“I heard something very interesting and told myself ‘Derek needs to hear this!’.” She mused, sending a polite nod in Colton’s direction.
“Oh really?” Colton encouraged, looking over at me with faux interest. He was clearly hell-bent on dragging out my torture further.
I blew out an annoyed breath before pursing my lips, and crossed my arms over my chest. I wasn’t getting out of this conversation it seemed, but if she was planning to tell me how she’d just learned Cindy-Anne and I were an item based on some ‘hot-off-the-press’ rumor, I planned to lose it on both of them.
“Yes!” She addressed him loudly, trying to talk over Buttercup’s continuous barking at the sky. I squinted at the dog. Were her eyes facing in different directions?
“It seems the family staying in the cottage on Grove Street will be leaving soon!” Mrs. Anderson exclaimed brightly. “Nearly three weeks early!”
Colton’s face dropped almost instantly and I shot him a questioning look. What did some family moving out have to do with me? Or us for that matter.
Not finding my answer in Colton’s expression, I turned back to Mrs. Anderson.
“Oh?” I asked, trying to show just enough interest to get what I wanted, but not enough to lock us into a thirty minute ordeal.
She nodded enthusiastically which somehow bounced Buttercup into reviving her frantic protest. “Yes! It seems the place will be listed again soon.”
After a pause where my face must’ve clued her into my lack of understanding, she added, “Isn’t that nice? You can get yourself your own place sooner than expected!”
I felt the blood drain from my face. Oh, shit fuck.
I hadn’t even looked at any listings for close to a month.
My eyes immediately shot to Colton who was wearing a blank expression. “Why are they moving out?” He asked.
My eyes darted back to Mrs. Anderson, finding myself hoping it was something that would make the property inhabitable. Like… ants or something.
Mrs. Anderson pursed her lips, giving me a moment of hope, only for her to dash it seconds later. “I heard their oldest daughter got herself into a bit of a situation, if you know what I mean…” She gestured over her stomach in a rounded arch.
Colton’s eyebrows furrowed at that. “Isn’t their daughter a lesbian? They fly a pride flag from the porch every summer they come.” He crossed his arms over his chest, a scowl replacing his previously blank look.
“Oh, well…” Mrs. Anderson shot me a small, uncomfortable grimace like LGBTQIA-allied people living in the home might deter me. “Yes, but it seems she and her… partner… decided they wanted children. Anyway, seems she’s gotten herself pregnant, so the family is heading back to Oklahoma early to celebrate.”
While I wanted to express how wonderful it was that this woman had such a supportive family and how incredible it was that she was pregnant, my head was a mess. My shoulders slumped.
“Anyway,” Mrs. Anderson tittered, “Isn’t that just wonderful news? I’m sure you’re ready to get your own space. The place is only a short-term rental, but it’ll be a good home to help get yourself settled in while you look for something more permanent.” She let out a girlish giggle. “And, who knows, maybe find yourself a lovely wife in the meantime.”
Colton’s scowl deepened at that. My mouth opened toturn down both suggestions, but my eyes found their way back to the man beside me, the words dying on my lips. Two months ago, I’d been hopeful for an opportunity like this, but with it presented to me on a silver platter, I felt conflicted. We had agreed that I’d stay with him just till something came available, but that was before things had changed between us. But, what even were we?
“Well, I must be off.” Mrs. Anderson flapped a hand like we were the ones keeping her locked in conversation. “Buttercup has to get her walks in or she’ll lose her girlish figure.”
She set down the still yapping creature and the pair swept past us in a wave of old lady perfume and wonky bug-eyed energy that left me feeling unsteady.
My body felt stiff with tension, the shock of reality hitting me so squarely across the face causing me to stand there for what felt like a lifetime as I tried to process. Somehow, the end of the summer had snuck up on me faster than I’d realized, leaving me feeling surprisingly unnerved. This was all supposed to be temporary, but now? I wasn’t ready to move out… but what did Colton want? When he turned to head up the driveway, I absently followed after him, still reeling.
His scowl seemed to be permanently etched onto his face as we made our way back into the house, but the moment the door was shut, Colton whirled around on me, abruptly blurting, “The Grove Street house is really tiny.”
I blinked, trying to add this information into the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions I was working through right now. My lack of response seemed to spur him on. “It’s a lot smaller than here. You’d be cramped, for sure.” Those green eyes bore into me expectantly and the lightbulb went off in my head.
“Oh,” I nodded, taking the lifeline he had thrown me. “I don’t want to move somewhere too small.”
“Right, so that house isn’t a good option for you.”
“Yeah, not a good fit.”
Tensionmelted from Colton’s body, that scowl slowly being replaced by his gentle smile, and watching it dissipate had me sucking in what felt like the first breath since Mrs. Anderson had ambushed us. Did this mean he didn’t want me moving out?
Instead of giving any clarification, Colton ran a hand over his head and sighed. “You wanna go to the farmer’s market? We still have time.”
