for him to wait as I take my first sip of coffee. “But I meant what I said about finishing up my lease first.”
“And I meant what I said about giving you whatever you need.”
A coy smile pulls at my lips as I eye the crispy strips of bacon sizzling in the pan. “I think what I need right now is some of that bacon. Like, as soon as possible.”
Wolfie laughs, a deep throaty sound that makes me smile. Then he grabs the tongs and piles a hefty stack of bacon onto each plate, along with eggs for each of us.
“A girl who knows what she wants,” he says, setting a full plate in front of me. “That’s exactly what is going to get you that promotion at work.”
With that, my smile disappears, and my appetite goes with it. I guess we’re having this conversation now. “Um, actually, I have to tell you something.”
He sets down his plate and leans against the counter, giving me his full attention. “Yes?”
“I, uh . . . I got fired, actually,” I mutter, my cheeks flushing hot with embarrassment. “Spencer got the promotion—surprise, surprise—and I ended up on the chopping block.”
It takes a good long moment and a few cleansing breaths before I have the guts to look up from my plate and gauge Wolfie’s reaction. His frown is dark, both sympathy and frustration etched on his handsome face.
With a grunt, he folds his arms over his bare chest and shakes his head. “What a load of bullshit. That dude is a lazy prick.”
“Tell me about it.” I sigh, reaching for the creamer and adding another generous splash to my coffee. Anything to sweeten the bitterness of the situation.
“Well, you’ll find something better,” he says, his voice level and certain. “There’s got to be a thousand jobs in this city for someone as smart as you.”
Wolfie sounds so sure, so convinced about this, for a second I actually believe him. But then I remember the fruitless hours I spent scrolling through job search sites last night before he arrived, and my confidence drains again.
I lift a shoulder, drawing lazy circles in my coffee with my spoon and watching as it turns from light brown to a creamy tan. “I know I’ll find something eventually, but right now, I just feel so disposable.”
“You’re not disposable,” he growls. “Not even close. You deserve a job where your talent is recognized. I can take a look at your résumé, if it would help.”
“Or you could just find a job for me?” I offer him a weak smile. “Can that be part of the whole winning me back thing too?”
Wolfie shakes his head. “No way, babe. You don’t need me for that. This is your career. You can do this on your own. And I know you will.”
His confidence in me is inspiring.
I sigh, then bite into an extra-crispy piece of bacon to keep myself from arguing about this. I know he’s right, even if I don’t want him to be.
Just like I can’t solve all his problems, he can’t solve all of mine. But we can be there for each other. I guess that’s the silver lining in all of this. I won’t have to go through it alone.
“I just wish for once something in my life could be easy, you know?” I wave the remainder of my piece of bacon through the air, then polish it off in three quick bites.
Wolfie grins as he slides into the seat next to mine, giving my thigh a reassuring squeeze beneath the table. “Take it from someone who has never had it easy. It sucks a lot of the time, but it’s worth it to fight for what you want.”
“I guess if there’s anyone who knows about that, it’s you.”
He grunts. “That’s for fucking sure. Come on. Let’s eat before these eggs get cold.”
We make quick work of our breakfast, all the while chatting about my career, my lease, all the big, ambiguous things about my future.
After all of the digging around in the past we’ve done together, it’s refreshing to start looking forward. To hear Wolfie talk about his goals for Frisky Business, for himself, for us as a couple . . . it’s not just encouraging, it all seems so attainable. When he swears up and down that I’ll get a new, better job and we can start saving for a condo somewhere on the north side, it doesn’t sound like a fantasy. It sounds like a plan. And I can’t wait for that plan to start unfolding.
