Shaking her head, June looked back at her car. “I have a duffel for emergencies that I can use.”

  “Okay. Let’s get it, and I’ll drive. We’ll come back in the morning.”

  “Elle—” Her voice broke. “You don’t have to do this.”

  “I know. I want to. Besides, my house is so lonely.”

  Feeling uneasy still, June got her bag out of her car and put it into the back of Elle’s SUV. She slid into the passenger seat and closed her eyes, and Elle slipped behind the wheel. She didn’t dare open them until they arrived at Elle’s house.

  Elle hadn’t been kidding. The house was huge. It looked close to mansion size on the outside. Elle pulled into the garage and parked the car. She hit a button, and the rear door to the vehicle opened. June took her time getting out of the car, still in awe at the house. Elle brought her inside, set keys on the white marble counter of her kitchen, and flicked lights on as she went.

  “You can stay in the guest room over here. There’s your own bathroom with it, so that’ll give you more privacy.”

  June’s voice once again caught in her throat as she followed like a lost puppy. She had little control over herself and just went through the motions of walking up the stairs and down a short hallway to a beautiful bedroom. Elle stopped briefly in the hall to turn the heat on and then set June’s duffel on the end of the bed.

  “This house is gorgeous.”

  “Thanks. I got it in the divorce. June. You have to talk to someone. You can’t keep bottling this up inside. You of all people should know that.”

  “I know.” Tears threatened to spill again, but she was so tired of crying. After weeks of on-and-off crying when she was still with Lydia, then afterward, and now, she was exhausted from it all.

  “Please, talk to me.”

  “Don’t you have to go to work?” June asked, trying to hedge around more of the conversation.

  “Yes, but don’t detract from this conversation. I can go in late.”

  “You can’t be late.”

  Rolling her eyes, Elle nodded. “You’re right, but I do have a little bit of time before I have to leave. Talk to me, please.”

  June gave her a weary and wary look before she sat on the edge of the bed. Elle followed her and sat next to her.

  Elle pressed an arm around her again and leaned her head on June’s. “I remember how devastated I was the first time I found out my ex cheated. The second and third times were no better.”

  “I just didn’t think it would be you.” Pain and defeat rang through in her tone. She felt small and so very alone, as if her whole life was being overturned every chance it had. She wasn’t sure she could keep up anymore.

  “I know. I didn’t think that either.” Elle pressed a kiss into June’s hair. “Hey, isn’t there a Bible verse for this or something?”

  Snorting, June nodded. “There’s a lot.”

  “No. I mean…there’s one I’m trying to remember from Catholic school.”

  “You went to Catholic school?”

  “Yeah, we cannot talk about that. But I do remember a verse or something about God knowing plans that we prosper and—”

  “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

  “Yes!” Elle’s eyes lit up.

  “That’s Jeremiah 29:11.”

  “Anyway, look, God doesn’t want you to be hurting, but this is part of the plan, right?”

  June’s lips thinned into a line. “Are you Catholic?”

  “Don’t get off topic.”

  “Yes, I understand what God wants for me, for us, but it still sucks.”

  “That it does.”

  “So…Catholic?”

  “No. Lutheran, but my mom sent me to Catholic school because it was the best education in town, according to her. I made it to eighth grade before I transferred to public school.”

  June hummed her response.

  “The hotel. Tell me how you ended up there.”

  June’s lips parted in surprise before she shut them. “I was living with Lydia when we broke up. My name was not on the lease, so…when I moved out I had nowhere to go.”

  “Why not get another apartment?”

  Shame washed over her. “Seminary is expensive. I lived off student loans. I don’t have the money for an apartment right now, so the extended stay was the next best option aside from a shelter.”

  “You don’t have anyone you could stay with?”

  June gave her a sorrowful look. “Lydia kind of ended a lot of friendships for me.”

  Elle turned June’s face up toward her and stared straight at her. “You are welcome to stay here as long as you need. Like I said, I have the room. The house is empty. I’d much rather it be used than sit here lonely.”

  “Thank you,” June whispered. “I won’t stay long. I just need a few months to save up for a deposit.”

  “Really, stay as long as you need.”

  Nodding, June glanced at her watch and cringed. “You’re going to be late.”

  “Worth it,” Elle answered. “But yes, I should go. We’ll go get your stuff in the morning when I’m off, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Weariness took over June as Elle stood up. Her arms and legs felt heavy. Elle walked out of the room, leaving the door open and calling over her shoulder, “Make yourself at home. Anything you want in the fridge is yours, though I’ll warn you, there’s not much in there.”

  “Thanks,” June called back, sinking into the fluffy bed. She closed her eyes and was nearly asleep before she heard the garage door open and close.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Elle wearily pulled into her garage after a long shift, knowing she still wasn’t going to be able to sleep. She was two hours later than expected because emergencies—small ones—kept coming in and taking her away from charting. She’d spent two hours after her scheduled shift just finishing out her charts. Irritatingly, she always told herself she had to finish them before leaving her shift. It made the next day smoother.

  Instead of closing the garage door, she slipped into the house and sighed as the warmth hit her cheeks. Normally, the house was cold when she got home, but since June was there, the heat remained on all night, and she came home to blessed warmth. Heading straight for the kitchen, Elle went to put on a pot of coffee, smirking when she noted it was already brewed and waiting for her.

  “I hope you don’t mind,” June’s sweet and sorrowful voice echoed.

  Glancing at her living room, she saw June’s brown head just over the back of the couch, her face shining to her in the dawn of the new day. Elle shook her head and grabbed herself a mug. “Not at all. You know how much I love coffee, and if I’m staying up any longer, I’m going to need it.”

  “I thought so.”

  Urging her weary muscles to give her a few more good hours, Elle finished pouring her cup and moved to sit next to June. “Did you sleep at all?”

  June shrugged. “Some.”

  “Doesn’t sound like much.”

  “It was some.”

  Reaching out, Elle brushed her palm against June’s jean-clad thigh and gave her a gentle squeeze before focusing on her coffee. As the first taste of the dark roast hit her tongue, she moaned. The flavors bloomed along her tastebuds, and she closed her eyes, reveling in just how good it was.

  When she looked over at June, she smiled. “This might be as good as Jerica’s.”

  “It’s not.”

  “I said it might be.”

  “Nothing can rival Jerica’s coffee.”

  Sniggering, Elle went back to her own cup. “I’ll get changed into something other than nasty end-of-shift scrubs, and then we can go get your stuff, okay?”

  June nodded her reply while she made slow work on her own cup of coffee. Elle briefly wondered how many June might have consumed before she shook off the thought and headed to her room to change. She chose thick dark-blue jeans and a long-sleeve turtleneck in an olive-green color. It would keep her warm enough while they went in and out of the hotel room bringing June’s boxes to her car.

  As soon as she got back to the living room, June was ready—jacket and shoes on and everything. Elle nodded toward the door to the garage, and they headed out in silence. That silence remained throughout the drive to the hotel. Elle’s stomach clenched slightly at the thought June might be going through a lot more than she was willing to admit, and she was determined to pull it out of her. Sometimes, even the best confidantes had to share their own problems.

  When they arrived at the dilapidated extended stay, June got out of the SUV first and checked on her own car before heading to her room. She unlocked the door with an ancient key and giant key ring. When she entered, she started to put things away and tidy up. Elle was right behind her, ignoring the slight mess, knowing no one was ever as clean as she was.

  “Got boxes still?” Elle asked.

  “Yes. Most everything is still in them, actually. Just a few things here and there that aren’t.”

  “I guess we get to packing, then.”

  June started on her clothes while Elle began with the kitchen stuff. She had to ask after each utensil before she figured out that June owned none of it. Sighing inwardly, she closed over the box and taped it shut. After thirty minutes, they were down to two boxes. Elle sat on the edge of the uncomfortable bed and waited while June finished up. When June sat down next to her, she rested her head on June’s shoulder and closed her eyes briefly.

  “As exhausted as I am, I can’t imagine how tired you are. You’ve been dealing with this for a long time and never said a word. You are amazingly strong.” At the last sentence, Elle looked up into June’s eyes. “Remember, I’ve been where you are at. The cheating spouse, the lying spouse, the end of a relationship. I know what you’re going through, and it flat-out sucks, and it’s draining.”

  Tears entered the corners of June’s eyes, and Elle reached up to wipe them away. They stared at each other for minutes before Elle dared to speak again.

  “I’m here, when you want to talk, but you really need to talk to someone. This roller coaster that is this kind of breakup isn’t easy, and you need someone on your side. I’m on your side.”

  June took a deep breath and let it out on a shudder. “Thanks,” she murmured.

  Elle didn’t wait as she stood up with a smile. “Let’s get this stuff loaded and get out of here. I think I need more coffee to survive.”

  Following the directions, June grabbed the first box and headed for the cars. It took them only another thirty minutes before everything was loaded and the room was back to its original state. Elle got in the SUV and waited while June returned her room key and got her refund on her deposit.

  They drove home in separate vehicles, and when Elle got to the double-car garage, she waved June’s vehicle in next to hers. June parked, and they spent the next hour unloading the vehicles and Elle giving June a key to the house.

  Once they were settled, they sat back on the couch with coffee in hand and an empty fireplace in front of them. June sighed into her cup, and Elle looked over, watching the tension in her shoulders and her face fall away. She smiled lightly to herself and rested her head back on June’s shoulder, her new favorite place to be.

  “When I found out Logan cheated the first time, I went on a rage and broke a bunch of his stuff and threw the rest outside the house.”

  June chuckled.

  “The second time was very different.”

  “Oh?”

  Elle nodded. “I was resigned to the fact this was going to be my life in a marriage with him and to stay married to him meant there was going to be another woman.”

  “That’s no way to live.”

  “I know.” Elle took a sip from her mug and sat up so she could look directly into June’s green eyes. “I didn’t file for divorce. I don’t think I ever told you that. He is the one who left me. After everything he had done, all the lies, all the manipulation, all the hurt he caused, I wasn’t strong enough to say, ‘I’m done.’ You were. I admire you for that.”

  Once again tears echoed in June’s eyes. “I’m not strong.”

  “Yes, yes, you are. You’ll see that someday soon. Maybe not today, but someday soon. I promise. You left a crappy situation, one where you had very little control of the outcome, but you controlled what was best for you. That is something.”

  “I guess,” June muttered and looked down into her mug. “Doesn’t feel that way. I could have controlled myself better the other night. No one needed to be witness to that argument, especially you.”

  Cocking her head to one side, Elle narrowed her eyes. “Are you embarrassed about what happened?”

  June gave her an unwavering look as an answer.

  “June! Don’t be! I would have reacted far worse than you. Trust me.”

  “It seems I am good at keeping my cool in every situation and with everyone in my life except you. I always seem to blow up around you and say things I just can’t take back.”

  Elle grinned. “I’m going to take that as a compliment. I like that you can’t hold that tongue of yours around me. Makes me feel special.”

  June snorted. “Special in a not good way, maybe.”

  “No, in a good way. Means I get all sides of you,” Elle playfully teased before she rested her head back down on June’s shoulder. She yawned, covering her mouth with her hand, and closed her eyes. It felt like seconds later when June’s hand was on her cheek and she was calling her name softly.

  Elle sat up and looked at June. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing is wrong. You fell asleep.”

  Pursing her lips, Elle looked down at her hands for her cup and found it missing. “I—I guess I did.”

  “Go get some sleep. You had a long night.”

  Not arguing, Elle pushed herself up from the couch and stared down at June with both hands on her hips. “You’ll be all right. I promise. It’ll just take some time.”

  “I know.”

  “Good. Wake me up if you need something. I know you don’t have to work tonight or tomorrow, but I do.”

  “It’ll be interesting with us working opposite shifts, don’t you think?”

  Elle shrugged. “Won’t be much different than what it was before my divorce. Logan always worked days, and I typically worked nights. I prefer them. Not as boring.”

  “Lucky you. I do not envy being up all night when I’m on call.”

  “Yeah, but you also work all day when you’re on call.” Elle wagged a finger at her. “There’s a difference.”

  “True.”

  “Anyway, I’ll see you in a few hours, I guess.”

  “Night.”

  Elle sauntered off to her bed, feeling much lighter and better about where she was leaving her newfound best friend. June would be fine. She just needed a safe and warm place to lay all her problems out and to heal. Elle could easily offer that.

  ★

  June had been there a week now, and Elle noticed small differences in the house. The biggest was that the place was always warm. Gone were the days when she would come home and freeze for an hour while she waited for the heat to turn up. Since June worked days and she worked nights, someone was typically always inside keeping it warm.

  When Elle got home, June would have breakfast ready and waiting, and before Elle would leave, she’d make sure dinner was made. They fell into an easy routine even though they didn’t see much of each other face to face. The balance they created matched well.

  Elle was just coming home from another excruciatingly long shift when she pulled into the garage and sighed. Even though she saw June all the time, she hadn’t spent much time with her. They saw each other coming and going, but unlike before, they didn’t have any specific time set up for them to just hang out or be together. She longed for that connection again, but she could tell June wasn’t entirely ready for it.

  They’d skirted around the topic of Lydia all week, June remaining silent to Elle’s probing until Elle had given up and changed topics every time. June needed to heal, and the best way to heal for Elle was to talk about it. When Elle walked inside, the house was hot. She began sweating immediately. Taking her jacket off and hanging it in the closet, Elle set about trying to figure out what temperature the thermostat was even set at.

  As soon as she got to it, she lowered it. June’s voice echoed from her room as she chatted amicably with someone. Opting not to disturb her just yet, Elle headed for the kitchen. Things were in different places than before. There were more items around that in some ways got in her way. Elle moved the bananas June had bought from the counter to the hanger in the corner. She picked up the throw blanket on her couch, folded it gently, and angled it across the right back corner.

  Her fingers itched to continue as she heard June’s feet on the steps, but she stopped herself. This was June’s house, too, now, and she needed to get used to the mess. As soon as June came down the last stair and rounded the corner, she stopped short.

  “Oh! I didn’t realize you were home yet.”

  Home. That single word warmed Elle’s heart. If there was any difference in June staying at her house, it was that it felt more like a home than it had before. Elle grinned at the thought and sat down at her large dining room table. She knew this was just a temporary solution, but oh how she wished in some dark recess of her mind and heart it would become permanent.

  “I heard you on the phone and didn’t want to disturb you.”

  “I was talking to my mom. She’s much happier that I’m here than the extended stay.”

  “We both are.” Elle patted the table next to here. “Come, sit.”

  June slid into the chair and turned to face Elle. “What’s up?”

  “I think we need a coffee date. You make great coffee and all, but I miss the direct one-on-one focused time with my best friend.”

  “Your best friend?” June’s face lit up.

  “Yeah, my best friend.” Elle gave her a look back, daring her to argue or disagree. “I feel like I hardly see you anymore.”

  Chuckling, June nodded. “I know what you mean. You’re off tomorrow, right?”