Page 46 of A Roommate for Christmas
“Carter.Kinney?”the woman repeated herself, looking more impatient if that were possible.
Paige was still frozen, trying to wrap her head around what she was seeing and hearing.Beautiful woman.Boyfriend.Carter.How could that be right?
“Monica?”Carter’s voice filled the doorway.“Wha—what are you doing here?”
Paige hadn’t even noticed Carter come up behind her.
“You asshole!”Monica took a step toward him and smacked her hand on his chest.“So, you’re really not going to return any of my messages?Or say thank you for the gift?That watch was expensive, you know.”
“Monica, we talked about this,” he hissed.“I thought I made it perfectly clear the other night.And please take the gift back.You know full well I haven’t even opened it.”
So that explains the perfectly wrapped gift I saw on Carter’s desk, and likely why he was in such a bad mood the night before the blizzard.
“Who the hell is this?”Monica pointed at Paige, who finally snapped out of her state of shock.
Carter had stepped in front of Paige now, shielding her from Monica’s fury.
“What?Oh, this is my roommate, Paige,” he replied.
My roommate.The words were like a slap in the face to Paige.There is no way you do the things we did last night to someone who is just your roommate.
“You expect me to believe you went and got a roommate?”She snickered.“Tell me, Carter, are you in the middle of making her daddy’s precious pancakes right now?”
She knows about Carter’s breakfast move.Of course that’s all this was to him.One big move to get me into bed.
Paige was fuming now.
“Stop this, Monica,” Carter said sternly.He turned to her.“I’m so sorry about this, Paige.”
“Don’t,” Paige snapped.
“I amnotin a relationship with Monica,” he insisted, shooting a glare back toward the door where the woman in question still stood.“We broke up back in October.You have to believe me.”
Paige rolled her eyes and stormed past him back toward her bedroom.
“Paige, wait,” Carter pleaded, but she didn’t turn back around.
Her head was spinning as she entered her room and slammed the door.All this time he’s had a girlfriend?Here I was worried about being a rebound, when I actually needed to worry about being theother woman.
Her ears were ringing, and she hoped if she laid down and put a pillow over her head, it would make it all stop.She could barely make out Carter arguing with Monica.
“I told you I was done, Monica.I didn’t mean we need a break.We needed tobreak up.I thought my moving out sent a pretty obvious message.”
“Oh, come on, Carter, you’re being dramatic.We go together.I mean, just look at us.”
“Me, dramatic?We both know I’ve never been the dramatic one.”
“Well, when you’re done playing with your shiny new toy, you can come back home ...You’ll be bored with her soon enough.But I expect you to be groveling when you return.”
“Don’t hold your breath.On the other hand, do.I really don’t care.We’re done.”
Paige heard the slam of a door followed by the chime of her phone.A notification from the airline confirming today’s flight was still on time.
Thank god, she thought.I need to get out of here ASAP.
She opened her messaging app, sent a scathing text about Carter over to Nadia, and threw her phone down on her bed.She then moved her mostly packed suitcase to her bed and started frantically throwing in last-minute essentials.
Paige had meant to finish the night before, but when things with Carter heated up, it was the last thing on her mind.
