Page 8 of Loving You

But that flush faded the second June got to the part about Cliff being in the same coffee shop where I was supposed to meet my non-boyfriend who apparently really did have a black belt.

Instead of the heat from embarrassment, my whole body went cold as ice. Had he been there to confront us together? Did he somehow know I’d be meeting Eric at that time and place?

“Fuck,” I said with a groan, falling back onto my bed.

“April Carrigan,language.”

My mom’s shrill reprimand from the doorway had me scrambling off my bed and back to my feet. “Sorry, Mom.”

“What are you all doing up here?” she asked, stepping farther into the room and glancing between us. “There are guests who need help at the front desk, June. And Janie, honey, those cinnamon rolls aren’t going to bake themselves.”

“Yes, Mom,” my sisters said, each shooting me their own versions of a look that said this conversation wasn’t over. June’s was vicious, and Janie’s was soft and pleading.

“Nothing for me, Mom?” May asked quietly.

Mom pursed her lips, her eyes darting around while she tried and failed to come up with something. “Um, well, maybe you could help June at the front desk?”

“I was actually asking for May’s advice,” I said quickly, not ready to be abandoned byallmy sisters.

“Very well. I have to go. I’ve got someone coming in for a tour. April, you should really think about updating this room if you’re going to be staying here for much longer.” Mom’s gaze flicked around my temporary attic bedroom that used to be an atticstorageroom.

It was the only place in the whole B&B where she—with her perfect hair and perfect blouse and perfectslacks—looked out of place.

“If anyone came up here,” she went on, “they’d think this was the room where we put the guests who book on those bargain sites or something.”

I fought the snort that wanted to rise. “I’ll get right on that.”

With one last glance around the room, Mom left. And I’ll be damned, the woman wasliterallyclutching her pearls.

May let out a little chuckle when the door closed behind our mother, then came to me and tugged me onto the bed next to her. “Listen, I know you don’t want to draw attention to yourself or anything, but you’ve been living in the freaking attic for months now. Is this going to be your life from now on? Hiding in the attic, lying to your friends, pretending Cliff isn’t popping in and out of town just to mess with you?”

“I mean, there’s plenty of fun in my life, too. Don’t make me sound like such a loser, May-May.”

She gave me a begrudging smile and squeezed my hand. The two of us had always been the closest out of all five Carrigan girls. June was six years older than me, and we’d never had anything in common. Emma—aka fuckingSeptember,if you can believe that—moved out when she was sixteen and never came back. And Janie, well, bless her little heart. She was way too good for me.

But May? May was a true middle child and therefore the chillest of us all. I was between her and Janie, only thirteen months younger. But since she’s bookish and quiet and happy to hide in the shadows, and I’m… well,me,I wouldn’t go so far as to say we were best friends or anything. But I liked her as a person. A lot.

And right now, she made sense even though I was far from ready to admit it.

“I’ll think of something,” I whispered, not trusting my voice to do much more than that. “I promise. But I don’t have anything to tell the cops other than my ex is sniffing around and preventing me from enjoying business meetings at my favorite coffee shop.”

She tilted her head, almost like she wanted to say something about how I had plenty Icouldtell them that would warrant a restraining order and help with the situation. If they believed me.

But then May sighed and patted my knee. And with one last sad smile, my quietest sister left the room.

She was right. I had to come up with a plan of some sort. One thing was for sure though, I wouldn’t be getting much sleep no matter where I was until I figured something out. If he would have showed up at my apartment, it would have been scary, sure. But having him show up here would somehow be worse.

With an unsteady sigh, I eased back against the pillows on my bed. Mybedthat was the kind of full-size, frame-only situation that reminded me of a shitty Airbnb, and yet somehow still felt too big for this room.

Thisroomthat was nothing more than attic storage at the top of the business I made profitable enough with my magic marketing skills to earn a damn good salary.

And yet, instead of the chic two-bedroom apartment that I’d decorated to my heart’s content,thiswas the room I’d secretly lived in for the last few months.

Not secret from my family, of course. But that other family, made up of my friends? They didn’t know. I’d gone right along, acting like I still lived in the now empty (except for my fucking adorable decor) apartment like nothing was wrong.

Though, Rachel knew, since she worked here now, and it was way too exhausting to pretend I didn’t live right upstairs. I’d only lasted a day before I said I had to run up to my room because I forgot something, and she’d busted me right then and there.

And if Rachel knew, that probably explained why Sammy hadn’t looked surprised when I’d told him earlier. Damn happy-ass couple with their rule about not keeping things from each other.

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