Ellie West has her life all mapped out, but after disappointing news, she's forced to take in the mysterious Seth Carter as a roommate.
Can the arrangement work?
Sure.
As long as she can accept his past, embrace his demons and maintain a firm gri...
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One six-hour flight and one Uber ride later, I arrive at my new home. Fresh, warm air fills my lungs and grey stucco greets me. The one-story house is quaint, and although the idea of sharing it with another employee has me wary, I smile.
I ascend the three stairs and see a note on the door, explaining my key is under the mat. Lifting it, I freeze at the My Little Pony decal smiling at me from below.
Seth.
I can't decide how to judge the pulsing of my heart. It's frantically beating a rhythm in my head, muddling my thoughts, until I realize how ridiculous I'm being.
It can't be him. I'm in California. This is a company house. It was probably the last tenant's key.
Regardless, my hands shake as I lift the key and unlock the door, opening it to an open floor plan. Oak floorboards, two light blue couches and two desks catch my attention first. Then my sight lands on the three planks of wood leaning against a bare wall, the hinges, pile of nails, and hammer beside it indicating the bookshelf it's to become.
"Like the key, roomie?"
The deep vibrato of that voice shoots all the way to my toes.
Turning to the left, I catch Seth lifting a pan of–what appears to be–homemade Mac 'N Cheese onto the kitchen island.
My knees go weak, blood drains from face. I try to formulate words, but my mouth refuses to move. Those gorgeous eyes of his connect with mine and the walls I've been building over the past month tumble down as my heart pounds a hopeful throb in my chest.
"What are you doing here?" It's soft. A whisper, barely intelligible.
"Just trying to do the right thing. Someone taught me the importance of that." He snaps his fingers, feigning guilt. "But, shit, we're you trying to run from me? If so, sorry I put a kink in that plan."
My eyes narrow. Although my chest is suddenly alive with optimism, I can't get ahead of myself. This guy broke my heart and left me as I attempted to heal for a month. It's going to take more than him showing up in my house and baking a cheesy masterpiece to have me handing it back over to him.
"You're the expert. You tell me."
My remark hits, tugging his lips down until he recovers with a smirk. "I think you are."
I lower my purse onto the couch and walk to the island. "Let me guess, you're here to do something about that."
"Give me more credit than that." He laughs, swiping his hand through the air. I hate how its rumble strikes deep in my belly. "I started the process weeks ago."
The dots connect in my head and it suddenly makes sense. "With Calvin." The timing of his arrest. The information from a currently unidentified source. The correlation makes my mouth drop.
