Page 17 of More Than an Ex-Girlfriend

Standing in the adjoining doorway, I wait, trying not to drop crumbs on her side of the door.

“Okay. I slapped a bandage on my toe. I’m good now.” She stops on the other side of the living room and smiles as I take another bite. “Thanks for offering to move my furniture. If you’ve changed your mind now that you know I don’t have a plan, I get it. My feelings won’t be hurt.”

For years, I thought I hated her, but being around her has made it clear to me that I don’t. I can’t. But the hurt feels fresh. I’m struggling with how to navigate my feelings.

And I’ve never been good at keeping a poker face.

She tugs on a lock of hair that’s fallen out of her bun. “I’m sorry, Archer. I’m sorry for hiding for so long. I’m sorry you were forced to be my neighbor, but mostly I’m sorry I hurt you.”

I’m not really ready to talk about any of that unless she wants to tell me why she walked away, and she already told me that she can’t talk about it. So I shrug. “Where do you want to try the couch first?”

She studies the room. She’s changed in the years since I last saw her. She’s curvier now, which I’m finding quite attractive.

I don’t realize I’m staring until she crosses her arms and clears her throat. “You didn’t hear any of that, did you?”

“Nope. I was thinking about something else.” It’s best not to tell her I was mentally comparing her old body to her new one. And comparing isn’t even the right word. I was just appreciating how she looks now.

If our meeting yesterday had been the first time meeting Lettie, I’d be working up the nerve to ask her out. I’m not like Tyler and Dag, confident enough to just walk up to a woman and ask her out. Not that they’re doing that anymore because both those guys have found their special someones.

“Maybe you should tell me again.” I make eye contact with her, refusing to let my gaze wander.

She points to the wall and explains where she wants the TV stand and the couch. And I shove them into place without breaking a sweat.

Then I head back to the door and wait while she walks through the space. This doorway is like the safe spot in a game of tag. It feels safe because I’m only one step away from shutting myself away from her.

She sighs and puts her hands on her hips, which, of course, draws my focus there. “I’m not sure. With the TV there, it might get glare from the window. What do you think?”

I tear my gaze away from her curves. “I think you shouldn’t move the couch without shoes on. And I think you could hang curtains if the sun makes it hard to see the TV.”

“Are you saying that just because you don’t want to move the couch again?” Her dark eyes focus on me, a friendly tease dancing in them.

Falling back into the way we used to banter comes naturally. “I don’t even want tothinkabout the couch again.”

She laughs, and I reach back into my house and grab two cookies. “Want one?”

She shakes her head. “I’m avoiding sweets right now.”

“So you bake dozens of cookies? How does that make sense?”

“I couldn’t sleep, so I baked.” She starts shoving the couch toward the other wall. “And I didn’t want you to hate me.”

“And cookies are the remedy?”

She drops down onto the sofa. “Do you... hate me?”

Rubbing the back of my neck, I resist the urge to take one step backward and close the door. “I don’t, Lettie. But seeing you and then seeing you again has been a lot. It’s dredged up a ton of hurt.”

Wiping her eyes, she nods. “This isn’t the way I imagined us meeting up again.”

“Yeah. We’re a bolted door away from being roommates. But I don’t hate you. The cookies are just too good.” I’m an adult, and being a perpetual grump to her so that I can remind her that she broke my heart is dumb. And pointless. It would result in both of us being unhappy.

She springs up and goes back to shoving. “I think if I move the couch over there, it’ll be better.”

I grab the other end of the sofa and help her shift it into place.

She nods. “I like this. We can shift the television over a tad, and it’ll be perfect.”

“We?” I chuckle as I move the TV cabinet. “Is that where you want it?”

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