Roommates & Thieves: A Second Chance Romantic Comedy (Breaking The Rules Book 3)

by Jenna Reed

  “I just don’t see how I could be responsible for the lives of your strange plants,” I say.

  Huffing into the receiver, she growls, “You just don’t take anything seriously, Travis. It’s just like our relationship. Our relationship is Cinnamon.”

  “You realize how insane that sounds, right? I mean, you have to.” I can’t believe she’s being serious right now.

  “No, it’s the truth. We’re Cinnamon.”

  “Okay, we’re Cinnamon,” I agree just to shut her up. “So, where does that leave us right now? We’re still on a break, right? These past two days have just been carnal fun?” I need to reestablish that we are definitely on a break.

  “Oh, one hundred percent,” she says. “I can’t even look at your stupid sexiness right now.”

  “Okay,” I respond, unsure how I should take that. She makes my head hurt. Running my hand over my face, I take a few deep breaths.

  “Call me when you get there,” she says, her voice going high at the end. Seriously, we have the weirdest relationship.

  “Okay, bye, babe.” Hanging up the phone, I shake my head, ’cause seriously what else can I do? I’m not exactly sure what just happened, but talking to that woman always turns my brain to mush.

  Turning the music up a little louder, I set my phone to vibrate and shove it into my pants pocket. If my parents call me, I’ll be able to feel it. I get lost in the music and try to distract myself from how much I hate driving.

  An hour later, my phone starts to buzz, and I pull it out, looking down at the caller ID. I smile when I see it’s my buddy, Grady. He always lifts my spirits. Mostly because he’s about the funniest person I know, and every time I see him, we have a good time.

  Answering the phone, I say, “What’s up, buddy?”

  “Hey, buttercup, how far out are you?” Grady asks.

  “A couple of hours still, why? Do you miss my sexy face? We both know you’re dying to get a piece of this.”

  “Are you telling me there’s finally a chance? Oh my gosh!” he says in a high-pitch fan-girl style voice.

  I bark out my laughter. “So, you can’t wait to see me.”

  “You know it, but also, I was wondering if you had somewhere to stay while you’re here helping your family?”

  “I’d planned to stay with my parents. My old room is still free of charge. Probably since they are doubling it as a storage space for construction materials.”

  He’s quiet for a minute, which tells me whatever he’s going to ask me next probably isn’t going to be something I’ll like. Still, nothing can be as bad as Sydney calling me to yell about Cinnamon.

  “Travis, I need a favor,” his voice fills with apprehension.

  “Let’s hear it,” I say, pulling off the interstate and into a gas station to fill up and get a Red Bull. When he doesn’t answer right away, I add, “You lonely? Need me to come and cuddle with you?”

  “No, it’s actually for Nina.”

  The mention of his little sister is like having someone pour a bucket of cold water over my head. The carefree, light mood I’m always in when I talk to my best friend dissolves in a blink of an eye with one simple name. Nina. The only girl I’ve ever actually cared for. The only one I saw a future with. The only one I could’ve imagined marrying. Shaking my head, I try to shake away those thoughts.

  I felt all those things for her, but she ripped my heart out and tap-danced all over it.

  “What about Nina?” I ask slowly, doing my best to hide the sour taste she left me with, not that her brother knows anything about that.

  “She’s looking for a roommate…” he pauses, and for a few seconds, neither one of us speaks. “Like really bad, and immediately, but only until she can find a permanent one. You would be kind of perfect…” He trails off again.

  Grady actually wants me to live with his sister? This has to be a sick and twisted joke.

  Part of me thinks yes, I’d do anything to help my buddy out. But another part, a bigger part thinks no way man, stay away. As far as you can.

  Images of Nina pop into my head. Nina smiling at me sweetly and innocently. Nina closing her eyes right before I kissed her plump lips for the first time. Nina naked, sprawled out and moaning my name underneath me...

  No, no… the answer is no, Travis.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, man,” I tell him. “Besides, I’m with Sydney, she wouldn’t like that.” A little white lie won’t hurt anything. He doesn’t know what happened between us. How she used me back then and how I’ve never really gotten over it. Maybe that’s why I date crazy unavailable women. It’s Nina’s fault.

  “You’re still with that crazy woman? Don’t you remember the last time you were here? She put shaving cream all over my house.”

  “I forgot she did that.” I laugh, remembering that night vividly. Sydney might be batshit crazy, but never boring, that’s for sure.

  “Look, Nina’s wanting to go on Craigslist, and as her big brother, I don’t want her to end up with some psycho. I’ve seen what they do to their roommates on Help My Roommate Is A Murderer With A Shoe Fetish.”

  “That’s not a real thing.” I roll my eyes.

  “It’s close enough. Can’t you at least think about it… for me,” he practically begs. “What’s the worst that can happen?”

  Immediately a million scenarios run through my head, and every single one of them ends badly, and they just get worse from there. Still, I can’t…

  “Guys and girls shouldn’t live together, it’s just not a good idea.” God, I sound like a nun. He must be realizing that something is off by now.

  “Come on, boy scout, you respect me enough not to hook up with my sister. You’re the only one of my friends that I trust enough to allow near her.”

  Great, just when I thought this couldn’t get any worse. Now I feel like a steaming pile of dog shit. I wish he hadn’t said that. If I’m honest with myself, I don’t think I can handle seeing her again. Let alone living with her. Plus, Grady sees me as this good guy that wouldn’t touch his sister, and the reality is I’ve already slept with her once.

  “Just think about it,” he pleads one last time.

  “I will,” I lie, “I’ll call you when I get into town.”

  We say our goodbyes, and I end the call feeling guilty as hell. Thoughts of the time I spent with Nina surge forward. I wish I could say that I haven’t thought about her in ages, that I forgot about how she smells like candy, sugary and sweet, and how soft her skin is. But that would be a lie. I think about her all the time. Think about what we could have had and what I lost that night at the party.

  She’s the one that got away. Slipped right through my fingers like sand, and the worst part is that I don’t even know where it all went wrong. I don’t know what I could have done to make her love me. All I know is that she didn’t.

  It makes me cringe, knowing that if Grady were to find out, he’d have my balls dangling from the back of his vehicle. He’s always been very protective of Nina, and I love him for it. He’s a good brother, but I’m just not sure I can be the knight he expects me to be.

  When I finally roll up to my parents’ house, the sun is just starting to set. The sky is an explosion of color, and while I’m not really the mushy type or sunset lover that most people are, I still take time to admire the beauty of nature. Brilliant shades of pink, gold, purple, and blue mix and mingle to create a breathtaking work of art among the clouds.

  My dad rushes out of the house and toward the car, coming to a stop at my passenger side door. He’s not even stopped a second before he starts tapping his foot.

  “What’s up, Dad?” I say, getting out of the car.

  “I wanted to call you before you got here, but we’ve had a bit of a situation.” He scratches at the back of his head.

  “What?” I have no idea where this conversation is going.

  “Your cousin, Lindsie, just showed up with her boyfriend. They both lost their jobs last month and got kic
ked out of their apartment… so… they don’t have anywhere to stay. Your mom told them they could stay here, so they weren’t on the street. In your room, to clarify,” he explains as we walk toward the house.

  “Dad,” I groan because, really, what the hell? “I’m your son, your only son. I should get priority over my cousin.”

  Opening the front door, he looks away, “Well, I know. But you know how your mom is about Lins, she’s always had a soft spot for her. Besides, Trent has been giving them a hard time, and they are short on cash. I’m just going to put you up in a hotel, for now, it will be fine.”

  “I can stay on the couch, you know?” We step into the hallway, and the familiar smell of my family home surrounds me.

  “Yeah, but do you really want to? With Lins here?”

  “I heard that,” Lindsie snaps from the living room door. With a pout on her face and her arms folded in front of her, she continues, “I’m telling Aunt Simone.”

  My cousin looks almost exactly like my uncle Trent with wide shoulders, long blonde hair and big, brown eyes. His hair is almost as long as hers, only he never washes his. He’s the polar opposite of my clean-cut father, who doesn’t drink anymore, typical all-American male.

  My uncle Trent could be a bit of an ass and especially when he falls off the wagon, so I understand, but still. I’m his son. Without question, my dad takes out his checkbook and a pen. He does some figuring in his head, sticking his tongue out and then writes me a check.

  I look at the number. One thousand, two hundred dollars.

  Is he high?

  Pinching the check between two fingers, I tell him, “This is too much for a hotel, Dad.”

  “I’m also paying you for your help. You won’t be able to work while you’re here, so this is your payment.”

  “Dad, you don’t have to pay me to help you. That’s the whole reason I came here, so you don’t have to pay a contractor.”

  Shaking his head, he insists, “Just take it, already. Get a nice hotel on me, with a hot tub and stuff. Clear out the minibar and order some strippers.”

  “Dad!” I chuckle and shake my head. Not that I’m against any of that. I take the check and put it in my pocket, knowing that he won’t take no for an answer. Still, he can’t make me cash it, and I probably won’t. I’ve got a nice cushion from the last contracting job I did, and there is no reason for me to take my dad’s money.

  “Fine, but seriously, I would have been happy to stay here on the couch,” I say, not really wanting to figure out sleeping arrangements at this time of night. My mind flashes back to Grady’s phone call, but I don’t think long on it and instead shove that thought out of my mind faster than a winning racehorse. There’s no way in hell I can take a trip down that road. Even if it is temporary. I don’t know if I’d survive. Nina can be a bit of a force to be reckoned with, and I really don’t know if I have that kind of energy. Plus, if she’s as hot as I remember, there is no way I can stay away from her. Definitely not my hands.

  “Just go find a hotel and then come back for dinner,” Dad suggests, “Mom is making goulash.”

  “Can I at least get a shower? I hate the after-car gunk I have going on.” I gesture to myself as we walk through the house and into the kitchen.

  “You could, sweetie,” Mom says, rushing through the house, her arms wrapping around my middle. “But Brian clogged up the toilet and caused a flood. There’s shit everywhere,” she says in a monotone way as if she is telling me about the printer ink being on low. My mother swears so casually she can make it sound classy.

  Releasing me, she shoves me back toward my car, “Now, hurry along, so you can be back for dinner.”

  “Wait... who the hell is Brian?” I’m so confused.

  Lindsie sneers from where she’s standing, “Brian is with me, but he’s napping right now so you can’t meet him.”

  “I’m heartbroken,” I answer sarcastically. My mouth is going to get me into trouble if I don’t figure out how to put a filter on it.

  Out of all my cousins, Lindsie is the one with the worst taste in men. On top of that, she is kind of a leech by nature, never really trying to do anything with her life. Only using others to get what she wants. We used to be close when we were younger, but as we grew up, she took too many traits from her father.

  My mom somehow managed to look past all of Lindsie’s antics and makes her out to be this saint that can do no wrong, today being the perfect example. I can’t believe the way this evening is going. I’m already grumpy from being in the car for hours, and now I’ve got to go find a hotel to stay in until Lindsie and her flavor of the month finally vacate my parents’ house. Annoyance floods my veins.

  “See you later, I guess.” Grumbling, I leave the house and climb back into the car, so I can get the hell away from them. Mom and Dad wave goodbye, and I back out of the driveway, running over the curb. Just my fucking luck.

  Halfway down the road, I pause, realizing I need to find a hotel before I start driving around. Pulling out my phone, I call the first hotel that pops up in the search bar on Google. There are a lot of hotels in town but not a lot of nice ones. I can slum it for a little while, but I’m going to send all the bad juju toward Lindsie and her boy toy.

  “Hey, man,” I say after the front desk picks up. “I need a room starting tonight through the rest of the week.”

  The man laughs at me for a solid two minutes, and I stare at the phone, seriously considering just hanging up. Finally, after an eternity, he clears his throat.

  “Sorry, you’re not going to find anywhere to stay. The largest Little League Baseball Tournament of the year is happening in town this week. Everything is booked solid.”

  I groan. “There’s nothing?”

  “Sorry, dude. Even the seedy, no-tell motels are booked solid.”

  “Damn,” I grumble. If the hourly hotels were booked and the hookers didn’t have a place to work, I’m sure as hell not going to find a place for a week.

  “Thanks, man. I appreciate it,” I say begrudgingly as I disconnect the call.

  “Seriously, what the hell is with this night? Is this karma for that time I didn’t open my fortune cookie?”

  Figuring the guy was lying, I call a few more hotels, but every single one I call has the same reaction, though some of them don’t laugh at me. Thank God.

  Now, like it’s some huge cosmic joke, I’m left with two options. Option one is that I crash with my best friend’s little sister, a girl that I have some smoking hot history with, history that really doesn’t need to be repeated. Or option two, sleep in my car and pray that I don’t get mugged in the middle of the night. I’m really starting to think that this is some kind of dream. The kind you wake up from thinking man, this was a weird-ass dream.

  3

  Nina

  After work, I’m feeling cute and like blowing off some steam. I put on some dance music and start taking off my clothes. The dress I wore today is a slim red tunic, but it hangs in a flattering way. I especially like the plaid pocket on the front, I was able to match it with my plaid tights. Kicking off my boots, I do a little shimmy out of it.

  My underwear desperately needs replacing. I’ve had these same PINK ones for the past two years. The same goes for my bra which is missing one underwire. If someone looked really close, they’d be able to see it makes my boobs look uneven.

  I’m not too worried about it since no one has seen underneath my clothes in a while.

  I work for an accountant in town as his secretary slash—runs the whole world—assistant. If I’m not there, my phone rings four or five times, at least with people looking for things. I try not to complain though, at least I have work, and it’s nice to have a little job security.

  There are two of us. I’m the assistant who does all the work in the office, and Sam is the personal assistant who not only does work in the office but picks up dry cleaning.

  The accountant we work for is extremely successful. Recently he landed one of the biggest
moguls in the area and started doing the accounting for all his businesses. He can afford two assistants, and since I make more than a lot of women who have the same job, I’m not complaining. If I could find a cheaper apartment, all would be golden.

  The difference between Sam and me is that he’s totally driven and going to law school, and I’m just working for an accountant until I figure out what to do with my life. Someone recently asked me what my passions were, and I drew a blank. Maybe this year I’ll figure that out, who knows. Not me. All I know right now is that my passion is dancing in my underwear.

  Turning on the eighties music, I crank it up as I put a T-shirt on for a bit of modesty and then go into the kitchen to find something to eat. Opening and closing the fridge, I find I need to go grocery shopping. My attention lands on the tube of cookie dough, and I consider eating it for dinner as Billy Idol sings his heart out.

  I wiggle my butt and sling my hair back and forth as I pull out the cookie dough roll. Just a little bit, I tell myself. I’ll order some groceries and make a salad or something later. Deciding to commit completely, I bring the tube of dough up to my lips and use it as a microphone, singing at the top of my lungs.

  I’m completely lost in my own world as I launch into my best impression of the eighties king, singing into the roll of dough. After the shitty luck I’ve had lately, I need to have a little stupid fun. I dance and prance around the living room, minding my own damn business. At the end of the song, I spin and dip, holding my rock fist up in the air, thanking my invisible audience.

  Suddenly, I get this feeling… the feeling of not being alone, of being watched. Like someone is in the room with me. My eyes fly open. I scan the space, realizing my front door is standing wide open.

  Panic clings to my insides as I try to remember if I’d left it open. Of course not! Why the hell would I leave it open? Then, I hear slow clapping followed by the ear-piercing whistle that my brother is known for. My gaze swings around to the place where my couch used to be, and I confirm that, in fact, I am no longer alone in my apartment, and that I really did have an audience.