Page 12 of Playing the Backbeat

“Yeah, and you throw it right back. That’s what we do, right?” She looks genuinely confused.

I give her a long look, my words caught in my throat.She really doesn’t get it.

Because I know deep down that if Dee and I spent any real time together, time alone, that she’ll see more of me than I ever intend to share with anyone. If I get overwhelmed or stressed, which is impossible to avoid forever, I won’t be able to keep her from seeing what that does to me. What will she think of me when she knows I struggle with OCD?

Dee isn’t someone who you can hold back from what she wants. If she wants to see me, she will. But I can’t say no to the lifeline she’s offering me.

Knowing I’ll most likely regret this, I nod. “I’m in.”

Chapter five

Dee

“So…to sum up. I may have been laid off, and I may be on the precipice of being fired, but I’m up one roommate. So really, if you do the math, I’m coming out on top here.”

I sip my mimosa, eyes on the ceiling, polishing it off before unleashing a giant grin at my friends, who are all staring at me. I give a small curtsey.

“Thank you all for taking the news so well. Now, should we start with the flowery-looking project first?” I say, walking over to Bec and Aiden’s dining table that’s currently littered with supplies for Bec’s bridal shower centerpieces. Their December wedding is just two months away, but since Aiden’s season with the Aviators—the pro baseball team in Columbus—just ended, they’re finally focused on preparing for the big day.

Five sets of eyes stare at me, then share a look. My friends close in on me, herding me closer to the table, talking over each other so quickly I can barely make out what they’re saying.

“I can’t believe you weren’t going to tell us about your job.”

“And Dylan moving in with you?”

“I’m really sorry, Dee. I can see if the hospital has any openings for support staff if that would help.”

“Dylan. Dylanis moving in with you? Who are you and what have you done with Deanna Perry? You two annoy the shit out of each other.”

“Can I watch? The fireworks, I mean. I give it twelve hours.”

“You guys”—I take a step back and place my hands out in front of me—“are acting like I made this offer impulsively.”

“You did,” Bec says with conviction. Her brown hair is thrown up in a messy bun, bobbing with every nod of her head. “Like, within thirty seconds of learning Dylan needed a place to crash.”

“Who am I to fuck with destiny? What are the chances that I benefit from having a roommate at the same time that he needs a place to crash? Seriously, couldn’t have planned it better myself. Besides, I had to strike before he figured out something more sensible. Mama needs rent money, and here we are.”

“Have you given any thought about what it’ll be like to share living space with a man? It can be…interesting,” Bec says.

“Yeah, try living with two of them,” Ellie adds with a laugh before dropping into one of the chairs at the table. She and Dominic have been married for years, and their son Luca just turned two.

“Luca does not count. He is perfect.” Carissa beams, tucking her auburn hair behind her ear before joining Ellie at the table.

“And almost as messy as his dad,” Ellie adds. “I love Dominic, I do. But that first year of living together was anadjustment.”

“Guys, we’re not dating. We’re sharing common spaces. Kitchen, living room, laundry. We both need this. I have a second bedroom, and he’s going to help me with rent while I find a new job. This isn’t that serious.”

“How close are you two?” Evie asks, tying her long blonde hair into a bun on top of her head. It’s a fair question since she’s onlyknown us since Bec and Aiden got engaged almost a year ago. Evie is Aiden’s younger sister, and soon to be Bec’s sister-in-law.

Carissa chimes in. “If by close you mean they’re a huge pain in the ass to each other, then super close.”

“And close enough to flirt,” Abby adds. I met Abby about two years ago when she started working with Bec at the Center, where they both train service dogs, therapy dogs, and family pets. She sits in the dining room chair closest to Hopper, Bec and Aiden’s yellow lab, and scratches him under his chin.

“Flirt? With Dylan? No, no, no, no, no. Dylan and I are cut from the same cloth; if that looks like flirting, it’s merely a coincidence,” I insist.

“Maybe she’s right. Maybewe’rethe ones who should be scared right now,” Bec says, gathering faux flowers in bunches and handing them to each of us as we join Abby at the table. “I mean, think about it. The two of them on their own have enough confidence and sass to bring down the city. Together?” She fake shivers. “The consequences could be deadly.”

“Fuck off,” I say with a laugh. “Do Dylan and I tease each other some days and annoy each other to death the next? Maybe. But it’s never been likethat.”