Page 6 of Until We're More
“I’ll do my best to remember that you two are a packaged deal.”
“Okay, but I can totally pay you rent, and—”
“You’re not paying rent.” His eyebrows drew low, and his frown took hold. Most people would run scared and/or give in. Luckily, I wasn’t most people, and I’d grown immune to his scowls.
“Liam, I don’t need you taking care of me all the time. Like I said, I’ve changed.”
“I’m always going to take care of you. That’s never going to change, so get used to it.”
A swirl went through my stomach. Probably a good indicator that my previous assertion about this being a bad idea held some validity.
Then again, if I was going to make a stupid decision, it might as well be a fun, superhot one, right?
Then againagain, I couldn’t keep being the human version of an alley cat that always showed up at Liam’s door. The side of me desperate to prove I’d changed wasn’t ready to give up on a stipulation. I crossed my arms and set my chin so he could see I meant business. “I will only go along with this if you let me pay at least some rent. No ifs, ands, or buts.”
He grunted.
“Or grunts.”
He grunted again, sighed, and added a shrug that meant he gave in to my terms without having to say it. Still felt like a victory to me, and I loosened my arms from the stance that felt way too stiff and unnatural. “Then I say we get this party started.” My excitement got the best of me, and I bounced on the seat of my chair as I flashed him a giant grin.“Roomie.”
…
Liam set my giant suitcase and duffel bag next to the couch—I’d attempted to carry one, but he’d simply raised an eyebrow, taken it from my shaky grip, and hefted both of them. As much as I appreciated that he took care of me, I couldn’t get used to it, and more than that, I wanted to be a strong, independent woman and all that. Hey, Beyoncé made it seem possible, and while I wouldn’t be dropping a record anytime soon, I was trying to do my part for female empowerment in other ways, starting with moving up the corporate ladder at my company so I could not only make a better living but also so I could make a difference. I’d almost botched it already by holding back and not being firm enough, and that wasafterthe months I’d spent improving my boldness skills.
I frowned, and Liam asked, “What?”
“I was just thinking about how I want to move up the ladder at my company.” Not that it wasn’t a valid goal, but I sometimes had to work on marketing campaigns I didn’t totally agree with, for people who weren’t very nice, to say the least. “Maybe Iama corporate monkey.”
“I’ll make sure to buy some bananas tomorrow.”
My frown got aimed at him.
“Cutest corporate monkey I’ve ever seen,” he said, which somehow made me feel better, even though there were prettier girls than me at work by a long shot. Ones who didn’t have to hold back their awkwardness and didn’t trip over their heels or their words. Hell, they gave their ideas out loud in meetings, too, instead of holding them in their heads and swearing to voice them next time. “As for the tour…kitchen, living room”—he pointed at each sparsely decorated area—“and the bedrooms are down the hall on the right; bathroom’s on the left. I’m starving, though, so we can finish settling you in after we eat.”
The scent of the Chinese food hit me, making my stomach rumble. During the two-day drive from Colorado, I’d eaten a lot of fast food, and I’d promised myself I was going to eat healthier and maybe even learn how to cook better to help with that, but for now, Chinese on the couch was definitely in order.
After I let George out, that was—Liam had picked up the food while I’d swung by my mom and Jesse’s house to retrieve my cat carrier and litter box. Big surprise, no one helped me carry anything there, and in addition to being heavy, the litter box needed to be held just so, the handle a mere trap to make youthinkyou could carry it without dumping it down yourself. My mom and stepdad had seemed all put out about me staying with them, but when I’d told them about my change of venue, Mom asked if I’d still be coming by to take care of the laundry every week, the way I’d promised to do in exchange for room and board.
Sure, Mom, I missed you, too. And I am doing well, thanks for asking.While I appreciated Liam’s restraint on a subject about which he often had too much to say, I’d caught the tick in his jaw when he’d mentioned my family. Worse, he was right. Staying with them was a sure way to add extra stress in my life, as well as meant doing my best Cinderella impression—the onebeforethe fairy godmother comes into play, where she spends her waking hours cleaning and doing stuff for everyone else. It was one of those damned-either-way situations. Living too close, I felt overworked and unappreciated, but far away I felt like a slacker who wasn’t showing enough appreciation for everything they’d done for me.
If I get the promotion, it won’t be such a big deal when I get suckered into sending money. Then Mom will be happier, and I’ll feel better, too, especially since it won’t mean I’m eating ramen, brewing cheap coffee at home, and wondering if I’ll have quite enough for utilities and gas at the end of the month.
Barely scraping by added plenty of stress, but it was better than living here, turning into their overworked maid, and constantly ending up hurt that the only time Mom was interested in me was when she needed something.
I squatted by the cat carrier and opened it. “Come look at your new home, baby.”
George stuck out his fuzzy gray face, slowly testing the waters. No matter how much grooming I did, bedhead was his signature style.
“Your cat looks like he ran face-first into a wall,” Liam said.
“His adorable squishy face is because he’s a Persian. Or part, anyway, which was why his first owners decided they didn’t want him. They wanted a purebred, and he wasn’t as mellow as they expected.” I scratched my fingers over his back, giving him attention and luring him the rest of the way out at the same time. “But it’s their loss, isn’t it, George?”
My kitty glanced at Liam, then at me, and there was definitely betrayal in his features.
“He looks tough and scary, but he’s super nice, and he’s going to let you run around more than the people at that other place.” I picked him up and twisted him toward Liam. “Are you gonna say hi?”
“I think you covered it. Exaggerated the nice, but he’ll figure that out soon enough.”
