Page 75 of The Roommate Problem
Chapter Twenty-Two
August stood at the edge of the eight-acre plot his grandmother intended to buy. He had to admit, it was a nice spot. Enough land for a small farm with space to add a sizable greenhouse for flowers that needed a warmer year-round climate. The location was just outside the heavy traffic of the city but close enough for her to get daily deliveries of whoever was going to run the farm.
It could be me.
He sighed. His mind poured over the dilemma as he walked the ground, visually examining the dirt that would someday soon grow flowers for his grandmother. Flowers he could grow if he wanted. He’d been obsessing over it all weekend, and he still hadn’t come to a decision.
After sitting up with Patricia all night watching crappy TV game shows, he’d made sure Gran was awake and doing well before he checked in to his hotel room a few miles away. Mo had done as he asked and cleared out of the apartment, sending his grandmother a text that he could go over and get his stuff.
The apartment had felt so…empty. Strange, since Mo had managed to clutter the place with trash and clothes in the less than twenty-four hours he’d been gone. But even with all the junk scattered about, empty ice cream tubs, dirty socks, an empty box of hair dye, the place had a desolate feel to it. Like all the light had been sucked out of it.
After settling in to his temporary home, he went back to check on Gran, where the woman refused to speak with him until he sat down and went over the plans for the flower shop expansion. Because he hadn’t wanted to upset her, he did as she demanded. He recognized his grandmother’s handwriting, but some of the ideas…they were all Mo.
He sat at the table for the next few hours and poured over every detail, marveling at how thorough and unique it was. Unique because the plot of land his grandmother intended to buy wasn’t in the city proper, but just outside. Close enough to be within driving distance of the city, but far enough away to escape some of the hectic aspects he disliked so much. It was what Mo had been saying all along.
A compromise.
And that was how he came to be here. Trying to decide what he really wanted.
Ever since he was a kid, he knew he wanted to grow flowers for a living. He loved cultivating the earth, adding some beauty into a world that could be so dark and ugly. Flowers were amazing plants. Some could heal you, some could kill you, and some could brighten up a person’s day or warm a heart in pain. They were fragile but also resilient. The seeds of last year’s blooms gave life to the next year’s. They were pollinators, which helped the ecosystem.
No matter what, he knew he was meant to protect and cultivate these precious petals that did so much for the world around them. But he always assumed that work would take place far away from the city. He’d never imagined himself living in a metropolis. When he first arrived in Denver, he had no idea how he was going to last six months. And now…dammit if the city hadn’t grown on him.
Then there was Gran.
As much as it pained him to admit, no matter how much he tried to persuade her, he knew his grandmother would never leave the city. She’d made that crystal clear. Honestly, he didn’t blame her. This was her home. All her friends were here. How selfish it had been of him to try and uproot her from her life simply because he wanted to take care of her on his terms.
He crouched, scooping up a bit of the earth in his hand and letting the rough grains of dirt sift through his fingers. It was a nice plot of land. He could see himself growing beautiful flowers here, helping Gran out with the shop now and then, maybe finding a place close to the farm but not directly in the heart of the city. His goal hadn’t been the location, but the dream itself. His own flower farm. Who cared if he did it out past civilization or just on the cusp of Denver?
But can I see myself with her?
Mo.
Even thinking about the woman dredged up so many mixed feelings, he felt like he was drowning. He’d never cared so much for someone before. Which was probably why her keeping secrets pained him so much. After having a few days to think it over, he could look at it with more rationality. The harsh rush of emotions had settled, and he could see the facts of the situation. Yes, she’d lied to him, but it wasn’t malevolent. She’d been keeping a promise to his grandmother, and he knew Agatha Porter would hold a person to a promise. He also knew Mo wasn’t the type of person to betray a trust. She’d been stuck between a rock and a hard place. Though he wished she would have come to him, told him everything, he understood why she hadn’t. But maybe they could work through this, promise to be more open in the future. Because he realized he wanted a future with Mo. Desperately.
It wasn’t just that he cared for Mo. He loved her.
He never thought he would love anyone, much less an optimistic, energetic, extroverted ball of chaotic energy who put pineapple on her pizza. But life was funny like that, always throwing in curve balls just when you thought you’d figured it out. Mo had crashed into his life and changed it. For the better. She’d made him look at things from new angles. If it hadn’t been for her, he never would have seen the side of the city he enjoyed. It was because of Mo he was considering taking Gran up on her offer of running her new flower farm.
But what did that mean for them?
He’d never been in love before. There was no roadmap for this kind of thing. But he knew one thing: he couldn’t go back to his solitary life. Not after he’d experienced the richness that having someone who cared for you could bring. All he’d ever wanted as a kid was to be important to his parents. When they didn’t show him the love he craved, he shut down, blocked himself off. But maybe that was partially his fault; maybe he should have taken what they could give instead of demanding everything.
You couldn’t be the sole focus of someone’s world. Life didn’t work that way. He got that now. But you could face the world with someone by your side, someone you trusted to have your back to give you what you needed even when you thought you needed something else. Someone who loved you with everything in them. Someone who compromised and met you in the middle.
Someone like Mo.
He rose, determination warming his chest. He knew what he had to do now to get his dreams, his life, and the woman he loved.
…
Mo stepped up to her apartment door after the longest day in history. Seriously, had the clock ticked slower knowing she was watching it? All day she’d been going over what she wanted to say to August in her mind. Planning the perfect apology that would have the man scooping her into his arms and proclaiming his undying love for her no matter how badly she messed up.
Yes, she let her imagination run wild, but it could happen.
She hoped.
She fit her key in the lock, hands shaking slightly. Nerves were getting the better of her, but she knew she had to do this. She had to fight for love, for August. She’d always believed in the power of true love. Guess she was about to put her beliefs to the test.
