Don't Need You - Lilian Monroe Page 0,5

tie and let out a sigh. When I head back into the living room, Robbie’s waiting.

He pinches his lips together, his face serious. He sucks in a breath, gathering his courage. “Look, Kit, this isn’t how I saw this playing out with Serena. I feel like I should explain. My sister got a job at Woodvale Elementary. She’s going to be teaching third grade—the current teacher is going on maternity leave after Christmas. She doesn’t have a lot of money, and she really needs to get out of New Haven.”

I frown. “Okay.”

What does that mean? Why does she need to get out of here?

Robbie doesn’t elaborate. He just rubs his jaw with the palm of his hand and lets out a sigh. “She only needs a place to crash for a few weeks. Just until she gets a couple of paychecks, you know? She’s going to be filling in for the teacher until next fall, and she’s hoping to get a permanent position. She doesn’t have much…”

I nod. “I get it.”

“Look, Kit…she’s my baby sister. Only by eight minutes, but still.” He grins, meeting my eye. “She’s always been the wild child in the family. Serena’s wanted to be a teacher since she was three. It would mean a lot to me.” He sucks in a breath, spreading his hands toward me. “She’s great. You’ll barely see her. It’ll only be for a short while—just until she can find her own place.”

Robbie stares at me as if his entire existence hangs on my response, and I wonder if there’s something he’s not telling me. What did he mean when he said she needed to get out of here? I’ve never seen him this serious, and there’s an undercurrent to his words I don’t understand.

Still, do I have a choice?

What kind of person would I be if I said no? I’m not even at my house half the time. I work four days on, three days off, and my four days on are spent at the staff accommodations next to the Sea-Tac Airport. It would be unreasonable to refuse. Plus, he’s been my only friend since I left the skydiving business, and he’s letting me stay at his place for the entire Thanksgiving weekend.

And a small part of me—okay, okay. Fine. A big part of me—wants to know more about Serena. Would it really be that bad to have a beautiful, wild woman living with me for a few weeks?

If it’s only a short time, and it’s doing my friend a favor, I guess there’s no harm in it, right?

I force a tight smile. “It’s cool, Robbie. You’re the best friend I’ve had in a while, and I really don’t mind.”

My friend lets out a breath, reaching over to put a hand on my shoulder. “Thanks, Kit. You’re a good man.”

I nod, giving him a tight smile. “Yeah. Sure.”

“Just…” He pauses. “Don’t mention it, okay? The family doesn’t know she’s leaving.”

I frown.

“I can explain later,” Robbie says, and I know he doesn’t want me to ask any more questions.

“Okay,” I answer slowly, even though unease tightens around my chest. “You’re not really one for being open and up-front about this whole thing, huh?”

Robbie lets out a bitter chuckle, shaking his head. “It’s complicated, Kit. But it’ll be fine once she moves. The family just takes a while to get used to change.”

The family. He talks about them as if they’re one monolithic entity. I wonder what I’m getting myself into. Will I have a couple dozen Italians bursting through my door to drag Serena away from Woodvale?

I nod, jerking my head toward the bathroom. Robbie takes a step back to let me through, giving me a tight smile. When I close the bathroom door behind me, I let out a sigh.

This isn’t what I signed up for, but if I’m completely honest, I feel more excited than I have in months.

2

Serena

Stupid Robbie and his stupid, scaredy-cat self. I should have known he wouldn’t have asked Kit about me staying with him. He’s always been afraid of confrontation. Prefers to be the happy-go-lucky guy who heaps all the tough conversations on everyone else.

It’ll be fine, he kept telling me for weeks. Weeks! I took that as confirmation that he’d spoken to Kit about the whole crashing at his place situation.

Right.

Fine.

You know what’s not fine? Me barging into the airport and calling Kit my future roommate, when he had no fucking idea what I was talking about.

That’s not fine. That’s borderline psychotic. I