Maybe, she thought as she exited the interstate and followed the off-ramp, she could move all her stuff out before Ruthie came back （the living room furniture was all Ruthie’s, so it wouldn’t be a jerk move）。 Then she wouldn’t have to worry about awkwardly trying to pack silently in her room, and if Ruthie responded badly to the news, Hallie could just leave and never return.
When she pulled into the apartment office, her phone buzzed.
Jack: I already lost one of my two women.
That made Hallie giggle. What’d you do?
Jack: I told her that I didn’t like orangutans.
Hallie: First of all, is this true? Second of all, this upset her?
Jack: I know it’s a character flaw, but I’m terrified of all monkey-like creatures; always have been. I saw a lady on Oprah who got her face ripped off by one and I was never the same. So when she started telling me about an orangutan preserve she wanted to visit, I may have said something similar to “I’d rather die than go there.”
Hallie: You are a monster. I have a good friend who literally cries when she sees a cute orangutan because she loves them so much. BUT. Your comment torqued her off that much?
Jack: My comment big-time torqued her. She went on a rant about them, which I deserved, and then she went off about undatable men, which I felt was a low blow.
Hallie: Why is this story cracking me up?
Jack: Cuz you’re a dick. What’re you doing right now?
Hallie: Just pulled up to my new building. They’re letting me move in early!!!
Jack: What about Ruthie?
Hallie laughed and looked out her windshield. Funny that he remembered Ruthie’s name. She left me a msg that she’s not coming back for another week.
Jack: So you’re just going to be gone?
Hallie: No, but I can move my stuff out now. Everything in the living room is hers, so it’s not like she’ll even notice, because my bedroom door is always closed.
Jack: LMK if you want help moving.
Hallie: Seriously?
Jack: I’m a nice guy.
Hallie: But are you?
Jack: Sometimes. And I live nearby.
Hallie: Well then, yes. I want help. Please, please help.
Jack: When?
Hallie: I’m getting the keys now, and then I guess whenever you have time today would be great. You don’t have a truck, do you?
Jack: I actually do.
Hallie: Shut up.
Jack: I will not.
Hallie: You don’t seem like a truck guy.
Jack: Are you calling me a wuss?
Hallie: No. I think most guys who drive trucks do it to prove they’re manly. You strike me as someone confident enough in his masculinity to drive a Prius.
Jack: So you ARE calling me a wuss.
Hallie: You’re an idiot.
Jack: Better, thanks. Call me when you’re done and we’ll hatch a plan.
Well, the plan turned out to be something along the lines of “just do it.” After getting the keys, running up to her new place, calling Jack, and dancing around like a maniac, she went home and threw her stuff together.
Jack showed up an hour later and got to work, hauling her bed, dresser, nightstand, and desk out the door like he was the Rock. She helped, but they both knew she was more like a spotter than an equal lifter.
On a side note, he looked very good in casual clothing. She’d only ever seen him in a tux, naked, and in nicer date-night clothes so far, but that day, he was wearing faded old jeans and a Cubs T-shirt that was so worn it looked baby soft. He looked like the kind of guy they’d cast in a commercial for grabbing beers with the guys or picking up two-by-fours at a home improvement store.
Once the bed of his truck was full and her room was cleared out, she followed him downtown in her car. She was a little shell-shocked that mere hours earlier she’d had no plans for the day and now she was moving into her new apartment, but it felt good.
This was her spring.
Chapter
NINE
“You’re so wrong,” Jack said, shaking his head. “It was the look on his face when she showed up at Pemberley with her relatives. The guy didn’t even have to say a word. He beamed like a lovesick fool.”
They were both lying on their stomachs on the floor of her new apartment （she didn’t have a couch yet）， watching the end of Pride & Prejudice. After moving everything in, they’d decided to order beer and a pizza and watch a movie since neither of them had anything else going on.
“I do love his face there,” she agreed, picturing Matthew Macfadyen’s sweet smile. “But the near-kiss in the rain is the best moment.”
“Agree to disagree,” Jack said, rolling onto his side to face her. “It’s too devastating when they pull back.”