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“No, I mean, I’m supposed to be rooming with girls. Is this the wrong house?”
“Not if you’re Abbey Bly.” He regards me with skeptical concern. Like I’m the hysterical woman fighting with a shopping cart in the cereal aisle. “I’m Lee Clarke. Welcome to London.”
2
MY FATHER IS GOING TO KILL ME.
Forget London crime. In about ten hours or so, I’ll have a murderer from Tennessee on my doorstep, straight up ready to strangle me for this boneheaded mistake. Well, innocent error, really. But semantics aren’t going to save me from imminent death here.
I continue to gape at Lee. “And the other housemates are guys too?” I mutter more to myself as I notice the sneakers in the corner and the jackets hanging on the hooks behind the door.
“Afraid so, luv.” He gives me a pitying pout. “But don’t let their smell put you off. They’re really quite lovely otherwise.”
I start rereading emails and text messages in my head, searching for clues. I’d checked the box for female roommates when I signed up on the house-sharing site. I just assumed…
“Wait, but why would you ask for a female roommate?”
Not that Lee’s giving off creeper vibes, but this is exactly the kind of thing my dad’s vivid paranoia warned me about.
“Online you mean? Didn’t make a difference to us. I left the gender preference open.”
Great. I’ve never felt so personally attacked by androgynous names.
That’s it. This whole plan is blowing up in my face. Not only will Dad be furious I’m sharing a house with three dudes, he’ll take it asevidence I can’t be trusted to fend for myself. One simple task and I manage to screw it up.
“You okay?” Lee is frowning at me.
I rub one temple, feeling a headache coming on. “This is embarrassing.”
“I’ve got the cure for that.”
Then he’s off to the kitchen, coming back a moment later with a glass of wine that he places in my hand.
“There you go. For the nerves.”
I take a hasty gulp. I don’t know if it helps, but when the driver places the first load of bags in the doorway, I accept this isn’t a jet-lagged hallucination. I’m not still on the plane, suffering a fevered dream brought on by champagne and airline food.
Well, shit.
“I’m fine,” I lie, because a complete meltdown ten seconds after walking in the door seems rude. “Just tired. Long flight. Anyway, these things happen, right?”
“Happy accidents.” He shrugs. “I like to think I’m an everything-happens-for-a-reason person. I mean, I’m not, but I like to think I am.” Lee smiles to himself and mimes flipping his hair. “Who knows, Abbey Bly. This could be the start of a gorgeous friendship.”
Sure, if I’m not hauled back on a plane by this time tomorrow. Lee seems great and all, but I don’t see how I’ll be allowed to stick around long enough to become more than an anecdote.
Apparently sensing my growing discomfort, his smile falters.
“Hey, it’s all good,” he assures me. “This isn’t what you expected. I promise we’re not a bunch of weirdos. And you’re welcome to stay. But if you’d feel better in a hotel tonight, I totally get that. Take a night to yourself, see how things look in the morning?”
I do consider his offer. I could turn around and get back in the car. Spend the night contemplating my situation and approach it again when all the roommates are here. But then I’d have to put a hotel on the credit card, and the statements go to my dad. Plus I’mpretty sure at this point he’s got alerts set up if I spend more than fifty bucks. Before my head even hits the pillow, I’ll get a frantic call wondering what the hell I’m up to.
No. Despite this hiccup, I remind myself that I’ve spent the past several weeks conversing with Lee via email. And he was fully vetted by the house-sharing site. Besides, I don’t get an axe-murderer vibe off him or anything. I’d like to think I have a good radar for homicidal maniacs.
“If it’s all right with you,” I tell him, “I’d like to stay.”
“Right then.” Beaming at me, Lee jerks his head toward the stairs. “We’ll save the pleasantries and tour for tomorrow. Let’s get you off to bed.”
At the top of the steps, he informs me that Jack’s and Jamie’s rooms are down to the right. We go left toward three doors.
