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“You mentioned that, but honestly, you don't seem that upset about it,” Gemma added.
I laughed a little. “No, not really. I was planning to break up with him anyway. I learned two things: She was a shitty roommate, and I had a good reason to break up with him. He's already cheated on her too.”
“Comes around, goes around,” Gemma said, nodding sagely.
“Did you really swear off relationships forever?” Cammi pressed.
I shrugged. “I'm kind of opinionated, and it's possible I might be difficult to deal with.”
“Difficult?” Cammi looked puzzled.
“Outspoken, blunt. I'm not great at sucking up to guys,” I explained.
“Neither are we,” Daphne replied.
“Yeah, but you have a softer touch than me. I feel like I'm all sharp edges.”
“I think you're just trying to find excuses,” Gemma commented.
That was true, but I wasn't about to fess up to that.
“Maybe you don't want to be in a relationship, but ruling it out for no good reason is kind of silly,” Daphne commented.
I bit back a sigh, and my heart twisted sharply. I knew she had a point, and thinking about my emotional resignation when it came to relationships tended to remind me how much I wanted a family. I loved kids. Fiercely. Babies were the cutest. They smelled good. They were chubby. Their skin was soft, and they were magic.
Yet I just didn't have the best luck with relationships. I was almost thirty, and it felt like my biological clock was on fire. Even though I knew better intellectually, that's just how it felt.
“Maybe someday,” I said nonchalantly. Just then, my heart fluttered oddly, and I felt my pulse race. I ignored it.
Daphne looked at me quietly. I loved Daphne. I hadn’t known her for all that long, but she was sort of a mother hen, always taking care of everyone. She wanted everyone she loved to be happy. She seemed to have decided that meant finding their person.
“Maybe I don't want to find my person,” I said, lifting my chin a little. “Maybe I'll be that single girl who lives a bold life.”
Cammi cast me one of her sunny smiles, reaching over to give me a side hug. “Of course, you will.”
ChapterFive
HARLEY
That night, I glanced over at Cat and Grant sitting on opposite sides of the sectional, bickering over what to watch. I was at a small table where I often worked on my laptop in the evenings.
“Just pick something, or I'll be the tiebreaker,” I called over.
Cat glanced at me. “What do you want to watch? Let's vote.”
I shook my head quickly. “Surely you two can solve this. When it comes to television, you two turn into ten-year-olds.”
Grant narrowed his eyes before he burst out laughing. That was the thing about him. He was a pretty easygoing guy, which made him all that much more attractive. I still hadn't been able to put the sight of his bare chest out of my mind.
“Do you want to play cards?” Cat asked.
“Why did card night stop out here?” I asked.
“Because we're the only people left,” Grant said dryly.
“Are we not worthy of card night?” Cat countered.
“No, but we have to invite everybody over,” Grant pointed out. “You should do girls’ night cards,” he added as he leaned back into the couch cushions.
