Page 165 of Severed Rivalry
“We’ve been wondering who Freddie Gauthier was… Or is. Well, we’re going to find out. Rosie asked me to rent my house to him.”
“What?”
“She assumes we’re”—I gesture between us—“moving in together.”
“She’s right.”
“And that leaves us with one house extra. And she’s asking me to make it available for him.”
“Is he…” he pauses. “An addict?”
“She knows him from the center and not as an employee.”
“So an addict, then.”
“Be careful with that line of thought. You lump Rosie right along with him into that category. And you know who she is to me, what she’s done for me, and”—I wave a finger between us—“what she’s doing for us right now.”
“Shit.”
Exactly.
“How much time do we have to decide?”
I shrug. “She’d like to introduce us today.”
His eyes widen.
“My sentiments exactly.”
48
tomorrow me problem
Cian
“Why am I anxious?” Sariah’s hand is in mine as I drive to her house. Her knee bounces. Her whole body seems to vibrate with nerves.
“If you’re not comfortable, I’ll turn around right now.”
She shakes her head, but her knee never stops its movement.
“One more thing off the list.” She turns to face me. “It’s a shit list, by the way. Let’s get a new one.”
“I’ll get right on that.” Flipping my blinker on, I turn onto Sariah’s street, thinking about the nerves I had that first night. That reminds me. She needs some new peonies. I’ll get right on that too.
“So is it this meeting or the fact that Renée is with my sister that really fuels your nerves?”
“Your sister with my daughter haswe-went-to-Jackson-Hole-for-lunchvibes.”
I mime grabbing the words and giving them back to her. “Don’t even suggest it. She could. Shewould.”
“And Renée won’t discourage that.”
I hate to even think it, but Renée out of state and out of sight isn’t the worst idea as we figure out all the things surrounding us.
I pull into the driveway and put the truck in park. Sliding to face Sariah, I squeeze her hand. “Anything you want to do, I haveyour back. I will stand beside you or behind you regarding any decision you make. Today and forever.”
She leans over the console and presses her lips to mine. I take the opening and deepen the kiss, one hand going to the back of her head to keep her there.
