by Stacey Lynn
“Shit.” It was two o’clock. I was always up by noon on Fridays to give myself plenty of time to study, get caught up on laundry, and prepare for the busier weekend shifts at Judith’s.
Now I was two hours behind and still had to research the job listings I took with me when I left David’s office.
As frustrated as I’d been with Hudson and his bossiness and surly attitude during the meeting yesterday, I’d come back to my apartment wearing a tentative smile.
This could actually work.
Me. The exiled daughter of an Illinois state judge turned ex-con working as an assistant to the lead designer in community improvement projects for the less fortunate.
My largest obstacle was Hudson.
My attraction to him grew every time he was near me, as if his mere presence somehow had a direct line to parts of me I had once figured would never be touched again. I hid it behind my irritation and scowls, but something told me Hudson liked those parts of me, too. They seemed to amuse him. I hadn’t genuinely amused anyone in so long I liked seeing him smile when I got pissed off.
Perhaps my jaw ached from clamping my mouth shut for so long. It was probably why my shoulders felt like they’d been squeezed in a vise for eight hours.
Being around Hudson made me tense. I didn’t have time to sit around and wax poetic about a man who was doing me a favor. Crushing on Hudson would lead to trouble and disappointment and I’d had enough of that in my life already.
My side screamed for relief and a heating pad as I pressed my hand to it and headed toward the bathroom.
In the shower, my side loosened enough that it didn’t want to make me collapse to the musty and moldy shower floor I couldn’t clean despite my overflowing heavy duty cleaners I purchased. After I showered, I tossed my hair up and out of my face and dressed in simple running clothes thanks to the Walmart clearance racks. I was sliding into my knock-off brand running shoes that were already disintegrating when a manila envelope beneath my door snagged my attention.
“The heck?”
I crouched down and grabbed it, taking in my name and address typed on the label and recognizing the name on the return label.
But it had no postage stamp.
My fingers burned. What in the hell was Hudson doing now? And worse… how long had he known where I lived?
I peeled out the thick stack of papers and that burning in my fingertips became so strong it was a wonder the paper didn’t singe to ash in my hands.
“What in the fucking hell?”
Notice of Final Eviction.
Immediate vacancy required.
The thick stack of papers shook in my hands and words blurred together. Behind the initial letter, complete with Valor Holdings contact information, was a refusal to renew the lease.
I was being kicked out of my home, such as it was, because Hudson was leveling my building and those around it to the ground.
How in the hell had I not known?
And why in the hell had they not told me?
More…. How in the fuck was I supposed to trust them now?
With fury fueling me, I shoved the papers back into the envelope and grabbed my keys and small purse. I waited at the bus stop, pacing back and forth, but every quickened step sent a bright burst of pain to my side so I stopped and impatiently tapped my foot until the bus showed.
The tapping didn’t stop once I boarded and took a seat. My feet moved in the same rhythm as the bus driver’s, as if me pushing down an imaginary pedal would get us there faster. All the while, my blood burned brighter than the sun as it rushed through my veins. I groaned when we caught a red light and every time the bus came to a stop sign, I squeezed my eyes closed.
Pedestrians? Who gave a crap?
I had an enemy who presented himself in sheep’s clothing to fry to dust.
Less than twenty-four hours ago, I entered this same building with questions and sprouting hope.
Today it was rage that spurred me through the doors without yesterday’s hesitation and prickling nerves straight to the desk where Cori, the same woman as yesterday, widened her eyes so large it didn’t register I was stretching the allowance of their Friday casual dress code to extremes. Behind her, the security guard went on alert as I slapped down the envelope stamped with my name.
“I need to see David or Hudson Valentine. Immediately.”
“Miss—”
“Lilly Huntington. I was here yesterday. There were conversations we left unfinished.”
Like the fact they were evicting me.
My pulse raced and thunder roared in my ears as she glanced at me. With uncertainty making her moves slow, she reached for the phone and dialed three buttons. “Mr. Valentine. A Miss Lilly is here to see you, but—”
Her mouth closed and her eyes stayed on me before drifting to my sweatshirt and leggings that was far from appropriate for even a casual dress code.
“Yes, sir.”
“You may go—”
I turned, causing my rubber shoes to squeak on polished tile. I didn’t bother waiting for the Visitor’s Pass. I knew my way and she didn’t waste her breath. I was going anyway but not having to take down a mammoth security guard made it easier.
Screw my parole. If I didn’t have a home, I had nowhere but prison to go anyway.
As soon as the elevator opened, I stormed out, intent on hunting down David and Hudson, and instead came to an abrupt stop. They were both standing by Stephanie’s desk, smiling and laughing.
And I was pretty certain, in that moment, my brain exploded from the heated fury of the entire situation.
“How fucking dare you?” I all but screamed.
Their smiles and laughs came to a cold stop, and Stephanie’s mouth fell open. I paid no attention to her and threw the envelope at their feet. It landed on Hudson’s shoe.
“Lilly—” Mr. Valentine said, stepping forward like I was a feral animal.
Who could blame him? I certainly felt like one.
“Did you know?”
“Know what?”
“Know that you were kicking me out of my home!” I shouted it, blood rushing through my veins and melting to the floor at my feet.
“Oh fuck.” Hudson crouched down and scooped up the envelope. “Lilly.”
His gaze came to me, tense and shocked. There was no way after all they already knew about me they didn’t know this.
“What is this damn game you’re playing? What? Find the lonely girl in an apartment that’s getting razed and treat her like one of your needy foster kids?”
“I didn’t know,” Hudson said. He held the envelope in his hand at his side and I glared at it, wishing I could time travel.
Yesterday there was hope inside of me.
Today, there was ground dust and ash. Is this what I got for trying to trust people?
“Bullshit.”
“I didn’t. I didn’t know you lived in those buildings.”
“You knew I was in prison, where I work, and where I go to school and you expect me to believe this?”
“Lilly. Wait.” David stepped forward, speaking gently. It grated in my ears. “Let’s talk about this. There are options. Better ones.”
“Safer ones,” Hudson cut in and that damn caring tone in his voice sounded so much like Josh’s I barely restrained myself from flinging my hand across his cheek.
“I want nothing from you,” I seethed, and turned to Mr. Valentine. “Or you. Stay out of my life and out of my business. Now. If I need to find a new place to live, I already have someone I can call.”
And in all the excitement of yesterday, I’d completely forgotten to call Ellen to ask her to find me a new place to live. So, I had options. I wasn’t going to end up homeless. But it could take weeks for Ellen to find something that would work for me, and based on the letter I scanned, I had days. Where the hell would I go? Back to the halfway house?
A sob ripped from my throat at the thought. The place had been horrible.
I spun, leavi
ng them slack-jawed and with shock on their faces. Thank God the elevator door opened immediately. I stepped in and caught sight of them when I had to turn and hit the button to take me to the ground floor. Both of them had hands on their hips, looking so similar. If that door didn’t close in a half-second, I was certain at least one was preparing to yank me out of the elevator.
“I mean it. Stay away from me.”
Thankfully, the doors closed right as tears fell down my cheeks.
For once, I thought someone had a genuine interest in me.
So much for trusting people.
I walked home from Valor Holdings. I dodged Friday afternoon commuters walking to and from lunch on their breaks, blind students precariously making their way down the uneven sidewalks outside the School for The Blind and Visually Impaired, around 801 Grand. By the time I reached the gas station on the west side of downtown, my chest burned and my feet killed. My ribs were screaming in pain but the last thing I wanted to do was be trapped on a bus. I needed the time, the space, and the fresh air to think.
By the time I returned home, I needed a long soak in a bathtub I didn’t have and an assortment of pain meds and muscle relaxers.
After locking and securing my door, I stripped out of my clothes, kicked them toward my laundry basket set up in a corner with a wood top I also used as a side table, and climbed into the shower.
Cursing the Valentines the entire time.
Less than an hour later, I was still seething. A mixture of fury and heartache made my heart continue to flip-flop. Had I overreacted? They got what they deserved. Damn them. Was it a mistake? Were they truthful? Which time had they lied?
I couldn’t make sense of all the running thoughts in my head, and as I popped in a frozen meal for an early dinner, I almost wasn’t surprised at all there was a knock on my door and Hudson’s voice calling out my name from the other side.
Given all of our other interactions, I almost expected him earlier.
Because I wasn’t entirely stupid, I checked the peephole first.
My breath caught when I took in his profile, hard jaw, eyes narrowed, obvious even with the curved view of his face in a direction I never wanted to look again.
Manny’s apartment.
Hudson said something to someone I couldn’t see but whatever it was looked scary, and then banged on my door again.
Leaving on the security chain, I glared at him through the small opening. “I told you to leave me alone.”
“Be pissed at me all you want but if you didn’t have to leave here before now, after I just talked to that fucking jackass, you’d be leaving anyway so you might as well let me in so I can explain.”
He knew. Blood rushed from my face, chilling me to my core.
Hudson, astute asshole he was, noticed. His arm came up and propped up next to my door and every muscle I could see on him tightened. “Tell me that dick that just called you a cunt isn’t the guy who did that to you. Better yet, tell me it was him so I have an even better reason to go rip off his dick.”
All of my encounters with Hudson suddenly exhausted me. The man could be bold and arrogant, soft-hearted and kind. He could laugh as easily as he scowled, and after the last two days, I didn’t have the energy for any of it. I blew out a breath. “None of this concerns you.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“Because it’s none of your damn business!” God! Why couldn’t they just leave me alone!
No one in my entire life had ever made me lose control of my temper so quickly. In my home, we couldn’t show any emotion lest Dad would hear of it, and in prison, being emotional was even worse. It’d get you sent to solitary or it’d get your ass kicked.
Either way, around Hudson I felt and I felt too much and it was equally dangerous.
I took in his heaving chest, his jutted jaw, and the way his dark eyes held a brewing storm without blinking and caved.
Damn him.
“You’re not leaving until I open this door, are you?”
“At least not until that jackhole leaves. No.”
“Fine.” Without energy to deal with this, I definitely didn’t have the energy to fight this stubborn man. “Hold on.”
There was minimum satisfaction to my soul as I watched his features soften right before I slammed the door shut on his face. After shoving the chair out of the way fully, I gave my dump of a home a quick scan.
Why was I so damn mad about the chance to get out of this dump in the first place?
The lies… right.
I quickly threw my dirty clothes into the hamper, slapped down the lid, and tossed my comforter over the small, twin bed. No amount of cleaning would make it look respectable, but Hudson didn’t need to see my threadbare sheets and dirty underwear. The rest of the apartment was equally useless, but at least tidy. I didn’t have enough to clutter to make a mess of things anyway.
Figuring I’d left Hudson to stew long enough, I went back to the door and opened it.
“No judging,” I declared, stepping out of the way.
“Wouldn’t think of it.” He stepped over the threshold and my home shrunk in size with his presence. Like his masculinity had the ability to suck the oxygen out of the room and shrink the size simply due to all that was him.
“I didn’t know you lived here.”
He hadn’t so much as scanned my living space. No eye twitch. No frown at my humble abode. He held a manila envelope in his hand I suspected was the same as the one I threw at his feet and maintained an unnerving amount of eye contact.
At least he wasn’t beating around the bush.
“You said that. I’m not certain I believe it.”
“We’ve been working on this project for over a year. Finally took ownership months ago from the landlords and they were all supposed to communicate the change before their departure. We also followed up with notices since. But all of this started before my dad saw you.”
I’d spent at least twenty-four hours hoping I could trust them, hoping they were who they seemed to be. Hoping, most of all, it could work out if I went to work for them. But hope was a fickle thing. The flame could be extinguished as easily as it was lit. And still, I was tempted to believe him.
He stood in front of me, earnest expression, face blank of anything to indicate he was lying. He gave no indication he wasn’t being honest, but I was still pissed.
Maybe embarrassed at my outburst and unprofessionalism I showed earlier.
“I never received anything.”
“I can’t help you with that. I don’t know how or why that happened, but” —he held out the envelope— “inside here are all the housing options still available along with maps of where they’re located so you can find a place convenient for you and your school. This is what you should have received six months ago. Because this is temporary until the construction is complete and all current residents will be welcome to move back if they choose, we ensure all the rent is either equal to what all the tenants are paying or less. Some of these apartments come furnished. Anything usable and left inside the buildings before they come down will be donated to shelters.”
Six months ago. I’d only lived here five. Why would they rent an apartment they knew was being demolished?
Stupid question. Money.
The knowledge was a brick to my chest.
“I’ve only lived here five,” I all but whispered. Shame burned on my cheeks.
It was looking like this all had been a miscommunication and I’d royally, foolishly, and completely overreacted.
Screw him for being such a damn do-gooder. Just once, I wanted to truly hate him. Find his fault and pluck it out with tweezers, but every time I assumed the worst in either of the Valentines they came back making me the fool.
I was getting really tired of playing the fool. But did that mean he’d lied? Or I had truly overacted to epic proportions. What was wrong with me that when someone tried to do something nice, I was instantly suspicious.
Probably a q
uestion better suited for Nancy, but I wasn’t entirely naïve. Take my abusive father, my drug and alcohol-addicted brother, my absent alcoholic mother, and a prison sentence… I could have been the poster child for a magazine titled Girls With Issues.
But hadn’t I just spoken to Ellen about trying? A day at a time. A minute at a time.
I reached out and took the envelope from his hand.
“If what you’re saying is true, then I apologize for the way I behaved earlier.”
He chuckled; the sound so surprising. He could have wiped his hands of the crazy girl who kept freaking out on him.
Instead, he further eased my embarrassment.
“Pretty sure had it been me, it would have been worse. In full disclosure, we own most of the buildings where we’re setting up the current residents who live in these old homes being torn down. The ones in this envelope are the only ones left with vacancies, so it’s not the selection you would have originally had, but they’re all decent places.”
Decent, in Hudson terms, compared to my current living conditions, was probably akin to a five-star resort.
“What’s going to be built here and what’s coming down?”
His eyes lit, beautiful warm as the summer sun. “Your building and the four others on this street. Two behind you. We’re putting in new housing. Apartments above a couple of small shops, a local, or I’m hoping, an ethnic market, and one restaurant and coffee shop. The whole complex will be built with sustainable or recycled materials as much as possible and rents will be comparable to now.”
“Why?” It was nearly impossible not to become curious while watching Hudson’s passion. He truly loved his job and that was inspiring.
“Because this neighborhood and nearby areas are collapsing. The city is too important to me to watch it fall apart. I want to make it affordable for everyone without sacrificing quality of life. No one should be forced to live in a home like this, Lilly. Especially those who are trying to provide for their families.”
A stinging sensation hit my eyes and I squeezed them shut. He sounded so damn serious when he made statements like that, as if it was his life’s mission. We’d both been born into such privilege. It was difficult to imagine how he completely understood how people like me now lived. I wouldn’t have until I was forced to live it, as kind as I’d always tried to be.