Page 64 of The Roommate Subtext

“Is that right?”

“Mhm.” She nodded solemnly. “If I ever get married, I’ll probably rent a Corolla to make the occasion really special.”

Blake laughed, and just like that, his tension eased. “I think,” he said carefully, “I’ve been more nervous about tonight than I’ve let myself realize.”

Maggie took his hand and squeezed it. It was such a natural gesture, like she’d done it a hundred times. “You want to go jerk off? You probably have time before the car gets here.”

Blake gaped, dropping her hand, certain he’d heard wrong. “Excuse me?”

Maggie grinned. “Perfect way to relieve tension.” She gave him another nudge and looked over at his phone. “Hank is still five blocks away. That’s doable if you’re properly motivated.”

“Unbelievable.” Blake shook his head, laughing again. “I never know what’s going to come out of your mouth.”

“Mm, usually bullshit.” Maggie shrugged. “But I like making you laugh.”

Blake turned to look at her more closely. She made him laugh quite a bit. He hadn’t expected their cohabitation to develop into actual friendship, but here they were, a few months in, and he was looking forward to spending more time with her.

He’d sworn that he wasn’t going to get into another relationship unless he could be his true self, though. And Maggie … she liked sweater-vest Blake. She liked plant-nerd Blake. She didn’t know Dom Blake, and if she liked those other sides of him, she probably wouldn’t like the Dom side very much. Women generally didn’t. Thus, even though he might want to convince himself otherwise, even though he might want to ask her out, he knew it would be a bad idea. He valued their friendship too much to risk it.

Rose made him laugh, too, and she was into the kinky things he liked. Whatever was happening with Maggie, whatever flirtatious looks and sexual tension had been building between them, Rose always lingered at the back of his mind.

He owed it to Rose to at least see if they had in-person chemistry. Monday, he thought, because somehow, he’d made a date with her rather than waiting for the gala to be over and his mind to be clear. Because when it came to Rose, his mind was never clear.

“Hey.” Maggie gave him a gentle shove, but it was enough to set him off balance. She pulled on her wrap, covering her shoulders and arms from the chilly fall evening air with a soft-looking fuzzy white shawl. “I think Hank’s here.”

They confirmed their driver’s identity and slid into the back of the Corolla, which was surprisingly well-appointed. Hank was one of those car-share drivers committed to the five-star rating, and the center console had charging cords, snacks, tiny bottles of water, and an assortment of gum and mints. Maggie unwrapped a mint and popped it into her mouth, then offered Blake one. “It’s a gift, not a hint,” she explained. Smiling, he took it. It was one of the peppermint pillow mints, the puffed kind that dissolved immediately when you bit down on it. “Good mints,” she told Hank, who perked up under the compliment.

“I like to keep my clients happy.” He smiled at them in the rearview mirror, then turned his attention back to the road. “You two look very nice. Are you headed to a wedding?”

“A charity fundraiser,” Blake answered.

“Oh, very nice!” Hank nodded. “What’s the charity?”

Before Blake could answer, Maggie spoke up. “It’s for a nonprofit called PlantSeed. They partner with local organizers to promote green space equity in Boston, and to help underserved neighborhoods start community gardens and farmers’ markets and things like that. Ending food deserts throughout the city.”

Blake looked over at her, a ripple of surprise and appreciation running through him. “What?” she asked, somewhat defensively. “You think I don’t know everything about my boyfriend’s company?”

He knew she was trying out the “boyfriend” story, getting used to the fib, but he couldn’t deny the spark of warmth that word evoked. “I didn’t know you researched it.”

“Of course.” She shrugged. “I’m a writer. I research everything.”

I research everything. She said it casually, and Blake had the feeling that she meant it, too. At least she wasn’t a CIA agent running background checks on him.

“Hank, would you turn on some music?” Maggie asked. “Anything you like.”

“You’ve got it.” Hank flipped on some R&B, the volume up loud enough that they could talk in the backseat with some privacy.

Blake raised his eyebrows. “You wanted some music?”

She waved a hand dismissively. “No, I want to talk about how we met.”

“What?”

“People are going to ask us how we met. And how long we’ve been dating.” Her expression indicated this was obvious. They needed to get their story straight.

“Oh. Well, we met back in mid-July when you applied to rent the extra room.” Blake smiled at the memory. “We got coffee, and you asked me to tell you right away if I was a murderer so you could save yourself time.”

Maggie pursed her lips. “So, that’s how we met?”