Free Love Me Like That by Marie James Page B

so I just left Trent at the bar inside my best friend, packed my stuff and left.”
    “You have more control than I do.” I set my fork down on my empty plate and take a sip of the cold milk she brought me.
    “I think I was in shock.”
    “Do you plan to go back?”
    “Not a chance and that’s the problem. I have no plans. Nowhere to live and no job prospects. I didn’t really think any of it through. I just knew I had to get away.” She holds her mouth in a straight line.
    “What did you do back in Great Falls?” I finish my milk and set the empty glass back on the table.
    “The last three months I’ve been at Trent’s bar, waitressing and bartending. Before that, I worked as an administrative assistant for the president of a bank.” I raise my eyes to her.
    “You left a position at a bank to work at a bar?” Surely there’s more to it than that.
    “Trent and Keira both convinced me to come work at the bar. He never said it in so many words, but he acted like he was afraid for me to be alone with my boss.” She finally takes a bite of her breakfast
    “Was he afraid he’d hurt you?” I wouldn’t want my girl around a creep either.
    She chuckles. “Nothing like that. He was handsome, super successful, and flirty. I think he was afraid I’d leave him and end up with my boss.” She grins like the idea, even now after being cheated on, is utterly absurd.
    Loyal to a fault it seems.
    “What about college?” I wait while she swallows her food and takes a sip of milk.
    “That’s an even longer story and an even bigger pity party.” I raise my eyebrow to her. “I won’t go into all of the details, but I had to leave college my last semester. I never went back.”
    “What degree were you working on?” Only a semester left, and this shithead of a boyfriend of hers didn’t encourage her to go back?
    “General business,” she answers before taking another bite of her food.
    I bite my tongue to keep from telling her about the position that’s opening up soon at my job. Not that I won’t mention it later, but I don’t know if this woman is even going to want to see me once I’m able to pull her car out of the ditch, more importantly, I don’t know if I’ll want to be with her once I’ve returned to reality.
    Why are you even considering any type of future? You’re not going back.
    “Where were you heading?”
    “I was thinking of going to Spokane. Figured the city is big enough and there’d be more options for work.” She finishes off her last bite and washes it away with her milk.
    “I bet it all works out in the end.” I stand and take her plate.
    She follows me into the kitchen and just like last night we wash and put away the dishes.
    “Dominos?” I ask as we head out of the kitchen.
    “Sounds good.” She settles on the couch as I head over to the cabinet that, to my surprise yesterday, is loaded with all sorts of bad weather games, cards, and miscellaneous forms of entertainment.
    My eyes once again are drawn to the drawer with the pills and gun, and for the first time since arriving at my plan to off myself, I feel a twinge of shame and if I'm honest a small hint of hope.
    After a couple hours of dominos, we’ve both grown bored of the game.
    I begin to put them away, and she yawns. “I think I’m going to go up and take a nap. Get all the rest in I can before having to try to start my life over once you kick me out of here.” She winks at me and stands.
    “Okay. I should probably hit the gym anyways.”
    She glares at me. “You have a gym?”
    I smile at her. “The room is connected to the master upstairs. You wanna see it?”
    “See it? Do you have a treadmill?” I grin at her.
    “Wouldn’t be a home gym without one would it? Come on I’ll give you the tour.” I leave the box of dominos on the coffee table and head up the stairs.
    She follows close behind, and I can feel the vibrations of excitement rolling off of her. Who would have known she’d get so animated