Down for Her

by Melissa Chambers

  “I know this town’s expensive, but you can find something around here,” Jack says.

  Kylie rubs her forehead. “I called a few places that I found online. Funny thing, they want money now.”

  “Your dad can’t loan you a couple hundred bucks?” Tori asks.

  Kylie closes her eyes, looking sick.

  “It’s complicated,” I say, hoping to keep her from having to explain her situation.

  “I called him,” she says, and I wince, knowing how difficult that must have been, and fearing what that means for her…and for me, selfishly. I don’t want her to leave, and I damn sure don’t want her back with an asshole who cheats on her. “He said he’d pay for one hotel room on my drive back home.”

  As the disappointment falls onto my shoulders, Tori cuts me a look.

  “You’re going back to Oklahoma?” Jack asks.

  She shrugs. “I don’t know what choice I have.”

  Tori’s stare paralyzes me. She’s just being protective of me, but it still puts me in the awkward position of not being able to offer Kylie my place to stay any longer.

  “This is bullshit,” Jack says, tapping into his phone then holding it up to his ear. “Julia. Hey. Is employee housing at capacity?” He pauses. “Can we squeeze an extra employee in somewhere? She’d be fine with a small space.” He looks at Kylie for confirmation, and she nods quickly. “Can you look again in the morning? I know, just humor me, okay? Thanks. Sorry for calling during off-hours.”

  The look of hope on Kylie’s face crushes my heart. I hate that Jack made that call, trying to be the savior when he knows he can’t do anything about this.

  He sighs and looks at her. “It’s not looking good. She was pretty sure. And even if she found something, she’d be obligated to give it to the next person on the list.”

  Kylie’s shoulders sag, and she nods.

  We all stand in silence, Tori pointing her glare at me, making sure I stay on track, and it takes all that’s in me to keep quiet.

  Jack tosses up his hands. “Fuck it. Stay with me.”

  The serious look on Jack’s face makes my stomach roll over like that one time I tried sushi. Kylie looks up at him, seeming like she might consider it.

  “I have a two-bedroom. Stay with me till you get on your feet. I’d be happy to have you.” Jack smiles at her like a clueless idiot.

  Tori’s eyes go wide, and then she collects herself, watching Kylie for a response.

  “No, I couldn’t,” Kylie says, but she looks very much like she could.

  “I’m serious,” Jack says. “Why not? The two of them can vouch I’m not an axe murderer.”

  “I’m not vouching for jack shit,” I say.

  He purses his lips at me. “Come on, man. I know I’m not your favorite person, but you know me. Tell her. She needs somewhere to stay and I don’t hear you offering.”

  I’m about to wear the enamel off my teeth when Tori says, “She can stay with me.” We all turn to her with shocked expressions, none more surprised than my own. Tori frowns at all three of us. “What? It’s fine. She can.”

  “What about Janelle?” Kylie asks.

  “Now that she’s with Chris, she’s never there. If he wasn’t in the picture, it’d be a different story, but for now, it’s okay. I can’t offer you her room, but I can let you sleep on the couch.”

  “I can offer her a room,” Jack says, because he can’t ever leave well enough alone.

  Kylie looks between the two of them, considering.

  “It’s fine,” Tori says. “I promise. And I’m definitely not an axe murderer.” She even tosses in the rarest of smiles. So now she’s not only asking, she’s begging. She’s as jealous of the possibility of Kylie and Jack as I am.

  Kylie shakes her head, mouth open in incredulity. “I can’t thank you enough for this. I promise I’ll pay you back rent when I get paid and on my feet.”

  Tori waves her off. “It doesn’t cost me anything. The resort takes Janelle’s half whether she’s there or not.”

  Kylie beams at her. “Thank you.” She lets out a deep breath, her shoulders popping up, then dropping, a smile stretching across her face.

  “Have a beer,” Jack says, pointing at my pitcher, and I could strangle him with my bare hands. Not that I don’t want Kylie to have any, but I just don’t want him to take all the credit for every goddamned thing around here.

  “Okay,” she says with a grin. “I’m just gonna run to the restroom.” She darts off, and Jack shrugs at us. “Neither of you were offering.”

  He walks away, and I turn to Tori, who is pretending to be casually moving to the music and checking out the scene. “You want to explain yourself?” I ask.

  She meets my gaze. “No,” she says, challenging me with her no-bullshit eyes. I challenge right back. We’ve been at this with each other forever. She rolls her eyes. “Just leave me alone about this, okay?”

  “Like you’ve been leaving me alone about Kylie?”

  “There’s no threat of me falling for her.”

  “You think that’s what I’m gonna do?” I chuckle, picking up my beer. “You’re high.”

  “Keep telling yourself that if you need to.”

  I consider her. “Are you ever gonna let him go?” She glares back at me, but the hurt in her eyes says there’s more to that story.

  Kylie arrives back at the table and sets her bag on a stool. I’m not sure what to say. I’ve just completely screwed her over by not offering for her to stay at my place. But she doesn’t seem bothered by that at all. She points to the pitcher. “May I?”

  I nod, and she walks to the bar and grabs a plastic cup from a stack. Tori just rolls her eyes at me and leaves.

  Kylie comes back over and picks up the pitcher. “I swear, I thought I was done. I can’t believe I called my father. God, I know better.” She takes a drink of the beer and stares at the cup like she’s never had it before. She downs the rest and sets it down. “Man, I feel good right now.”

  I pour her another beer.

  “No,” she says, holding both hands up. “I’m not drinking your alcohol again.”

  “It wasn’t my alcohol that you drank last night.”

  “Still. I’m not going to get in anyone’s way these next few weeks. I’m just going to keep to myself and utilize that business center as much as possible, trying to find a way to bring in some more money quickly. Let me tell you, the last couple of hours have been an eye opener. Everyone wants first and last month’s rent, plus deposit, fees, and all kinds of stuff. I don’t know what I was thinking coming down here.” She takes another long drink of the beer I poured her. “Now that I see what it’s going to really cost to live, I’ve got to step up my game.”

  Cohen comes up to the table and pats me on the shoulder. “Wild party last night, man.”

  “Yeah, but it wasn’t on purpose.”

  “Those are the best kind.” He points at Kylie, squinting one eye. “Kylie, right?”

  “Yep. And you’re…Logan?”

  “Cohen. Logan’s my cousin.”

  “Yes, I knew that. Sorry.”

  “No problem. You’ve got a lot of names to keep up with. Brett told me at lunch the other day that they stuck you with him and Val for the weekend. Are you the one who cleaned their house?”

  “Yeah, as a thank you for letting me stay for the weekend.”

  “That place was rank. How’d you get the stench out?”

  “You’re one to talk,” I say. “Your place is just as bad as ours was.”

  “Yeah, I’ve got to get Logan off his ass to help me clean our place. Our moms are coming this weekend.”

  Kylie’s eyes go wide. “I’ll do it…for forty bucks…if you can provide the cleaning supplies?” She turns to me. “Or if I can borrow yours?”

  I shrug.

  Cohen studies her. “Seriously?”

  “I’m totally serious. But you’ll have to pay me in cash that day.”

  He squints as he considers
the offer.

  “You think a girl is gonna want to sleep with you in that filth?” I add. Not that I want Kylie in Cohen and Logan’s unit or anyone else’s, for that matter, but if this gets her on her feet sooner, hell yeah, I’m in her corner.

  He meets Kylie’s hopeful gaze. “Done.”

  She grins. “Can I do it tomorrow after work? I can come straight there.”

  “That works for me.” He turns to me. “We’ll come to your house while she’s at ours.”

  She clasps her hands in front of her chest. “Awesome.”

  He hits me on the shoulder. “I like this girl, Brett. You could do much worse.”

  This is where I should explain that it’s not like that, but I really don’t mind him thinking we’re together, especially since Kylie’s getting ready to be up close and personal in his house.

  Simone and Bailey come up to our table, and she hugs both of them and tells them about her day. I realize the more people who discover her, the more relationships she’s going to build. She’s going to meet guys and they’ll like her. They’ll want to date her, and they’re definitely gonna want to hook up with her. If I don’t make my move soon, someone else will.

  14

  Kylie

  Tori’s unit is laid out exactly like Brett’s. Same art on the walls, same vinyl couch, same tile flooring. But the vibe in this place is definitely more cold and stony. Maybe it’s because Tori’s not a morning person. I passed her in the hallway this morning on my way to the bathroom, and she didn’t even look at me, much less say good morning. I get the distinct feeling she’s regretful she asked me to stay with her.

  I was so thankful when she offered, because I’ve only spent a little bit of time with Jack. While he seems perfectly harmless, he may not be. Tori and Brett don’t like him, even though they appear to be some form of frenemies with him. But he gives the impression that he’s a nice, helpful guy. Part of me wishes I would’ve taken him up on his offer to stay at his place. But the other part, ridiculously, wants to stay as close to Brett’s unit as possible.

  It’s stupid. I know. Because Brett clearly isn’t interested in me and maybe even has some doubts about me. Of Jack, Tori, and him, Brett was the only one who didn’t offer me a place to stay. His silence spoke volumes that he wanted me out of his house. I try not to read too much into it, because he was so kind to let me stay for the weekend. But I thought we were getting closer.

  I walk to Cohen and Logan’s unit, which is right next door to Brett’s. Cohen answers and greets me with a smile. He’s maybe a couple of inches taller than me with rich, dark hair shorter than Brett’s but not too short. His distinctly blue eyes contrast with his hair color, and his nose sits crooked, which only makes him cuter than your typical hunk with a perfectly chiseled nose.

  “Hey. Come on in,” he says with a deep tone to his voice.

  Upon first glance, I assess that the job might be slightly less taxing than the one on Saturday, but not by too much. The place is, of course, exactly like Tori’s and Brett’s—the same décor, the same teal faux leather couch and recliner, and at least one picture of sand dunes like in Tori’s unit.

  I don’t see any food lying in pans on the floor, but the dishes in the kitchen spill out of the sink onto the countertops, and there’s some sort of slop on the kitchen floor that was never cleaned up.

  “I’m guessing you don’t use your kitchen?” I ask.

  “Not since it got like that. I’ve been staying at my girlfriend’s place for a few months, but we just split.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Are you still okay with doing this now that you’ve seen what you’re up against?” he asks.

  I glance around. “Absolutely. You said you had cleaning supplies?”

  “Yeah, they’re around. Check under the sinks.” He pats two twenties sitting on a shelf by the door. “Here’s your money. Are you sure this is enough? Forty?”

  I want to ask for more, but the idea of two twenty-dollar bills sitting there for me to grab like a thief after I finish here is like an oasis in the desert. “Yes, it’s fine. Thank you.”

  “Would it be weird if I asked you to do my laundry? I’d throw in an extra ten.”

  “Not weird at all.” I don’t mention I was planning to do it as part of the forty. This job couldn’t possibly be going any better. “Is any of this stuff yours?” I look around at random socks and boxer shorts lying on the floor.

  “All mine is in my room. Shit, you don’t want to touch Logan’s underwear.” He goes for a pair nearby.

  “No, seriously. Leave it. I got it.” I pray there’s a pair of rubber gloves under that sink.

  He scans me from top to bottom and shrugs. “All right then. I guess I’ll leave you to it.”

  I walk him to the door. It feels weird, staying in this stranger’s house while he leaves, seeing him out.

  He points to Brett’s unit. “I’ll be next door if you need me. Do you want my number?”

  “Sure.” I hand him my phone and he types it in. He hands it back and I text, Hello from Kylie.

  He looks down at his phone and then up at me. “Cool.” He waves, his smile getting somehow cuter as it extends across his face.

  When he leaves, I chew on my lip like I’ve done something scandalous. As weird as it sounds, my cleaning this house for money feels like a screw you to my dad and to Joshua, and especially to my mom, who would sooner slit her own throat than be someone’s maid. But I feel good about this…really good. It may be the giddiness of knowing I’m doing something on my own without my father’s money, but I’ve never been more excited to roll up my sleeves.

  15

  Brett

  I sit at my dining room table, finishing my spaghetti dinner from a box, listening to Logan and Val play some stupid video game. I never got into them because we couldn’t afford them in my house growing up. It was more about work and survival. I brought one home for Matthew when I started working here years ago, so he’s barely known a life without them. But for me at sixteen with a job and school, the moment had passed.

  A knock sounds at the door, and I open it to find Cohen on my doorstep. “Come on in,” I say, eyeing him. I know from Logan that Cohen was waiting for Kylie to get to their place so he could let her in to clean it. The idea of Kylie being alone in a house with a guy like Cohen makes me itchy. Cohen’s not only a good-looking guy, he’s a decent guy…someone I’ve found easy to talk to around here.

  “What’s up, man?” Cohen asks, walking inside.

  “Not much,” I say. “Did Kylie make it?”

  “Yep. She’s there now.”

  “Cool,” I say, waiting for him to expound, but he doesn’t. He walks over and plants himself in front of the television, arms crossed over his chest. “You want a beer?” I ask Cohen as I head toward the kitchen.

  “Are you having one?” he asks.

  “Nah. I could use a break.”

  He follows me. “Yeah, me, too. How are things coming along with Kylie?”

  I toss my microwavable paper dish into the trash and put my fork in the dishwasher, taking a minute to think about this. When I meet Cohen’s gaze, he’s got his eyebrows up, waiting.

  I shrug. “Nothing’s coming along. We’re just hanging out.”

  “You’re not interested?” Cohen asks, relentless.

  “Why the fuck do you care?”

  He holds up both hands with a smile on his face. “Never mind.”

  He starts to walk out of the kitchen, but I nudge him. “Wait. Sorry. It’s just…” I check the living room, where Val and Logan are caught up in their game. “I don’t know. I’m figuring that out.”

  “You’re figuring out if you’re interested in her? It’s usually not that difficult. Either you think she’s hot or you don’t.”

  “She’s hot. I don’t think that’s arguable,” I say, and he shrugs with a nod of agreement. “It’s just that I don’t want anything serious.”

  “Then tell her that up-front
.”

  “She’s not that kind of girl.”

  “You think she’s the serious type?”

  “She just got out of a relationship. She was engaged, actually.”

  “Then she may be good with a hookup. Something to get her mind off the other guy.”

  I wince, not wanting to be a rebound guy. “I don’t know. I don’t think she’s really like that. I may not be a hundred percent comfortable with it even if she was.” I shake my head at myself. “I don’t fucking know.” I get two beers out of the refrigerator after all and hand him one.

  Cohen takes the beer and rests against the counter. “It’s not rocket science, man. Have you thought about asking her out on a date? You’re allowed to date a girl without it being a relationship.”

  Heat seeps up to my chest and to my neck. “It’s been a while since I’ve taken a girl on a date.”

  He blinks at me. “How long has it been?”

  I stare down at the beer in my hand that I don’t even want, thinking about my fucked-up childhood and how I spent my high school and college years working crazy hours and trying to take care of my brother while my mom was getting sober and trying to go to school. And then I think of Madison, and how we went from hooking up to a full-blown relationship in zero to sixty. There were no dates, just a relationship that went sour when she found she couldn’t be my top priority. “My life just hasn’t really shaken out that way. I’ve been more of a hookup kind of guy.”

  Cohen nods as if this makes sense, but he’s frowning.

  “Why, do you date?” I ask him.

  “Well, yeah. I mean, I do hookups, too, but I take girls on dates, for sure.”

  I scratch the stubble on my chin. “How does that usually go?”

  “You mean like…where do we go, or…”

  I feel like a tool asking this. “No, I can probably figure that part out. I mean, if you know it’s not gonna be a quick hookup, then do you just keep going on the dates till you know it’s right or… Screw it. Just forget it. I don’t know what the fuck I’m saying.” There’s no sense in me asking these questions. I can’t get anything started with her, anyway. I try to walk away, but he pulls me back in.