“No way. You could be a weirdo!”
“Youcould be a weirdo,” he retorts.
I roll my eyes. “I’m not a weirdo.”
“I’m not either.”
I heave a heavy sigh.
Max pats my shoulder then steps back. “Just stay in the house with me. I’ve been sleeping in the studio room anyhow, so the master bedroom can be all yours. It’s already been painted so it’s ready to move in.”
I stare at him, hoping that if I just watch him long enough, I’ll know what to do. I have never lived with a guy. Of course, this isn’t some kind of romance thing. It’s just a weird coincidence. I won’t even have to acknowledge him if I don’t want to. I’ll just stay in my bedroom until he’s gone.
“Call your mom,” I say, thinking on my feet just like Rosa would do.
He lifts an eyebrow, but he doesn’t question me. He takes a phone from his jeans pocket, touches the screen, and then holds it out to me.Mamais on the screen, and it’s ringing.
I put the phone to my ear. “Hey, Son,” the voice on the other line says. “What’s going on?”
“This isn’t Max,” I explain. “I’m… Max’s friend.”
“Oh? Gosh, is everything okay?”
“Max is fine. I just wanted to ask if he’s a good guy? Trustworthy? Ethical?”
“Of course he is,” she says, sounding like she’s smiling. “I raised a great man. Quite the gentleman, if you ask me. And… why are you asking me?”
I can’t help but smirk while Max watches me, his teeth digging into his bottom lip. He can only hear one side of this conversation, after all.
“He’s living in the house I just rented while he renovates it, and he said I could stay here while he works. I have nowhere else to go so I just need to know how safe it’ll be.”
“He’ll take good care of you, dear. You get my number from him and you call me anytime, okay? I live here in town. I’ll come smack my son if he does anything that annoys you.”
I laugh. “Thank you, ma’am.”
When the call is over, I hand Max’s phone back to him.
“Well?” he says.
I bite the inside of my mouth to stop myself from realizing how handsome he is. I shrug. It’s not like it matters. “Guess we’re roomies.”
Three
My junior highself must be cringing right now. Young Julie thoughtshewas awkward? She hasn’t even seen how awkward adult Julie can get. I’ve never lived with a man. My ex, Jason, lived in the same building so we were always together, but I still got to go home each night. He didn’t see me in my embarrassing baggy T-shirt pajamas and had no idea I look like a wet dog after showering because my hair gets curly until I straighten it. I worked really hard to be cool and effortless and beautiful around him.
My old mattress was too heavy and awkward to bring to my new place, so I bought one of those foam mattresses that come rolled up in a box that’s easier to manage. After Max and I decided to live together, we called our landlady back and worked it out. I don’t have to pay rent until Max moves out. It’s a good deal financially, but a weird deal overall. This is not how I pictured my first day in my dream home.
Still, I’m going to make the best of it. Max goes back to working on the kitchen and I open the back door of my box trailer, staring at all the contents. I downsized a lot to move here, selling all of my furniture and any big possessions, so I wouldn’t have to move them. I could have hired movers, but I wanted to do this on my own. It’s a fresh start.
I take a deep breath and reach for the box with my mattress in it.
“Let me help,” Max says, his voice so sudden and unexpected that I yelp and hit my head on the short trailer roof.
“Sorry,” he says, somewhat bashfully. “Is your head okay?”
“I’m fine.” I roll my eyes. “I don’t need help.”
I go back to the mattress box, grabbing the perforated handle and dragging it out of the trailer. Max stands in the driveway, watching me. “What?” I say, standing up straight and trying not to let it show that I’m out of breath after only a few seconds with that box.
