take too long. Monica is going to talk to Maggie this week.”
I chuckle. “She doesn’t already know about this little proposition you’re making me?”
Zach shakes his head, which makes me laugh harder.
“You know what?” I hold up my hands. “If you can convince Maggie to work and live here, then you’ve got yourself a deal.” My laughter comes harder yet again because I know there’s no way in hell Maggie Stevens will agree to spend her days anywhere near me. If for some reason she does agree… Well, I’m not sure who would end up regretting it first, her or me.
Moving Out
Maggie
When my sister takes me out for drinks the following Thursday night, I instantly detect that our girls’ night out is more than our usual sisterly outing. There’s something heavy on her mind, and I can’t help but feel like it has everything to do with my rude interruption of her and Zach’s sexcapades last weekend. Things have definitely been tense this week, but she isn’t the only one still fuming about that night. I can’t get over the fact that she knew I was coming home after work and tried to keep me out with a sign on the door.
“Let’s just get the conversation out of the way,” I say after pulling out the lime from in between my teeth. “You’re still mad about last weekend, but what did you expect me to do? Where would I have gone?”
Monica sighs. “I want to apologize for that. Zach insisted that I go to his place that night, but I had to be at BelleCurve for a production at five the next morning, so I convinced him to stay. And well… we stayed up a little late.” She blushes and then shakes her head. “That’s still no excuse. I was a total bitch to you, and I’m sorry.”
When I look at Monica and see the red forming in her eyes, my chest tightens. I reach for her hand and squeeze. “It’s okay, M. Honestly, I’ve been invading your space for months. I kind of deserved it. I’ll tell the manager at White Water that I want more hours. Maybe I can work enough to get my own place somewhere cheap, you know? I don’t need anything fancy. All I need is a bed and a lock, and I’ll be good.”
I laugh because the one thing that has always made me weak is seeing my sister sad. It’s why I’ve always been the tough ass for the both of us. But lately, Monica hasn’t needed me in that way. Her sadness now has more to do with the fact that she’s letting me down gently. She’s kicking me out of her place, and I can’t even be mad at her about it.
Monica pinches out a smile and squeezes my hand back. “I don’t want you to think it’s you. You’re my sister, and I love that you’re here. I don’t want you doing anything crazy and moving back to your old life in LA, but if we continue living together—”
“We’re going to kill each other,” I finished for her.
Now both of us are laughing, and I wrap Monica in a side hug. “I kind of hate that you stopped needing me.”
Monica blinks and swipes at a falling tear. “I’ll never stop needing you, Mags. Don’t ever think that. I’ve just been thinking a lot about our living situation. Between all the hours I’m spending in school, my lease ending soon, and Zach, I think I should be living closer to Seattle right now. And so should you.”
I perk up at the sound of that. Living in Bellevue doesn’t make sense for me anyway with the work I’m trying to get, not to mention where White Water has me currently promoting. “What if we get a bigger place where there’s room for the both of us? I can help make some of the payments if White Water gives me more hours, and…” I pause in midsentence when I see the look Monica’s giving me. She’s already made her decision.
“Zach asked me to move in with him.” She takes a breath before opening her mouth again. “And I said yes.”
My jaw drops as my brain tries to calculate the duration of their relationship. “That seems a little… fast.”
Monica cringes and shakes her head. “But it’s not. If you think about how long I’ve known him then include how many years we’ve been flirting, and then dating. Even if he wasn’t technically my boyfriend