Page 8 of All Autumn
“Nope. My lying, cheating, soon-to-be ex-husband’s moving out.” She tossed one of the suitcases onto the bed, unzipped it, then went to a chest of drawers.
“Need help?”
She stilled with an armload of shirts. “Do you think I’m being a bitch about this?”
I leaned against the doorframe. “Not even. I guess I’m just a little surprised by how fast you decided that your marriage was over.”
“A long time ago I made a promise to myself not to ever become my mother.”
Ah, that explained things. Autumn’s father had never been able to keep his pants zipped. He’d get caught, her mother would kick him out, then he’d sweet-talk his way back home. Rinse. Repeat. Over the years her mother had gone from a smiling, happy woman to one of the most miserable people I knew. Autumn’s parents were still on again and off again. It was wearying even to me, and I hadn’t had to live it.
“Good for you,” I said, going to a drawer and hauling out a handful of socks. We worked together until both suitcases were full, not bothering to pack anything neatly. Cheating Brian was going to need an iron.
She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, then glanced over at me. “I’m going to ask you for a big favor.”
By the tone of her voice, I figured I probably wasn’t going to like it, but she was my friend and she was hurting and right now I’d do anything she asked. “Sure. What?”
“Brian’s going to need to come in tomorrow and get the rest of his stuff. I’d like you to be here with me when that happens.”
I was wrong. I very much wanted to be with her when the man showed up. “You bet. Why did we pack all this now?”
“So I can give them to Brian if he shows up tonight.”
“Good thinking.” I rolled one suitcase and she rolled the other one to the front door. She’d gone from sad and crying to mad and scheming. I liked her much better this way.
“I really appreciate everything you’ve done, Connor. I’m not sure…” She stared down at the floor. “I think I would have been lost without you here, but you’ve given me enough of your time.”
Just go and slay me, Autumn.I think I was happier than her that I’d come along when I had so she hadn’t been alone. “I’m not leaving you here by yourself. What if Brian shows up?”
She eyed the suitcases. “I could put them outside the door so he wouldn’t have to come in.”
“Since he has keys, I don’t see how you can keep him out if he decides he wants to talk to you.” A visible shudder passed through her at that. “Tomorrow I’ll get our foreman here if you want the locks changed. In the meantime, just point me to your guest room.”
“Um…” She scraped sock-clad toes across the wood floor. “I was going to sleep in there.”
I almost asked why, but the answer popped into my head. She didn’t want to sleep in the bed that belonged to her and Brian. Couldn’t say I blamed her. “No problem. The couch will work just fine.”
The sofa was long enough to accommodate me. I needed to call Adam, let him know what was going on. We were supposed to have a status meeting in the morning about the log home we were building for Dylan and Jenn, but I didn’t want to talk to him in front of Autumn. She was already worried that she was taking up too much of my time.
“Give me a pillow and I’m good to go.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” I was pretty sure I saw relief in her eyes that I was staying.
“Thank you.”
“Stop thanking me, Autumn. That’s what friends do, be there when you need them. Come here.” I held out my arms. The girl needed a hug. When she walked into my embrace, I realized my mistake. She felt far too good snuggled up against me. Yep, I was seeing her as my sexy friend now. Before she realized the effect she was having on the part of me that had no business taking notice of her, I stepped away.
She gave me a puzzled look, and I couldn’t blame her. I’d pushed her away a little roughly, but better her confused than knowing my male brain had reclassified her aswoman of interest in the vicinity, which had immediately sent an alert down south to stand up and pay attention.
“What would you like to do for the rest of the afternoon?”
Her shoulders lifted in a shrug. “I guess we could watch a movie or something.”
“Okay.” We stilled at the sound of a car turning into the driveway. “You sure you don’t want to talk to him?”
She shook her head. “Not now. I can’t.”
