Perfect Match Enemies to lovers romance - Leia Stone Page 0,12

my beloved Colin. It didn’t make them the same, or mean that Colin was trapped inside him somehow. I needed to leave this be, get back on my plane, and never come back to Tennessee.

“Knock knock.” A little old lady’s voice came from behind the door as she pushed it open.

A sweet, hunched-over, eighty-year-old with purple hair and a sweater with cats on it looked up at me.

“I overheard a bit and I wanted to come say hi to my new neighbor. I’m Bertie.” She looked absolutely delighted to see me and it pained my heart a little because I didn’t plan on staying. Nope. I was going to go downstairs and hand him the key back and tell him this was a mistake.

“Hi, ma’am, I’m Millie.” I shook her wrinkled, delicate hand and she patted the top of mine with her free one.

“Don’t mind grumpy old Ashton. He’s had a rough year but he’s a good boy. Hasn’t raised my rent since the day I moved in five years ago and always looks after my kitties when I’m in the hospital. He’ll warm up to ya.”

And just. Like. That. I was fucking pulled in.

He’s had a rough year. I wanted to know everything about that sentence. Why did he need Colin’s heart? I had to know more. If he was capable of looking after an old lady’s kitties, maybe he was worth saving…

I nodded. “Yeah … I’ve had a bit of a rough year myself.”

She let go of my hand and winked. “Will be good for him to have a lady friend around, if you know what I mean.”

My eyes widened and a nervous laugh escaped me. When I didn’t say anything, she pulled what looked like a joint from behind her ear and popped it into her mouth.

“For my glaucoma.” She winked and sauntered out of the apartment.

I just chuckled, shaking my head and shut the door behind her.

Okay, I was doing this.

Running the water, I washed my hands in a nervous gesture. One month. Two tops. And then I was out. Just find out what happened and fix him up best I could and then bail. That was the plan.

My phone buzzed on the counter and I cringed when I saw Julie’s name.

Taking a deep breath, I answered, quickly giving her the rundown as I walked to my car.

She gasped. “You what? Have you lost your fucking mind!” Julie yelled as I yanked my duffle bag out of the rental car. Thank God I’d brought a few sets of clothes, because it looked like I was staying.

“Just for two months. Tops,” I told her for the fifth time.

“Millie, this is insane and possibly illegal and definitely mentally unstable.”

I heard John murmur something in the background and she snapped at him, telling him to shut up.

“What did John say?” I asked.

She growled. “He said it’s a legal gray area but that’s NOT a helpful comment right now.”

I grinned. “Thanks, John! Hey, enjoy your anniversary and call me later. I gotta be at my new job in five minutes.”

Julie sighed. “A fry cook at a bar? Millie, this is beneath you.”

I was halfway up the stairs to my new studio apartment. “Jul, I gotta see this through. Just for a bit. Can you send me some more clothes at least? My chef stuff? Makeup? I’m bare out here.”

Silence.

“Fine. But I’m coming to visit you next weekend and talk you out of this. This is fucked.”

I smiled. “Love you.”

“Love you too, you psycho stalker.” She hung up.

After throwing on jeans and a silk blouse, I cursed myself for not packing tennis shoes or my white pastry coat.

Maybe this is what I needed. A fresh start. I probably should have left New York City when Colin died. That place held nothing but memories for me.

I was just feeling good about my decision when I went down to the bar and searched behind the counter for Ashton. Peeking through the food order window, I spied him. Shirtless … cursing at the fryer, again.

For some reason, the thought of seeing him again, bare chested, scared the fuck out of me. Whether it was the scar, or his tight, corded muscles, I didn’t know. He stood and spun to find me peering at him like the stalker I so clearly was.

“The fucking fryer’s broken again!” He glared at me like it was my fault. “So it wasn’t the oil!”

I was barely listening to him. All of my attention was on his sweaty glistening chest