Page 33 of Don’t Go Breaking My Heart

Her cheeks flushed, and she looked away. “No! I’ve been busy.”

“Busy avoiding me,” I pressed. “I thought we turned a corner or something, but now it’s like I’m just some random guy fixing up your house.”

“You are fixing up my house,” she muttered, her tone defensive.

I narrowed my eyes at her. “Cut the crap, Merritt. We’ve known each other too long for this. If you want to keep things professional, fine. But don’t pretend like you didn’t have fun the other night. I know I did. It’s been a long time since I could say that and actually mean it.”

Her face softened, but she still wouldn’t look at me. “I’m not mad at you, Kannon.”

“Then what the hell is going on? Why does it feel like I’m being punished?” My voice rose slightly. I took a deep breath to rein it in. “Was it because I made fun of your feet? Because they’re not that big. It’s just fun to tease you about them.”

She shook her head. “No, everything is fine.”

Memories of Leah flooded in, unbidden and unwanted. This was exactly the kind of thing she used to do. One minute, we’d be good—better than good—and the next, she’d be cold, distant, impossible to read. I’d spent years trying to figure out how to be the man she needed, how to keep her happy, but I never cracked the code.

I twisted myself into a pretzel trying to make her happy. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t. I apologized for shit I didn’t know I did and shit I didn’t remember doing. I hated that feeling, like I was standing on quicksand. There was no way I was going to do that again.

I shook my head, forcing the thoughts away. Leah was gone. This wasn’t about her. Merritt was not Leah.

“Talk to me, Merritt.”

Her lips pressed together, and she looked like she was wrestling with herself. “Did you finish the sink in the master bath?”

I blinked. “What?”

“I need to finish cleaning that bathroom,” she said. “If the sink is fixed, I’ll go do it.”

“That’s not what we’re talking about,” I said, frustration tinging my voice. “Merritt, I’m trying to understand what’s going on with us.”

She sighed, a long, weary exhale as if the weight of the conversation was too much. “I know. I’m sorry. It’s just… complicated.”

“Complicated how? Because from where I’m standing, it looks pretty simple. You’re avoiding me. If there’s a problem, let’s just tackle it head on. We’ve always been able to talk about anything.”

“That was a long time ago, Kannon. We’re not fifteen.”

“Exactly. We’re twenty-eight and should be able to talk like adults. It’s not like we’re speaking different languages. I know you, Merritt. You can talk to me. Is it the house? Do you not like the flooring we picked out? If you wanted the other stuff, you should have spoken up. But anything can be changed if you want.”

“It’s not the floors,” she said. “I like the floors. You were right. They look good and they make the place look a lot bigger.”

“Then what is it?” I asked. My frustration was hitting a new high. I was ready to put a hammer through the newly painted walls. I stood up and paced for a few seconds. “You know what, never mind. Fuck it.”

I stomped out of the house and went outside. The porch creaked under my weight. That needed to be handled soon. Wes and Luke were going to start painting the outside of the house tomorrow. The weather looked like it was going to be perfect for the job. The roof was patched and was ready for the replacement shingles.

I took a few deep breaths in an attempt to clear my head. I didn’t know why I was letting her get under my skin. I shouldn’t care if she was cold to me. She would be going back to Miami in a couple weeks anyway. It was just a house, just a project. But damn it, it wasn’t just that. I knew it, and deep down, I think she knew it too.

I walked back into the house. Merritt’s laptop was still on the floor but she wasn’t there. I could hear her in the bathroom. I walked down the hall and spotted her with the yellow rubber gloves on and her ass in the air. She was furiously scrubbing the tub.

“Merritt,” I said. She didn’t stop scrubbing, didn’t even look up. “My temper got away from me. Can we please talk about this so I don’t lose my mind?”

Finally, she paused and sat back on her heels. “Please don’t make me say this.”

“Say what?” I asked. Now that I knew something was for sure wrong, I had to know more.

I crouched down next to her, trying to meet her gaze. She looked like she was absolutely miserable. I didn’t know how to help her.

“I had a sex dream about you, okay?” She blurted out the words on a rushed breath.

I blinked a few times, not sure I heard her correctly. The words had tumbled out so fast they could have easily been something else. I tossed them around in my head a few times and no matter which way I tried it, I heard what I heard.