Maybe I’ll forego the cake and head straight for takeout.
I’m about to hand back the clipboard when I notice one teeny-tiny detail that has completely slipped my mind.
Today is the first of February and—holy shit.
I check my watch.
No. No.No. It’s almost seven o’clock, which means the office at the apartment will be closed and my rent check will be late.
Again.
I’ve been meaning to go direct debit but between the trouble at work and the whole car fiasco, that plan went right out the window.
Tightness grips my chest, and I have to smile through blinding panic as the guy leads me around a cute little sedan so I can check for dents and scratches. A couple more signatures and the keys are in my hand. I jump inside and sweat immediately collects on my forehead.
With the press of a button, the car rumbles to life. Hot air blasts my face as I fiddle with the dials to make it cold. Only then do I grab my phone to call my landlords, praying something kept them in the office past closing even as the call rings out.
The worst part is, for the first time since I moved in, I have more than enough money to cover rent.
If I leave a check in the mailbox, it’s technically still paid on the first, right?
My head feels like it’s being pounded by a gavel. It’ll be fine.
It’ll befine.
The lies we tell ourselves.
After the week I’ve had, I know it won’t be.
My worst fears are confirmed when I trudge up the stairs to my apartment and find a pink eviction notice taped to my door.
CHAPTER 30
ELLIOTT
UNKNOWN
Please call me back
I just want to talk
Imaginemy surprise when I stumble upon my neighbor sitting in the middle of the concrete with her head in her hands. This is just like the night I brought her home from the bar and she wanted to give up and sleep outside. Except it’s a little early to be drunk. I’m about to ask what’s the matter when I see the paper clinging to her apartment door.
Evicted? For what? Sure, she plays loud music at inappropriate times, but I’ve never complained to the jackasses who own the building.
Winter sunlight hits her cheeks, making her tears glisten like the ice clinging to the tree branches.
“Hey. You okay?”
She glances up at me through red-rimmed eyes. “What do you think?”
Yeah. It was a stupid question. “What happened?”
“I forgot to pay rent.”
They kicked her out for that? Seems a bit harsh if you ask me. “Maybe you can talk to the twins.”
Curls slap her cheek when she shakes her head. “They won’t listen. I’ve never paid my rent on time. I thought…gosh, it’s so stupid.” She laughs to herself. “I thought my luck was changing. Should’ve known better.”
