Chapter 15

MIKE

Ireclined on the ground beside the fire pit, Tammy's head on my stomach. Staring up at the night beyond the cabin, I felt small. I could hear Dillon and Jason talking quietly to each other, but I couldn't hear the women's voices. Maybe, like Tammy, they were all dozing or lost in thought like I was.

I felt bad for getting the cabin instead of Tammy. Without knowing that she was my competition, I had called the guy back earlier that day. I wanted to explain what would come up on my background check, and he said he had seen it already. He said that he had been considering denying my application, but he would listen to what I had to say. I explained the situation, explained that I wasn't a drug addict, that I had never been high, never sold anything illegal, and that I had been framed.

I didn't tell him that I had been the one to frame myself, by stepping in and helping Porter when I could have walked away. But I assured the landlord that I was working a good job now, and I had been taking piss tests every week and passing them. I could tell the guy wanted to give me a break. Sometimes people will surprise you.

The landlord decided to take a chance. He warned me that if I embroiled the property in any drug scandal, he would press charges. I had thought myself lucky, that the stars were finally starting to align. But now I learned that Tammy was the person I had beat out, and I felt awful. She was going to have to continue crashing in her cousin's laundry room, and she might not even find as nice a place whenever she did.

I knew she'd told me to take it, but I couldn't stop thinking about the problem. There had to be a solution that wouldn't leave either of us in the lurch. I slow kissed her good night beside my truck, promising to text her as soon as I got home. That night, I thought about it while brushing my teeth, I thought about it when I was stripping off my clothes and hopping into bed, and I thought about it as I waited for sleep to overtake me. In the morning, I woke up with a plan.

It was obvious. Hadn't the other couple, Tammy's boss and her husband, been roommates in their cabin before they were married? I wasn't ready to propose but sharing the house with a person that I cared for would be even better than living on my own. Maybe it was a little early in our relationship to move in together, but we could be responsible. We could break down the chores and each pay half of the rent. I wouldn't have to spend my entire savings, and Tammy wouldn't have to break the bank either.

I couldn't wait to run the idea by her, but I thought it deserved more than a text message. We were both working, and I was pretty sure she took a one-o'clock lunch break. I scheduled my own lunch for one and hopped in the truck to go see her. There was no one at the front desk when I came in the door, but Lindsey was hard at work on a client in her chair. She pointed to a door in the back.

I thanked her with a nod and crossed the width of the shop to knock on the office door.

"Hello?" Tammy's voice sounded startled.

I pushed the door open and surprised her, holding my arms wide for a hug. She got up from the desk and obliged, leaving a half-eaten ham sandwich behind.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, seating herself again.

I pulled a chair up beside the desk, eager to share my idea. "I've only got a few minutes, and I just wanted to run something by you."

"Okay."

"What if we share the cabin? Fifty-fifty. If you're not comfortable moving in with me, you can keep looking for another place, but why should you sleep in a laundry room any longer than you have to?" I laid out my plan, rushing a bit but unable to contain my excitement.

"I don't know." She hesitated.

"It's the perfect solution," I insisted.

"We've only been on two dates," she argued.

"Four," I said.

She looked at me, confused.

"The one-night stand, dancing at the bar, fishing, and last night at the cookout," I rattled off. "But who's counting?"

She laughed. "I really like you This is really sweet of you to offer.."

I could sense there was a "but" coming, so I headed it off. "You don't have to like me. We'll be roommates, nothing more."

She gave me a perfect ice princess stare, throwing my lie right back at me. "Nothing more?"

"We don't have to share a room to have sex on the bar. I will respect however you want to live." I allowed.

"Okay," she said finally.

"Okay?" I squeezed her hand.

"Yes!" She stood up, opening her arms wide and letting me scoop her into a hug. We laughed like schoolkids on a snow day before exchanging a passionate kiss.

"I have to go," I said. "I'll call the landlord."

"Okay," she said again, clearly excited by the prospect.

I raced back to work and had no time left on my break to call the landlord. As soon as I clocked out, I called him from the lumberyard, walking back to my parents' house. I hoped I could catch him before he left for the day, and I was in luck.

"Hello, this is Mike Newbury. We talked yesterday about the cabin off of Deer Tail Road."

"Yes," the man remembered.

"My girlfriend was the other person who expressed interest in the house," I said, shocked at my own use of the word "girlfriend." "I think we're going to move in together, if that's okay with you."

"That's fine. I already have her application," the man said. He didn't sound particularly interested one way or the other.

"Great, thanks." I hung up. I reached the driveway and jogged upstairs to my bedroom. I started packing right then, already anticipating my new lease on life.

Idecided to skip the peacemaking activities with my mom, worried that if I dropped by the kitchen again, she would subject me to another drug test. Instead, I waited until work began the next day to talk to my dad in his office.

"Hey, Dad." I poked my head in, just to make sure he was alone.

"Hey, Mike." He waved me in.

"I was approved for the cabin," I began.

"So I heard," Dad said.

"I'd like Monday and possibly Tuesday off if that's okay. I don't have that much stuff to move, but I'm going to rent a U-Haul and do it myself."

"You could ask some of the boys to help you out," Dad suggested.

I shrugged. "It's just one room. I don't really want to pay anyone else to help."

"Suit yourself," Dad shrugged.

"Another thing," I added. "Tammy, the girl I told you about, she's going to come live with me."

Dad raised an eyebrow, and I could sense a lecture coming on.

"She's living in her cousin's laundry room, and she needs a place of her own."

"A place of her own is not your bed," Dad reprimanded, sounding more like Mom than he had in the past.

"Jesus Christ, Dad. I'm not a horny teenager. I can have a female roommate and control myself."

Dad held his hands up in mock surrender. "We're just worried about you. We don't want you to get your heart broken." Dad stood up. "I'm proud of you for the way you've turned your life around. I'm excited you got this cabin, and I'd like to meet Tammy when you're ready."

I was pleasantly surprised. It was nice to hear that my dad had my back; I had been beginning to wonder. I stepped forward to wrap my old man into a hug. He thumped my back affectionately. I went to work with a spring in my step, excited to begin the next chapter of my life. Tammy and I were perfect together, and it might have been earlier than either of us expected but sharing a house could only bring us closer. I wasn't worried about drama or heartache. I had faith in us and our relationship. We weren't just lovers. We were also friends and living together would come naturally. Waking up across the hall, sharing breakfast and dinner would transport me away from my daily grind. And the sex would be fantastic. I couldn't wait to finish my shift and start moving.