“I wasn’t going to. He invited himself.”
Alex shoots her a look, correcting her. “I offered to drive her since she doesn’t like taking the ferry, and a bus was going to take two hours.”
Sarah rolls her eyes. “I would have been fine. I picked up some ingredients. Thought I’d make you something to eat as well.”
Her smile is sly as she looks at me. “You should invite your brothers in.”
“They’re fine where they are,” I retort. “And we’re not blasting the news of Natalie’s pregnancy just yet. So try not to bring it up.”
“That’s the first smart thing you’ve said. Alright, I’ll put the food together—” She shoots me a look. “—and you call in yourvery single brothers. My mom always says the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”
She takes the plastic bag from me, and Alex snatches it from her, his tone disapproving. “I’ll do the cooking.”
“But—”
“I thought you were here to help your friend pack.”
“Well.” Sarah makes a face.
“Sarah, I’m planning to sell this place,” Natalie tells her friend, her tone somber. “I think Lucas knows where I live. He sent me some threatening letters in the mail.”
Her friend stiffens. “What?”
Natalie glances at me, and I say, “We’ve handed them over to the police who are investigating, but it’s for the best that you make other living arrangements as well.”
“This is very last minute.” Sarah looks uneasy. “Where will I stay? How will I move my things?”
Natalie steps forward and takes Sarah’s hands in hers, her voice steady. “I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t think you could be in danger, too. I hired a moving company. They’re bringing boxes, and they’ll put everything in my storage unit. You can put your things there, too, for as long as you need. In the meantime, you can get a nice motel room, and I will pay for it till you find an apartment.” Her voice lowers, but I’m close enough to hear her say, “I’ll give you my credit card for the room. It’s still good.”
My lips press together into a thin line. Her money situation isn’t good, and considering she must’ve been cashing in everything to pay off the penalty fees for breaking the contract, she must be really hard on finances right now. Not that she will ever tell me.
“I’ll pay for it,” I interject. “My parents own a few apartment buildings on Staten Island. I’ll get you in touch with the property managers so you can go to take a look at those apartments. They’re occupied at the moment, but they’ll put you on a waiting list.”
“There’s no need for that.” Alex clears his throat. “She can come stay with me. I don’t have an apartment, but I have a house. I have too many rooms. You can stay in one of them.”
Sarah blanches. “I don’t want to stay with my boss. I see enough of you at work.”
Alex gives her an easy smile. “Would you rather stay in a motel room for the next couple of months?”
“Better than living with a tyrant,” Sarah mutters under her breath, and I hide my smirk. Alex isn’t going to have an easy time with this one.
“I heard that,” her boss says sharply. “And I think your friend has enough on her plate without you adding further financial strain on her.”
“This is between us,” Natalie says sharply.
“I wasn’t going to make her pay for my housing.” Sarah sounds indignant now. “Really, Nat. Don’t be silly. I can pay for it myself.”
“Want me to pull up what motel rooms are charging these days?” Alex counters. “And I’m talking about the safe ones, where you won’t get robbed or stabbed while walking to your room.”
“That basically never happens.”
“Should I pull up statistics?”
“Fine!” she snaps. “Fine. I’ll stay with you. But only till I find a new place. Or I could also just stay at the restaurant. I don’t need much space. I’ll just sleep in the office on the pull-up couch.”
“No,” Alex says shortly. “Go pack.”
“The movers are already downstairs.” Natalie looks at me, and I nod, looking at the two women.
