Chapter Thirteen
Jude
I wake up with a raging headache and the taste of tequila in my mouth.
Memories of the night before come back to me and I’m conflicted about how to feel.
Thanks to Kara, I’ll soon have a place of my own again.
I should be over the moon thrilled, but there’s a dull ache in my heart when I think of leaving Liam’s home.
Logically, I know I need to get over that.
Moving out is for the best. Moving out might be the only way to salvage my friendship with Liam.
Then there’s Ben. He’s sexy, funny, smart, and definitely interested. Spending the evening with him was great for my bruised ego. He’s out and proud and he had no qualms about making it clear he wanted to be with me. After the painful rejection Liam served on me, Ben was everything I needed.
After dinner, we went back to his place and made out on his couch.
He’d wanted me. There had been no confusion in his eyes.
No panic. No wolf-driven frenzy followed by horror.
He’d wanted me and hadn’t been afraid to show it.
And I wanted to want him back. I tried. When he kissed my neck, I closed my eyes and willed my body to respond.
When his hand slid below my waistband, I told myself this was good, this was healthy, this was what moving on looked like.
I’m ashamed to admit that when I left the bar with Ben, I had planned on sleeping with him.
Still stinging from Liam’s rejection, I’d thought maybe Ben could help me forget Liam.
But my wolf wouldn’t settle. As his kisses grew hungrier, every instinct I had pulled away, pulled toward someone else.
When Ben murmured my name, the voice I heard in my heart wasn’t his.
In the end, I couldn’t do it. It felt wrong to use Ben like that.
But I’m still going to keep seeing him. I need the distraction from Liam, and I’m hopeful maybe Ben and I can grow closer.
I’m not going to pine for Liam forever. That wouldn’t be healthy, and I want to be happy and in a relationship, just like he does.
I drag myself out of bed, grab a clean uniform, and head for the bathroom. The hot water helps with the headache but does nothing for the knot in my stomach. When I go downstairs, the house is quiet. Liam isn’t home.
He must have spent the night at Kara’s. I ignore the jealousy that sparks inside of me.
She’s his girlfriend. He has every right to sleep with her.
I still know my decision not to sleep with Ben last night was the correct one.
If and when that happens, it has to be when my head and heart are in a good place.
As I’m finishing my coffee, Kara texts me about dropping by to sign a rental contract. We decide I’ll go by on my lunch hour to sign the contract, drop off the deposit, and also take a tour of the rental property. I’m optimistic my luck might be changing.
When I get to the station, Liam is already there looking tired. He smiles as I approach our shared desk. “Morning,” he says, his tone neutral.
“Morning.” I stop near him. “You’ll have to eat lunch alone today. Kara texted me about the rental. I’m going to go look at it on my lunch break and drop off my deposit.”
He frowns. “Okay.”
I sit down on my side of the desk to do some paperwork. I feel his gaze on me, but I don’t look up.
“So, how was dinner last night?” he casually asks.
“Good.” I force myself to meet his inquisitive gaze. “Ben’s a lot of fun. We had a great time together.”
His mouth tenses. “That’s great. Really great.” The enthusiasm in his voice doesn’t reach his eyes.
“It is great,” I murmur, shifting files on my desk. “I’m also really looking forward to having my own place again.”
“I’ll bet.” He’s quiet for a few moments, then he clears his throat. “How about I come with you to look at the rental?”
I glance up, frowning. “You want to come with me?”
He shrugs. “Sure. I mean, Kara will be there.”
Remember Kara? His girlfriend?
My stomach churns. “Of course you can come.”
“Great,” he says brightly, standing. “We should head to roll call.”
“Yep.” I rise and follow him.
Our morning shift is relatively quiet. Late morning we grab breakfast sandwiches and coffee since we won’t have time to eat on our lunch break. When noon rolls around, we head over to meet Kara at the rental on Elk Street.
It’s a small clapboard cottage set back from the road behind a big spruce tree, with a covered front porch.
The paint is dark green, faded in places but not peeling, and the white shutters look recently replaced.
Snow sits thick on the porch railing and along the roof peaks.
It’s the kind of place that would look good on a Christmas card, quiet and unassuming. I like it immediately.
Kara’s car is already in the driveway when we pull up. Liam parks behind her, and we walk up the front steps together. There’s a rusted mailbox by the door and hooks where a porch swing probably hung in warmer months. I find the place charming. Quaint. Serene.
Inside is a different story.
Kara is standing in the kitchen with her phone pressed to her ear and a strained expression on her face.
The reason for her distress is obvious. There are a few inches of water covering the kitchen floor.
The wood flooring is warped in places, buckling up where moisture has gotten underneath.
Industrial fans are set up in the hallway and living room, humming loudly, and a plumber is on his knees under the kitchen sink, tools spread around him, muttering to himself.
“What the hell?” Liam mutters, scowling at the flooded room.
“This is not good.” I run a hand over my head, anxiety eating at me.
Kara tucks her phone away and approaches, face flushed. “I was just about to call you, Jude.” She sighs, looking down at the inches of water surrounding us. “As you can see, there’s a problem.”
“Yeah.” I look at the buckled flooring. “What happened?”
“A water line froze and burst. Probably happened a couple of days ago, but nobody caught it until the cleaning company came by this morning to get the place ready for you.”
“Damn.” I let out a harsh breath. “Does that mean I won’t be able to move in after all?”
“Well, not right away. Obviously.” She grimaces. “The good news is insurance will cover the repairs. The bad news is it’s going to take at least two weeks before the place is livable.”
My stomach sinks. Two more weeks at Liam’s place will be both torture and ecstasy. While a part of me is relieved not to leave his side, I’m worried things will get worse between us if we don’t have some distance from each other. Liam might start overthinking everything.
“Why would it take so long?” I scowl. “Back in Atlanta companies can install a wood floor in a day.”
She sighs. “If only.” She waves to the room.
“A burst pipe in winter can do more damage than just the visible floor warping. The water has to fully dry out before any repairs can start. That alone can take a week or more, especially in a cold climate where you can’t just open windows.
They’ll run industrial dehumidifiers and fans around the clock, but if the subflooring is saturated, which it probably is if the pipe leaked slowly before fully bursting, they can’t just lay new hardwood over wet subfloor or it’ll warp again within months. ”
Liam winces. “The landlord isn’t going to risk that.”
“No,” Kara agrees. “Also, if water got into the walls, there’s a mold risk. An inspector will need to check for mold before anyone signs off on occupancy, and if mold is found, that’s remediation before repairs can even begin.”
“God.” I groan, feeling dejected. I thought I had the housing situation settled, but apparently not.
Kara sighs, looking as unhappy as me. “Not to mention this is a small mountain town and it’s peak ski season. Contractors and plumbers are already booked solid with higher paying jobs.”
The plumber pulls his head out from under the sink, nodding. “To be honest, I’m only here today because it was Kara who called me. I owe her big for finding me and my wife an amazing house.”
Kara smiles at him. “And I’m so grateful you showed up, James. I can’t thank you enough.”
“Anything for you, darlin’.” James winks and goes back to work.
I grimace. “With all those repairs, is it even realistic to think it’ll only be a two-week delay?”
“Well,” Kara says. “If the water isn’t in the walls, yes.”
“This is really frustrating,” I rasp.
Kara’s laugh is brittle. “Tell me about it.”
I try not to bristle, but she’s acting like she’s the one who’s being inconvenienced. As eager as she is to get me out of Liam’s house, she’d probably hire a hit man if she knew he’d kissed me.
Liam claps me on the back. “There’s nothing that can be done about the situation,” he says brightly. “Just have to make the best of things.”
“I guess,” I say, painfully aware of his touch.
Kara’s expression is sour. “Looks like you’re stuck with a roommate a while longer, babe. Unless something else opens up.”
“No problem,” Liam says. “Jude knows he’s welcome as long as he needs.”
“Yes.” Her voice is curt. She’s not even bothering to hide her displeasure.
“Can I still sign the lease?” I ask. “Lock it in so it doesn’t go to someone else?”
“Absolutely.” Kara brightens at that. “I have the paperwork with me. If you have the deposit, you can sign today and the place will be yours as soon as the repairs are done.”
“Let’s do that then. I don’t want to let this place slip away. I’m sure it’s a great house when it’s not literally underwater.”
“It’s a great home.” She nods. “Let me give you a tour. You haven’t even seen the place yet.”