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A few minutes later, she walks in wearing a pair of joggers and a shirt that just reaches the waistband of her pants. Her blonde hair is thrown into a messy bun, but her makeup is still on.
“Feel better?” I ask, trying not to make her uncomfortable by staring.
“I’ll never get used to having to dress up for work.”
“Well, you always look really nice.”
Her cheeks pinken. For a second, an image of her naked under me with that flush over her whole body flashes in my mind. I squeeze my eyes shut to erase the image. We’ve made it clear that neither of us should act on the tension that fills the room whenever the two of us are together.
“Thank you, but what I wouldn’t do for a job where I could wear jeans and a T-shirt. Like my dad. The man has it made.”
I chuckle. I never told her that her dad came to visit me at work. Didn’t seem like she’d appreciate it, and if I were her dad and a guy like me was sniffing around, I’d warn him too.
“Where do you work?” I ask.
She takes two beers out of the fridge and hands one to me as I pour in the sesame oil and soy sauce. “My family owns Bailey Timber, and if you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m to take over the company from my mom. She took it over after her parents passed, and I guess I’m the chosen one.”
I stir the rice and look at her from the corner of my eye. “And you’re not happy about that?”
She shrugs. “I guess at some point I must’ve said I wanted it. It’s just always been the expectation, I suppose. I mean, everyone says I’m like my mom.”
“You definitely look like her.”
She smiles. “Except the eyes.” Brinley points at those gorgeous blue eyes that reveal everything going on in her head. Although I only saw her dad’s eyes full of fury.
“Do you enjoy it?”
She grabs two plates and places them on the counter next to me.
I pick them up and swap them for bowls. “Easier in front of the television.”
“Oh, what are you going to watch?”
“I don’t really know, but it’s my one night off and all I want to do is chill.”
Her eyebrows rise.
“Not Netflix and chill, just chill.”
She’s still a little on edge around me, and all I want is for her to let go of her anxiety about me being her roommate. It’s a little uncomfortable, but I could see us becoming good friends since we’ve removed the possibility of romantic feelings.
Her eyes are wide as she looks at me.
“Brinley, relax.” I use my most reassuring voice.
“I am.” Hers comes out high-pitched and squeaky.
“You aren’t. You’re tense like you think something is going to happen.”
She shakes her head and goes into the family room. I peek out of the kitchen and see that she’s arranging spots on the chair and couch. God forbid we sit on the same piece of furniture. The divorce must have been brutal with how standoffish she is.
“It’s just… I don’t know how to explain it.” She doesn’t say anything more than that.
I spoon the fried rice into two bowls and hook my fingers around the beer bottles, bringing it all into the family room.
She helps by taking the beers and setting them on coasters, then taking her bowl. “It smells delicious.”
“Thanks. It’s super easy, but it’s the teriyaki that makes it so good.”
