Page 11 of Singled Out

“They’re easy enough to make.” Piper pointed her paintbrush at her current project, which read “Sweater weather” in a scripty, swoopy font. “I don’t get to come out here often enough because of all the business stuff, but when I do, I like to crank out a bunch.”

“I’d noticed we hadn’t seen you for a while. Not since Naomi died.”

“Yeah.” Piper looked thoughtful for a second. “It’s weird, isn’t it? Without her here? Maybe you’re more used to it though.”

“It’s definitely weird,” I said.

“You’re doing awesome with everything, Harper,” Shawna said, “but I hate that she’s not here.”

I blew out a breath. “Me too, sister.”

Dakota wiped her eyes. “Dammit, y’all.”

We all laughed, which helped to lighten the moment.

“Have you heard anything lately? From the brother or the aunt?” Shawna asked, also swiping at her eyes with her arm.

“Not a word,” I said. “Last time I spoke to Sharon was two or three weeks ago. Her advice was to keep on keeping on here. She said if I didn’t want to ‘mess with’ the studio, I didn’t have to. But I told her again I love it as much as Naomi did, and so many people rely on it. I’m fine opening it whenever I can.”

Sharon Finley was Naomi and Ian’s only living relative. When Naomi had died, Sharon had flown in from Oregon and taken care of funeral arrangements.

“I can’t even with her brother,” Dakota said. “He has to be a real shithead.”

“That’s all I can guess.”

I didn’t expect him to reach out to me—he likely wasn’t aware Naomi had a roommate—but the old house did have a landline because reception out here in the country was crappy on a good day. Naomi had insisted on keeping it in case of an emergency in the maker space—with the various saws and the kiln and other dangerous equipment, anything could happen. It was ironic that a non-life-threatening injury had been what had ultimately taken Naomi’s life.

“Are you still living here in the house?” Shawna asked.

“Yeah. I know I should try harder to find something.”

“You should. You don’t want to be caught by surprise if this guy suddenly puts the house on the market from afar,” Shawna said.

“I’ve had that thought,” I said. “I know you’re right. It’ll be tough to find something in my budget. Naomi’s house is paid for, so she didn’t charge me a lot.”

“Roommates,” Piper said.

If I was honest, I hadn’t put very much thought into moving yet. I’d let myself slip into denial because of the unknown factor of Naomi’s brother, but that was being stupid. All it took was for someone to say it out loud.

“Dakota, are you tired of living at home?” I said, keeping my voice light, noncommittal.

“Every single day,” she said, her gaze focused on her work. She looked up at me. “How much would rent be?”

“It depends. If you’re interested, I could look for a place.” The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. I could totally live with Dakota. I’d never considered it before because I’d not needed a roommate or a place to live for three years.

“I’m open to it. My mom leaves me alone, and I have the whole basement to myself, but it’s probably past time to get a place of my own.”

“You think?” Shawna teased.

“She hasn’t given me any reason to get out,” Dakota said. “I think she likes having me there. But I’m twenty-seven.”

“Time to jump, my friend,” Piper said.

“I know you’re right.” Dakota became animated. “This could be fun.”

“I’ll start looking on Monday, once I get this gala out of the way.”

“The gala,” Piper said. “Where Naomi’s being recognized? Are the rumors true? Are you taking Coach Dawson?”