Chapter 25
CHAPTER 25
LOUISE
I hummed a happy tune as I fluffed the last pillow, carefully setting it in the center of the bed Eve would use while she stayed with us for a few weeks.
“Not bad if I do say so myself,” I said with a grin as I stepped back and studied the room.
I’d made certain to create an inviting space for her, focusing on small touches like a desk where she could work stocked with all the well-worn translation books she used at home, a comfortable bed with Egyptian cotton sheets and a fluffy duvet for when she slept, and a generously-sized closet that I’d stocked with new clothes to make sure she looked recovery-chic while rooming with my future ex and her future husband.
My mind stuck on that statement for a second, my nose wrinkling. The comment she’d made about me falling for Spencer still stuck in my mind. Hopefully while she lived here, she’d see that there was absolutely nothing between us, and then she’d finally open up to Spencer.
I heaved a sigh. Of course, Spencer had to open up to her. I really hoped living together for weeks would mean he’d actually kiss her.
With a huff, I made a mental note to talk to him about it. Maybe a movie night in the living room with a cozy fire, the sounds of the sea outside, and a romantic movie playing in the background while they canoodled under a blanket.
I grinned and clapped my hands. This plan was definitely going to work.
Spencer cleared his throat behind me. “Uh, I got Eve all set up on the couch.”
I spun to find him hovering in the doorway, eyeing my final touches on her room. “This looks nice.”
“I aim to please,” I said with a smile.
“Looks like you pleased yourself,” he answered. “Were you applauding your own efforts?”
“Not exactly.”
He studied me for a moment before he bobbed his head. “Well, I’ll be in my office. I’ll just…try to stay out of everyone’s hair.”
“Uh-uh-uh,” I said with a wiggle of my finger, “get your bottom back in here, Spencer Whitaker.”
He winced as he reversed course and stepped back into Eve’s bedroom. “Yes?”
“You are not going to hide in your office, Spencer.” I settled my arms across my chest.
“Well, I mean, I’m sure Eve is going to be working a lot. You are going to be spending a lot of girl time together. And…while she’s recovering, she’s not going to want me to be hounding her.”
“Hounding her? Spencer, it’s time you started to hound. Because what you have been doing so far has been weak, sugar.”
“What? It hasn’t been weak. I’ve been bringing my A game.”
“ This is what you call your A game? Darlin’, you need to redefine your letter grades because this is C-level at best.”
Spencer frowned at me. “Well, I just…Eve…look–”
“No, you look, I have managed to get her living under the same roof as you for weeks. This is the perfect opportunity for you to get closer to her, learn more about her, to kiss her.”
“Oh, the kiss again,” he said, throwing his arms in the air. “Stop with the kiss already, Lou. I’m not going to force a kiss on her now.”
“You’d hardly be forcing it,” I said with a scoff.
“Really? Because look at this from a perspective outside of these romantic rose-colored glasses you keep wearing. No wonder Eve thinks this is going to end like a rom-com. You keep treating it like one.”
“What?” I tugged my chin back toward my chest.
“Yeah,” Spencer said with a nod. “Yeah, I did my research after you brought it up to me. I watched some of those ridiculous movies. And contrary to what they say, it’s creepy to basically force a girl to live with you so you can prey on her like a wolf.”
I raised my eyebrows in the air as my jaw dropped open. “You must be joking, Spence. Kissing Eve at this point in your relationship isn’t creepy.”
“It is when you’ve basically contrived a situation where she’s trapped under your roof.”
“You would have kissed her at that lighthouse had it not been for her cold,” I argued.
“But I didn’t. And now it looks like I’m forcing the issue. I just…want to give her space. I don’t want it to look like I’m preying on her.”
“Oh, hardly, Spencer. Stop making excuses and just do it already. In fact, why don’t you plan your next date while she’s here.”
“I don’t think she’s going to be up for going out right now.”
I shrugged. “Who said anything about going out? Movie night, right downstairs. The lights are low, the fire is glowing, a couple is falling in love on that big old television you have. And you and Eve are snuggled under a blanket, your arms wrapped around each other, then–”
“Stop, stop. I don’t need to hear your X-rated version of what happens next.”
“X-rated?” I exclaimed, swatting at him. “If you think a kiss is X-rated–”
“Stop,” he said, waving a hand in the air. “Look, umm, let’s let this simmer for a few days, okay? Just…let her settle in and then we’ll see how she feels. If she seems up for it, I’ll…ask her about a movie night. Or a game night.” A smile crossed his lips as he said it.
“No games.” I stuck my hands on my hips. “Spencer, the game is just a way to avoid being closer to her because your hands are all tied up with that stupid controller.”
“Well…like I said, we’ll see. If she seems to be settling in okay, I’ll…talk to her about a date night here in the good old homestead.” He grinned at me, but I could read the lie in his eyes.
He was kicking the can down the road and hoping he wouldn’t have to deal with it later. He should have known better. Because I would stomp on that can before he could kick it again.
“All right,” I said with a nod. “Now, I have a few more things to attend to, so why don’t you trot downstairs and keep Eve company until I can get down there to be with her?”
I was going to force them together whether they liked it or not.
“Oh, uh, I mean, I left her with the remote, but…”
“Spencer,” I said through clenched teeth.
“Okay, okay. I’ll be a good host and go keep her company. But don’t take forever, okay? I feel weird. Like she can’t get away from me if she wants to.”
“That’s nonsense. She likes you, Spence. Now, get down there and talk to Eve.”
With a reluctant nod, he shuffled from the room. I made a few more adjustments before I left the room, checking my phone for updates on the other arrangements I’d made for Eve like a physical therapist, a masseuse, and a yoga instructor.
Everything was on track for my bestie’s recovery. I finished before I’d expected, but I wasn’t about to interrupt Spencer and Eve if they were connecting.
But I was going to eavesdrop. Now, don’t go judging me. I was doing it for purposes of research. I needed to know the friction points so I could grease the right wheels.
With my phone on silent, I crept downstairs and hovered in the hallway outside of the living room.
“…think we need to adjust something, that’s for sure,” Eve’s quiet voice said.
I tilted my ear toward the space, struggling to hear the hushed conversation. What was the big secret?
“I know. I just don’t know how. I mean…I just feel like she’s not even close to finding happiness.”
“I feel awful about it. Every single date we’ve set her up on has turned out miserable.”
Warmth and annoyance swirled inside me simultaneously. They were connecting at least. Unfortunately, it was over my love life instead of theirs.
I had to find a way to make them connect over their own lives and not mine.
“Well, I guess we could…tweak her profile or my algorithm? See if we can get some new faces in the mix who won’t be jerks.”
“I don’t know,” Eve answered. “Maybe all these people on dating apps are not looking for true love.”
“Then we’re really in trouble. We’ll never help Lou find her happiness. And if she doesn’t find it–”
“No one can,” Eve finished.
My nose wrinkled as I slinked away from the room. I’d been dumping dates faster than cats shed their coats in the summer. I thought it would be the perfect plan. Spencer and Eve would keep dating as long as I did.
But it looked like I’d exhaust the dating pool before these two ever bothered to think about their own happiness. I had to change my strategy.
My eyebrows knitted as I climbed the stairs, my mind searching for the right way forward.
I reached the top, my eyes going wide as my jaw fell open. “I know what to do!”
With a grin, I rushed to my room and shut myself inside, toggling on my phone.
I downloaded one of those dating apps I’d sworn off and searched for my profile. I found it, wondering why Spencer used that picture of me. “No time for that now, Lou. Focus.”
I plopped on my bed, kicking off my shoes before I rolled onto my belly and read my own profile, making a few mental notes.
With a grin on my face, I scrambled to sit, pulling my legs underneath me as I quickly filled in a profile that would match mine perfectly.
As a finishing touch, I added a photo that I knew Eve would like. I arched my eyebrow as I stared at the almost finished product before I pressed the button to publish the profile.
With a happy squeal, I switched to my text messages and fired one off to Theo. Guess what, sugar? I’m jumping back into the dating pool. And you’re going to help me swim. You are going to be my next match on a dating app. All we have to do is pretend we’re just dating, and we’ll be all set.
With a clap of my hands, I reveled in my new course. I’d “meet” Theo, we’d go on a few dates, all while Spencer and Eve continued to date, and then I’d announce how happy we were and that he could be “the one.”
Then, those two could relax, stop focusing on me, and prioritize each other. While I found my happy, they’d find theirs. Then we’d all be happy together.
I had to wait a few days for my plan to work, but finally, over breakfast a few days later, Spencer announced that he had a new man for me.
I feigned interest, playing a little coy. “Oh?”
“Uh-huh,” he said with a nod as he flashed Theo’s profile at me.
“Theo,” I read, narrowing my eyes. “Not sure I love the name, but…”
“Oh, come on, Lou,” Spencer said as Eve pushed the eggs around on her plate. “What’s in a name?”
“I didn’t say no. I’m game. I’m committed to finding my happiness, so we’ll give Leo a go.”
“Theo,” Spencer corrected.
“Right, I said. Theo. Got it. So, when do Theo and I meet?”
“At the club, tomorrow night.”
I struggled not to grin at the words, instead giving them a simple nod of agreement.
“I really hope he’s a winner, Lou,” Eve said.
“So do I, sugar, so do I. But you know…I’ve got a good feeling. I just know I’m going to find my happy.”
I grinned at them both, pleased my plan was working. If everything worked the way I wanted, Spencer would be putting a ring on Eve’s finger soon and I would have succeeded in marrying off my husband.