Roommates Box Set #4-6

21. Alyssa

21

ALYSSA

I tried to keep myself busy, but I couldn’t help worrying about Nana. Raphael was at the hospital with her, and he promised he’d call when she was out of surgery. And Lauren, her granddaughter, was on her way from New Orleans.

It was ironic that I was so stressed because otherwise, it would’ve been a pretty good day. My team at Zee Tech—or at least the team I’d be on when I was ready to go back—was in the idea phase of a new project, and I was able to attend back-to-back design meetings by video call.

Maybe it was my concern for Nana, but by midway through the second meeting, I almost missed the boredom of a normal day for me. The team leader wanted input on the plans she’d come up with, and the group obliged. But they kept getting hung up on trivial details and arguments. Or at least it seemed that way to me.

But then I got a text from Rafe saying that the surgery had gone well, and that Nana was in recovery. That made my frustration disappear.

Spencer brought the kids home, prepared them a snack, and then took us all to see Nana.

The twins were pretty quiet in the car, perhaps worried about going to a hospital. Spencer tried to distract them by saying they could pick out the flowers from the gift shop, but they were still glum. I didn’t blame them. I wasn’t thrilled to be heading back to the hospital, either.

Spencer pulled up behind the hospital where there wasn’t even any place to park. But when he got out and brought me my crutches, Raphael appeared. He helped me make my way to a side entrance he’d propped open. From there, it wasn’t very far to Nana’s room, but it was still farther than I usually went with crutches, and it made me tired.

“She’s woozy, but she’s doing okay,” he said when we were outside her door.

I nodded. “Can you take a break for a bit? Get something to eat?”

“I will a little later. Spencer and I are going to switch cars so I can drive you and the kids home, and he’ll stay for a while.”

“Sounds good.”

These guys were good at this kind of stuff—taking care of people and altering their schedule for maximum coverage. They’d had years of practice with it, I supposed.

Nana’s eyes were closed when I went in. She looked small and frail, as if she’d lost twenty pounds since I’d seen her a few days ago.

Tears filled my eyes as I lowered myself into a chair by her bed and set the crutches down on the floor.

“Don’t do that.”

Her voice made me jump. “What?” I wondered if she was scolding me for leaving the crutches where someone might trip over them, but I needed them close by.

“Don’t cry,” Nana said. “I didn’t cry when I sat at the foot of your bed when they brought you home from the hospital.”

“I’m trying not to.” I wiped my face with my sleeve. “How do you feel?”

She rolled her eyes. “Did you like that question when you were here?”

“No.” I looked her over. “Can I get you anything? I remember how happy I was when you brought me a brush and my makeup.”

She gave a tired laugh. “Eh, the boys have seen me like this before.”

“You look fine, I just thought I’d offer.” Something else occurred to me. “Oh, and I can give you your walker back.” Once I’d gotten a little better with the crutches, I stopped using it.

Now Nana looked away. “Don’t bother.”

“Do they have one here?”

“They will at the home.”

“Your home?”

“ The home, girl. The one they’re going to put me in after this.”

Alarm filled me, both at what Nana was saying and the tone she said it in. “What? Why can’t you go back to your home?”

“Because I can’t walk. And even if I could, my place is a labyrinth. The house has settled over the years and not a single floor is level. There’s no way I could navigate it with a walker or wheelchair—not that I could get one in there.”

“Maybe a ramp out front?”

“I asked a contractor once. Back when my Lawrence was alive. The contractor said there’s no way with the way the front yard sinks and how the porch is at an angle. Nope, it’s that sterile, pristine, boring-as-sin old folks’ home for me.”

She looked so upset that I carefully scooted forward and took her hand. It seemed so unfair. When I couldn’t walk, I was given a first-floor bedroom and two strong men to carry me around. But Nana wouldn’t have that.

I was still holding Nana’s hand when the door opened. A beautiful woman came in, her high heels clicking on the hard floor. She had on a skirt that showed off her long legs and a blouse that was open practically to her bra. Her brown hair gleamed in an elaborate updo. “Well, well. You two won’t be winning any foot races any time soon.”

“Lauren,” Nana said, releasing my hand and turning toward her granddaughter. “You didn’t have to come all this way for me.”

“I was in the neighborhood.” When she leaned down to give Nana a hug, her blouse draped so low I could practically see her navel. “And you must be the stray Spencer and Rafe took in.”

Stray.

For Nana’s sake, I ignored the offense. “I’m Alyssa.” I held out my hand, but Lauren gave me a dismissive wave.

“I’ve heard all about you.” She turned back to Nana. “Thing One and Thing Two are out in the hallway. Are you up for seeing them, or would you rather rest?”

Despite the fact this beautiful woman had now insulted me and the twins, the concern in her voice for her grandmother seemed genuine.

“I’d love to see them,” Nana said.

“All right, but not for too long.” Lauren watched while I reached down for the crutches, doing nothing to help. She barely had the grace to step aside when I tried to get past her.

Out in the hallway, Spencer was holding a bright bouquet of flowers. Next to him, the twins looked a little ill at ease. My heart warmed when I saw they were holding hands. “It’s okay,” I said. “She’s awake and acting like herself. Just talk to her like normal.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Raphael signing what I’d just said. I wondered if he thought it was the big echoey hallway that might make it hard for Charlotte to understand what I’d said, or if it was the little girl’s anxious face.

Spencer led them inside, and I moved over to the row of seats lining the opposite side of the hallway. Raphael took my crutches from me and helped me into a seat. It amazed me that he seemed to know how physically tired I was. I still went to physical therapy regularly and did the exercises on the days in between, but I tired quickly. It made me wonder how long—and how bad—Nana’s recovery was going to be.

For a while, we sat in silence. Raphael had to be tired, too. He’d been here all day. I put my hand on his knee, meaning to give it a reassuring squeeze, but he froze at my touch.

Uh-oh. Belatedly, I remembered the look on his face when he’d woken Spencer and me up this morning. Crap.

Was he mad at me? Disappointed? Or even maybe… jealous? It didn’t seem like it could be that third thing. If he liked me as more than a friend, wouldn’t he have made a move when we slept in the same bed? Or pretty much at any other time?

Maybe he just didn’t approve of me getting involved with a single dad. The thing was, I didn’t know if I was getting involved with Spencer. It had just happened. And it had been amazing. But I didn’t like being at odds with Raphael.

I took a deep breath. “Um, about this morning?—”

“We don’t need to talk about it,” he said instantly, and I wondered if it had been on his mind, too.

“Yeah, but?—”

“What I should’ve said is that I’d prefer not to talk about it. You and Spencer are adults. You can do what you want.”

God, the tone he was using killed me. It wasn’t exactly judgmental, it was just… stiff. I’d never wanted to hurt him.

“Raphael—”

I was interrupted yet again, this time by Lauren exiting Nana’s room. “They’re going to wear her out,” she said after the door closed. She leaned against the wall opposite us and crossed her shapely legs at the ankles.

“Spencer won’t let them do that,” Raphael said.

“Well, since reinforcements are here, why don’t I buy you a cup of coffee?”

It was quite clear her invitation was for Raphael only.

“I’m good, but thank you.”

“Are you taking this one home? Doesn’t the hospital have some sort of ride service?” Raphael didn’t answer, but that didn’t stop Lauren. “Maybe I’ll follow you home and see if Flynn’s around. He’s always a good one to visit when I need to blow off a little steam.”

Crap, her and Flynn? I didn’t want to, but I could kind of see it. She was definitely the femme fatale type. I had a suspicion that Flynn might be the kind of man to enjoy locking horns with a siren like her. To dirty up her fancy clothes and take her for a walk on the wild side. And I’d bet Lauren was more than willing to go.

Luckily, the kids came out then. Charlotte looked like she was about to cry. Raphael signed something to her and then took her in his arms for a hug. I reached out and patted Lucas’s arm, and he sat down next to me. “Did she like the flowers?”

“Yeah,” he said in a small voice.

Spencer explained to the kids that they’d be going back to the house with Raphael and me. Then he found a foolproof way to cheer them up. “Since Uncle Raphael was here all day, he didn’t have time to figure out something for dinner. Can you all make do with pizza?”

The twins assured him that we could. Raphael went to bring the car up and then I slowly went back the way I’d come, with the twins holding doors for me. As I turned a corner, I looked back. Lauren was sitting by Spencer with her hand on his knee. “Why don’t I buy you a cup of coffee?” she said as she leaned in, giving him the full-cleavage effect. I didn’t wait to hear how he responded.

That night, I wanted to ask Raphael if he’d sleep in my bed— his bed—with me, but I wasn’t brave enough. I didn’t ask Spencer, either. With all the walking I’d done today, I thought I was going to be able to fall right asleep, but I kept worrying about Nana. It didn’t seem right that she couldn’t recover in her home.

And then the bad thoughts kept coming. I hated that Raphael was upset with me. I really, really hated the way Lauren had flirted with him and Spencer. And then she’d hinted at a relationship, if that was the word for it, with Flynn.

I didn’t have any claim on any of them, but they could do better than her. Yes, she was drop-dead gorgeous, but apparently Nana’s warm heart had skipped Lauren’s generation.

The next day, Raphael went to the hospital again. I spent some time going over the specs my team leader had sent, but by early afternoon, I knew I needed to talk to someone, or my head was going to explode. I texted Kylie and she agreed to call me after her class ended.

“Hey, look at you!” she said when the video call went through.

“What about me?” I reached up to smooth my hair. My dress, a pink one today, seemed fine.

She rolled her eyes. “You’re sitting outside without even a jacket on. It’s seventeen degrees here.”

Oh yeah. I’d kind of forgotten about that aspect of living in Colorado. “You’d love this deck,” I told her. “It’s the perfect place to study.” I panned the camera to show her the three-sixty view.

“Wow, that’s gorgeous. I can’t believe the hot veterinarian really built that.”

I glanced toward Flynn’s place, but I couldn’t see him, and I hadn’t heard any noise from over there. Hopefully Kylie’s voice, which was on speaker, hadn’t carried. “He’s a really talented wood-worker.”

She giggled. “I like a man who knows how to use his tools.”

“So do I,” I said, but without the laugh. “That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Wait, really? The hottie next door?”

“No. Yes. Well… kind of about all of them. Or at least two of them.”

Even through the small screen, I could see her eyes grow wide. I jumped in before she could. “Nothing’s happened,” I assured her, which was true if you didn’t count an extremely enjoyable half hour in Spencer’s bedroom. “But the thing is, I never thought I could like more than one man at a time.”

She definitely understood. “I didn’t either until it happened to me.”

That was what I wanted to talk about. “But how did you get to that point? Did they bring it up? Did you? Or did it just happen?”

Kylie looked lost in thought for a minute, and then her face turned red. I would’ve liked to ask her what she was thinking about, but since it was likely to involve my brother, I refrained. “It’s kind of hard to explain,” she said at last. “But you know, we were all sharing a room, so it quickly became apparent that they were attracted to me and vice versa.”

I sighed. That didn’t help much. “But—god, this would be easier if Mason wasn’t one of your guys. So, no specifics please, but would you say that the men brought it up first, or you?”

“Probably them.”

“I honestly don’t think this kind of arrangement is on Spencer or Raphael’s radar.”

Kylie was sympathetic. “A lot of people have never considered anything like this and don’t know how wonderful it can be. What we—my guys and I—have is love, not kinky sex.” Her smile turned impish. “Well, love and kinky sex.”

“Stop it,” I said, but I thought about what she said. It was ironic that I was growing closer to Spencer and Raphael, because the only one of the three who I thought might have interest or experience along these lines was Flynn. He seemed the type to be into more wild stuff.

“Look, I don’t think the way it happened for me is going to help. My circumstances were different.” The picture on the screen blurred for a moment, but Kylie’s voice was still clear. “But one thing I’ve learned is that you have to communicate and talk about what you need. Hints don’t help when you’re interested in three very different people. If you’re not straightforward, someone could get hurt.”

Dammit, she had a point. Raphael was already upset just for finding me in Spencer’s bed. Or maybe he’d heard what we’d done in the middle of the night. That thought hit me like a punch to the gut. I’d tried to keep quiet, but the things Spencer had done with his fingers and his mouth had felt so damn good.

“Okay, you’re right. I should talk to them. It just seems like a really awkward conversation to have.”

Kylie shrugged. “But it might lead to something amazing like I have.”

“Perhaps.” In my opinion, the odds of that were pretty low. She’d lucked out.

We talked a bit more, and she told me some stories about an eccentric professor she had. It was funny, and I enjoyed talking to her, but as soon as the call ended, I started brooding again. About Nana. About my job, which wasn’t turning out quite how I’d expected.

But mostly about Spencer and Raphael. I didn’t want to hurt either of them—but I also didn’t want to give either of them up. Not that they were mine in any way, but if Lauren sank her claws in them, she was going to find herself knocked to the floor by a stray crutch. Maybe even more than once.

Later that night, as I was reading in my room, Spencer knocked softly on the doorframe. The door was open, and I waved him in so that he wouldn’t wake the kids.

I was pleased to see him, and I hoped he was here to invite me to sleep in his bed. I honestly did sleep better when I was with him or Raphael. Spooning with them was far more comfortable than sleeping on my back.

But that wasn’t why Spencer was here. He looked tense, and he didn’t sit down when I offered. Instead, he cleared his throat. “You have a visitor.”

Automatically, I glanced at the dark window. “At night?” Immediately, I realized how dumb that was. Surely the time of day wasn’t the most unusual aspect of having a visitor in a town where most of the people I knew lived in this cul-de-sac? Surely if someone from work had planned to visit, they would’ve texted or emailed first.

“He’s out back.” Spencer’s stiffness clued me in. It must be Flynn. But why he wanted to speak to me, and why he didn’t come in, were beyond my comprehension. “Do you need help?”

I shook my head as I swung my legs over the side of the bed and reached for my crutches.

A few minutes later, Spencer closed the sliding glass door behind me. When I looked over my shoulder, he seemed reluctant to leave, but then he turned and walked away.

“Hi,” I said to the dark shape over by the railing that I assumed was Flynn. I held both crutches in one hand while I balanced on my good leg.

“Hey.”

Wait, he was supposed to say more than that. “What’s up?”

For a moment, there was no answer. Then he said, “I thought you might need to get out of the house.”

At night? Then again, maybe he’d heard that I’d been having trouble sleeping. Hopefully he hadn’t heard of the method Spencer had come up with to combat that.

He moved closer, and I could see him better in the faint light from the kitchen. The stubble on his unshaven face looked good, but then he always looked good. “I like it out here,” I said, both to make conversation and because it was the truth.

“It feels like the only part of the house that’s mine.”

That surprised me a little. Did he feel unwelcome in the rest of the house? According to the others, he’d been here often before I moved in.

“You did a fantastic job on the deck.”

“Yeah, well, you’re not the first woman to enjoy my deck .”

He said the last word with a questionable vowel sound. It was meant to be innuendo, obviously, but he didn’t really sound like his heart was in it. He sounded tired, actually. “Why don’t you tell me why you’re here, Flynn?”

“I wanted to show you something.”

“Why?”

“Because if I’d been cooped up in one place for weeks, I’d be going bat-shit crazy.”

I couldn’t really argue with that. “What do you want to show me?”

“It’s down the stairs.”

That presented a problem. I’d never tried to use the crutches on the stairs. However, the steps weren’t that wide. Maybe I could hold onto the banister on either side and lower myself down, only my good foot touching the steps?

But then Flynn moved closer and took the crutches from me. “You won’t need those.”

Yeah, right. He wanted me to go down the steps and out into the uneven ground of the yard without crutches? But since he then picked me up as easily as if I were a wounded lamb in his barn, apparently he did.

I wrapped my arm around his neck and clung to him as he easily descended the stairs. He set me down, and as I reached for the edge of the banister, I caught sight of something moving out of the corner of my eye. My shriek tore through the night air.

“Quiet,” Flynn hissed. “You’ll wake the kids.”

My heart pounded in my chest as I stood face to face with a very unexpected visitor. “You could’ve told me there was a horse down here.”

“That’s Ember. She’s gentle—Charlotte rides her all the time.”

In the dark, all I could tell was that Ember seemed to be mostly gray—which didn’t really match her name. Hesitantly, I reached up and patted the white patch above her nose. “Um, why is she here?”

“She couldn’t sleep, either,” he said. Then he shook his head. “She’s here to carry you.”

“Me? What? Where?” Those were all logical questions, but probably the first one that should’ve occurred to me was how . I hadn’t ridden a horse since I was a kid, and back then, I’d had two working legs.

But that didn’t seem to give Flynn pause. He picked me up again and approached Ember.

“Wait,” I said in as loud a whisper as I dared. “Aren’t you supposed to mount a horse on the left side?” That tidbit had come from movies, not my few rides as a child.

“Ember won’t mind. She’s a good girl. And this way, you can slide your good leg over.”

“But—” My protests were ignored as Flynn moved to Ember’s side. With a certain amount of misgivings, I slid my left leg across the saddle and over her back. My right leg dangled, but due to the bulky cast, it stuck out a little. What if it got caught on something? “How far are we going?”

“Not far.” Flynn was doing something that I couldn’t quite figure out. He put something under my foot and then reached up to Ember’s bridle. When he was done, my bad leg was in a sling of sorts that hung loosely. I wiggled my foot and felt the fabric of the sling give. It was stretchy—maybe it would protect my foot as we rode.

Flynn moved around to the other side and positioned my good foot in the stirrup. I hadn’t even thought to do that. “Hold onto the horn,” he said. After a moment, I figured out he meant the part that stuck up in the front of the saddle.

“Where’s your horse?”

“This is my horse,” he answered.

“You’re going to ride with me?”

“No, I’m going to walk. It’s not far.” He took the reins and strode forward, Ember keeping pace. Soon, the yard was behind us, and Flynn pointed a heavy-duty flashlight at the woods in front of us.

The ride was bumpy, but it wasn’t unpleasant. After I got over my fear of falling off, I had to admit that Flynn’s contraption did keep my leg safe. After a few minutes, I was comfortable enough to enjoy myself.

The night air was cool and refreshing. And the sounds of the woods were more noticeable in the dark. At one point, I heard an owl nearby.

And then the ride was over. Flynn tied Ember to a tree in a little clearing, unhooked the sling, and lifted me down. “We’re here,” he said.

I looked around and saw nothing but trees. “Where? The secret burying ground where you lure your victims to hack them to pieces?”

Flynn gave a snort. “Yes. Spence and Rafe never seem to notice how often the police come round to question me. My brother always tells them how quiet and unassuming I am.” He carried me over to the base of a nearby tree. “Look up.”

He pointed the flashlight that way, and I saw some wooden boards directly over our heads. He panned the light across them until I saw a square hole cut out near the trunk of the tree.

Suddenly, I realized what I was seeing. “The treehouse.” This must be the one that Raphael mentioned, that he and his sister had played in as kids.

“After I heard you and the twins making up stories about a magic treehouse, I came out there to see what kind of shape this one was in. Turns out it wasn’t too bad. I shored it up a bit and added some support, but it’s seaworthy.”

A giggle slipped out of me. “I don’t think treehouses are supposed to be seaworthy.”

“You know what I mean.”

“How come you haven’t shown this to Charlotte and Lucas?”

“I will, tomorrow. That’ll give me time to install the escalator and build a revolving restaurant up top.”

“Seriously, Flynn, this is great. They’re going to love it.”

“I’m sure they will. I just thought you might like to see it first.”

“Why?”

He sighed. “Haven’t we been through this? I thought you might be going stir-crazy and might like an outing.”

“You were right.” I reached a hand out and traced the bars of the ladder that was attached to the trunk. The wood looked new, and I wondered if he’d replaced the whole thing.

“Ready to go up?” he asked.

“Up?” I squeaked.

He shook his head, and I was almost certain he rolled his eyes. “After getting down the stairs and riding on a horse, climbing up an eight-foot ladder doesn’t seem like that insurmountable of a task.”

I had to admit, he was right. “Okay, sure.”