Tessa's voice was quiet. "Hey."
Reluctantly, I turned to find her standing a few feet away in that same stupid robe, complete with matching slippers. I gave the robe a more careful look and discovered that yes, ithadcome from a fancy spa – unless the gold embroidery was lying its ass off.
It must be nice, I thought yet again.
I jerked my chin toward the hundred. "Forget something?"
"That?" She walked past me and crouched down to pluck up the bill. "Oh, that's um, for you, actually."
Sure it was."Look, just because I saw it, it doesn't mean you have to give it to me."
She frowned. "You weremeantto see it. Like I said, it's for you."
Right. Because the best way to give somebody money is to fling it on the kitchen floor. My look must've said it all, because she quickly added, "I left a note with the money. You didn't see it?"
My kitchen wasn't exactly sprawling. If there had been a note, I surely would have seen.But hey, I'd play along. "No. I didn't." I almost scoffed out loud. "Sorry." Was I being sarcastic? Probably.
She glanced past me. "But it was right there on the fridge. I used your magnet – you know, the big yellow one with the smiley face?"
That stupid magnet.It had been a gift from Delaney. She'd given it to me during our senior year in college after Devon Harris had dumped me for a psych major in heels.
As far as the magnet, I wasn't even sure why I'd kept the damn thing. I mean, it wasn't cheering me upnow.
I blinked back something suspiciously close to tears and looked downward, hoping to pull myself together. I blinked again, this time with surprise. There it was, the magnet, face-planted on the faded wooden floor.If that wasn't a metaphor, I didn't know what was. When I bent over to pick it up, I spotted a small pink note that must've fallen underneath.
The note contained only two words, written in bright purple ink.For rent.
Shit.
And now I felt like an ass.
When I looked back to Tessa, she said in a quiet voice, "I know it's not much. But I get paid on Friday. I'll give you the rest then – promise."
Guilt bloomed in my chest. Before her arrival, the house had felt way too big.Afterher arrival, the house had felt way too small – mostly because I'd resented her intrusion.
She wasn't Delaney.
But there Tessa was, offering to heat up water and help with rent. My shoulders slumped. "Listen, I'mreallysorry. I know I've been a crank lately."
Too quickly she said, "No, you haven't."
At this, I had to smile – a real one this time. "Yes, I have."
After a long moment, she smiled back, looking a little sheepish. "Okay, maybe a little."
In spite of everything, I had to laugh. "Or a lot."
Her expression turned serious. "So, what's wrong? Do you want to talk about it?"
I opened my mouth to say no. But then I paused. Almost before I knew it, I'd already said, "Actually, that would be really nice."
8
Only Thirty to Go
Griff
It was past midnight, and my mattress was staging a mutiny.
