Page 70 of Hard Rock Desires

But that didn’t mean I couldn’t try. It didn’t mean I couldn’t at least attempt to lift the lid.

I let go of Grace’s hand and went to get out the measuring cups and mixing bowls. We’d stocked the kitchen with gadgets and utensils when we’d moved in, but I doubted they’d ever been put to any use.

Grace laid out the ingredients while I washed up the dusty bowls.

“This is an odd reversal,” she spoke up. “Usually I was the one on dishes duty while my sister baked.”

“This is the first time I’ve washed a dish in months,” I confessed. “Usually the cleaning person does it.”

“So you do bring someone in,” she said. “I had wondered.”

“Finn certainly wasn’t going to do chores, Chris broke every dish he touched, and Micah was too much of a space-case to notice when things were dirty. I’d feel like an asshole leaving it all to the girls, so we decided it was easier to just get a cleaning service.”

“Is it fun?” she asked. “All of you living together? I’ve never had roommates, so I wouldn’t know.”

“It’s—” I started to say, ‘it’s great,’ but that wasn’t quite true. “We fight sometimes, and get in each other’s faces. We annoy the crap out of each other.” I looked down at the bowl in my hands. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Just like family,” she said.

“Yeah,” I said quietly. “Family.”

“I haven’t met Anya, Chris or Micah yet,” she said. “Will they show up sometime?”

“Anya might peek her head out.” Unlikely. “Chris is around somewhere, so you might meet him. And Micah…” My hands clenched down on the dish rag. “He doesn’t live here anymore.”

“No?” Grace tilted her head at me. “Why not?”

I gritted my teeth. “Who knows.”

Grace eyed me, noticing my tense shoulders.

“Did you have a fight?” she guessed.

“No,” I said shortly. “He just moved out one day. Didn’t really say why.” I forced myself to relax, and attempted to shrug carelessly. “Just wanted his own space, I guess.”

Grace stopped in the middle of measuring the flour. She put down the measuring cup and turned to me.

“That hurt you, didn’t it?” she asked softly.

I let out a forced laugh. “What are you talking about?”

“Micah moving out,” she said. “You feel hurt about it.”

“He can live wherever he wants,” I said. “I don’t care.”

“Hm.” Grace made a noncommittal noise.

“What?” I asked, annoyed. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“It’s sad, isn’t it, when a family member leaves you,” she said with a sympathetic glance.

I stiffened and set the glass mixing bowl down heavily on the counter with a loud clatter.

“You know that I understand that better than anyone,” Grace continued.

“That’s not nearly the same thing,” I interjected. “Your sister—” I snapped my jaw shut.

“Died,” Grace finished softly. “I’m not saying it’s the same. But you don’t need to downplay your feelings just because you think someone has it worse than you. We’re not in any kind of competition.” She laid a hand over mine. “You’re allowed to be upset.”