I fought the urge to scream. I was so tired of her looking at me as if I might break. “I’m fine. I was just thinking that I need to start looking for a job.”
“You can come work for me at the sanctuary—”
“No,” I cut her off. As much as I loved the home for abused and abandoned animals that Everly had created, I didn’t want a pity hire. The problem was, I wasn’t qualified for anything—no high school diploma, and certainly no college degree. Maybe I could get a job at the library restocking books. That was something I knew that wouldn’t require much person-to-person contact.
I did my best to give Everly a reassuring smile. “I’ll find something. I just want to do it on my own.”
“I’m meddling again, aren’t I?”
This time, the smile that came to my face was genuine. “Maybe a little.” I waved her into the kitchen and filled the kettle with water. “I appreciate you wanting to help, but I need to learn to do things myself.”
Everly slid onto a stool at the island, pulling a box of cookies from her bag and opening it. “I get that. It’s just hard for me not to try to make things easier where I can.”
I grabbed a box of tea from the cabinet, along with two mugs. “I know.” Everly was a helper and hated to see any creature—human or animal—hurting. Yet something about the actions made me feel weak, which only stoked my simmering anger.
The kettle whistled, and I poured the water into the mugs. “So, how are things at the sanctuary?”
“Amazing. We’ve got three school field trips this week alone, and lots of families signed up to volunteer this weekend.”
“That’s great.” I set our mugs on the counter and took a stool, leaving one open between us. “How’s Hayes? I haven’t seen him in a while.”
The soft look that overtook Everly’s face had me gripping the sides of my stool, a wave of jealousy whipping through me. The corners of her mouth tipped up. “He’s wonderful. Working more than he should, but what’s new?”
“That’s good.”
We were quiet for a moment as if after pleasantries, Everly and I didn’t have a whole lot to talk about. That burned, cutting deep into memories of a time we’d shared everything.
She cleared her throat. “I actually wanted to run something by you.”
I shifted to face her, my hand curling around the warm mug of tea. “Okay.”
“If you hate the idea, we can scrap it. It might be too much, too soon, and the last thing Hayes or I want is for you to feel uncomfortable—”
“Everly,” I
cut her off. “Just ask.”
She gave me a sheepish smile. “You know how Beckett bought that piece of property and is building a house?”
I nodded. Of course, I knew. As much as Beckett scared the crud out of me, I was fascinated by him at the same time. My ears couldn’t help but pick up details about him every time I was at the Eastons’ home.
“It’s going to be about a year before it’s done, and he’s going crazy living at the ranch. He says Julia’s going to mother him to death.”
My jaw clenched. The matriarch of the Easton clan didn’t always get it right, but she cared. She did her best to make sure her children knew that they were loved and did everything in her power to make sure they were safe. Beckett didn’t know how lucky he was.
When I didn’t say anything, Everly pushed on. “This house is so big. There are three bedrooms not being used. What would you think about having a roommate?”
The whole world around me slowed as blood roared in my ears. Beckett. Living here. My pulse pounded as I took a sip of tea. “He can have the house. I can find an apartment.” It would likely be a hovel, but that was fine.
Everly’s face fell. “No, we don’t want you to move out. Beckett can find somewhere else to stay. It was just that all the apartments he looked at were awful, so I got this grand idea.”
Guilt swamped me. Hayes had been so incredibly generous to let me stay here for so long. Was I really going to force his brother into a crappy apartment, one that I should’ve been living in? “He can stay here.”
The second the words were out, I wanted to take them back. I couldn’t even look Beckett in the eyes. How was I supposed to live with him for a year?
“Really?” Everly leaned forward, studying me. “You’re sure? It’s not too much?”
I swallowed, my dry throat sticking on the action. “I’m sure. He can have the main bedroom. I stay in one of the guest rooms.” At least, that meant we’d be on opposite sides of the house. I’d simply retreat to my room as soon as humanly possible each day. Maybe Beckett wouldn’t be home much. He probably had friends and girlfriends and a full life to keep him busy.