“Well…she left the other half to a guy named Justin Banks.” It’s older, but it’s beautiful and overlooks the water.” The property had been in her family for generations. We’d always go there a lot in the summer when I was younger, but in recent years, she’d rented it out. “What? The beautiful house in that picture on your desk?” Turns out she left me all of her jewelry…and half of her summer house on Aquidneck Island.” “Well, I was just meeting with the attorney to go over her estate. “So, obviously you know I went there because my grandmother passed away a month ago…” “I got some pretty crazy news today at the lawyer’s office.” Hang on.” The room felt like it was swaying as I made my way to the refrigerator by the counter.Īfter returning from purchasing a bottle of water, I sat down and let out a deep breath. “Actually, I need something to drink first. Maybe I’ll take something to go on the way out. A dollop of yogurt sauce coated the side of her mouth. “You’re not gonna get anything to eat?” she asked with her mouth full. Tracy waved from a corner booth, a piled-high Styrofoam container of tahini-covered chicken kabobs and rice already planted in front of her. The smell of cumin and dried mint saturated the air inside of the Middle Eastern fast food restaurant.

I had taken today off to meet with my grandmother’s attorney. We taught together at a local charter school in Providence. Tracy was a fairly new friend, so she knew little about my childhood or teen years. We’ll have an early dinner and talk about whatever is going on.” “Meet me at the falafel place on Thayer Street. Tracy’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I’d avoided him for so long, but I was really going to have to face him now. My mind went blank before slowly filling again with fragmented thoughts of Justin. “Can you meet up? I really need to talk to someone.” When she picked up, I let out a sigh of relief. I picked up my phone and scrolled down to Tracy’s name. He wasn’t even related to us, but she’d always thought of him as her grandson. I’d always known she cared deeply about him, but there was no way I could have predicted the extent of her generosity.

Whether we liked it or not, though, the beach house in Newport was ours now. Well, it was probably more like there wasn’t a chance in hell that Justin Banks was going to agree to share a house with me. Living with Justin Banks was not an option, even if just for the summer. I was never supposed to face him again, let alone own a house with him. Now, he was all I could think about.įlashes of him invaded my mind: his dark blond hair, his laughter, the strum of his guitar, the deep sadness and disappointment in his gorgeous eyes the last time I saw him nine years ago. All these years, I’d tried so hard not to think about him. A car nearly hit me as I practically floated across the street in a daze after leaving the attorney’s office.

Roomhate by penelope ward