I meant that the deadline for the deposit is the only thing fueling my desire to get started on the Jessop house; not that I’m trying to push her out. Instead, Lizzie now looks offended that I care for the money she’s paying me over anything else.
“Lizzie I—”
“No, it’s fine,” she cuts me off, her tone of voice sounding forced even to me. “I get that I’m an inconvenience here, Caleb. I’m not what you signed on for and I understand that. You don’t have to apologize for it. I’m just thankful you’re still letting me stay.”
“No wait, I—”
“I wasn’t kidding when I told Jace it had been a long week,” she says. “I’m gonna head inside, take a shower and then park it out here with a book. I think some time to ourselves might be best after the week we’ve had.”
Like we hadn’t spent enough time apart already?
“You really like that chair?” I ask on impulse, even though it’s literally the least important thing right now.
“What?” The sudden change of topic has thrown her. She glances at the chair, back at me, and then at the chair again. “Are you kidding? It’s gorgeous. I love that thing.”
And before I can bring us back around to the whole ‘I hate having you in my house and only care about the money’ thing, she disappears inside and leaves me standing alone in the front yard. The little moment of warm, fluttery pride is immediately drowned beneath self-hatred and I’m left seething over my own idiocy.
The next log I split goes sailing once more into the woods and it takes me at least ten minutes to find the damn thing.