She has no idea it’s pointless because Nolan knew before her anyway.
I nod.
“Maya’s lead fell through.”
“What?” Dean’s beautiful green eyes widen, and he runs a hand over his face. “Dude, that sucks. I’m…shit.” He shakes his head. “You know you’re more than welcome to stay at our place. I’m sure we can make it work.”
I adore him for the offer, but we both know it’ll never work, especially since I have no idea how long I’d be crashing there.
“Thanks, Dean. You’re not as bad as River says you are.”
“All her smack talk about me is just foreplay.”
I laugh because he’s not wrong.
River and Dean fight more than anyone I’ve ever met, but they’re so in love it’s almost sickening sometimes.
“What are you going to do?” he asks.
“Pray?” I laugh, though there’s no humor to it. Then I shrug. “I have several applications out—and have had them out for a couple weeks—but no bites yet. Finding something within the price range I have and within the school district is hard. I was lucky I even found my current apartment.”
Nolan shifts beside me, and I’m sure it’s because he’s feeling guilty about being part of the company that bought the building.
The guilt isn’t his to carry. It’s business, not a personal vendetta.
If anything, I find it comical it’s him.
And I mean comical in a way that is not funny at all.
It’s sort of the theme of my life. Nothing has gone the way I planned since the moment I found out I was pregnant at sixteen.
Well, that’s not entirely true. I knew my parents would kick me out of the house, and that’s exactly what they did. I can count on two hands the number of times I’ve seen them since I had Sam.
But before that, River and I had our whole lives planned out.
We were supposed to graduate high school and attend college here in Colorado. She was going for her degree in business, and I was eager to take as many classes as I could my freshman year to see what sparked my joy. We’d get an apartment in the city and live together throughout school. I wanted to date around, wanted to party my ass off. I was ready to create memories I’d never forget.
Except college never came.
I was too busy at home taking care of a baby who wouldn’t stop crying while my husband—we got married shortly after I turned eighteen—worked at his dad’s consulting firm.
Life hasn’t been the same since I was sixteen, and despite where I am right now, worrying about where I’m going to live, I wouldn’t change a damn thing about it.
I got Sam.
He’s all I need.
Everything else will fall into place.
“So,” River says, breaking the tension that has settled over the group, “how are you liking your new apartment, Nolan?”
I snap my head toward her, pinning her with my heated stare because this is not dropping it.
She doesn’t look at me because she knows what she’s doing is wrong.
“It’s nice,” Nolan answers. “Quiet compared to my last place.”
Dean huffs. “You aren’t lying about that.”
“It wasn’t that bad.”
“Trust me, it was. The couple next door fought all the time, and the cops were always tailing the neighbor.”
“Sorry, not all of us are used to the life of luxury, rich boy.”
Dean flips him off, but there’s no ire behind it.
I almost forget sometimes that Dean’s family is loaded. They grew up on the poorer end but ended up hitting the jackpot—literally.
He doesn’t live off his family’s money, choosing to support himself off his teacher’s salary. I admire him for it. He’s doing what he loves and doesn’t care what his family thinks of him. Having gone through what I did with my own family and doing the opposite of what they wanted me to do—like keeping my baby—I can relate.
“Well, either way,” River says, “we’re glad to have you in the building. Now when Dean’s being annoying, I can send him up to your floor.”
“No fucking way.” Nolan shakes his head. “I’ve dealt with his ass since we were kids. He’s your problem now.”
“Don’t remind me,” she complains.
Dean leans his head on her shoulder. “You know you love me.”
“Only sometimes.” She kisses his forehead.
“Disgusting,” Nolan mutters.
“Amen.”
He glances over at me, and it’s the first time our eyes have met since he sat down.
His bright blue gaze pierces me with the same intensity as before, and I hope nobody else can hear the way my breathing kicks up a notch. I want to say something, ask him if he knew who I was.
But I don’t get the chance.
“So, Maya, is Sam still interested in baseball this summer?”
River’s question pulls us from the moment, and Nolan’s the first to break the stare.
“He is. But that may change after the game Thursday.”
“The Storm game?”
“Yes, Patrick’s taking him.”
“He got a suite.” River rolls her eyes as she says it, annoyed by how flashy Patrick is on my behalf. “Probably got it through his daddy.”
Or he could have done it himself. He certainly has the connections. Some of his clients are making more money a year than I could ever hope to see in a lifetime.
It’s crazy some days to think I went from a four-bedroom house with a two-car garage and a brand-new SUV every year to almost on the verge of couch-surfing in two years.
I might not have the house or a fancy new car—both my choices—but getting out of my loveless marriage was worth it. By the time we decided to get divorced, I couldn’t remember the last time Patrick and I had so much as kissed.
“A suite?” Dean’s brows fly up. “Remind me, Maya, how friendly are you and Patrick again? Could he, say, score me some tickets?”
“Dean!” River swats at him.
“What?” He dodges her assault. “It’s just a question! I’m not asking her to sleep with him again. Just get a few tickets to a hockey game.”
River huffs. “Ignore him.”
I laugh. “Thank god for that. Been there, done that. Got the mediocre sex badge to prove it.”
Nolan grunts beside me, and I ignore him.
“Oh! Shit!” Dean slaps the table, then points across from him. “Why the fuck didn’t I think of this before?”
“What?” River asks. “What’s going on?”
“Nolan!”
“That’d be my name,” he drawls, fingering the label on his beer bottle.
“You have rooms. You were telling me yesterday how you were looking for roommates.”
“I’m curious how the mention of shitty sex reminded you of me, but yes, I do.”
“Mediocre,” I correct.
He glances over at me. “There’s no such thing as mediocre sex. It’s either shitty or it’s not. There’s no in-between.”
“This is perfect,” Dean rambles on. “Maya can move in and help cover the rent while you go through the vetting process of finding someone. It’s a total win-win.”