“Because I have a problem with alcohol,” I say roughly. “And I want to be better.”
Without feeling like I need it to breathe. To be someone Emmy can depend on.
But not just for Emmy. For me too.
I inhale. “I think I’d like to come in.”
“Great.” Mike grins and pulls something else from his pocket, tossing it to me. “The coffee’s really bad, just to warn you. But it’s a good group.”
My lips tilt up as I turn the coin over in my hands. “I can work with that. What’s this for?”
He hold the door open for me. “Everyone here started somewhere. It’s for your first twenty-four hours. Take it day by day.”
My fingers curl around it. “Thanks.”
62
Emmy
Idon’t move. I don’t think I can. “Just give me a minute.”
“There’s no rush.” Jared balances his bag on the floor. “You don’t have to do this today, Em.”
But I do. My palms feel itchy as I stare up at my apartment building. “They fixed the keypad.”
Jared shifts, and my attention moves to him. My eyes, still swollen and bruised, narrow. He looksshifty. “Did you do something? Speak to my landlord?”
“I might have pointed out his legal responsibilities.” His voice is dry. “But I fixed it myself in the end. Faster.”
I blink. “You fixed the entry keypad?”
He rubs at the back of his neck. “Uh. Yeah. It wasn’t too hard. I just wanted to make sure you felt as safe as possible. Everyone here obviously has the code, but at least people can’t just walk in now.”
My chest feels like it expands, and I find myself breathing a little easier. “Thank you. It does make me feel better.”
“Then it was worth it.” He offers me a small smile. “It should have been done months ago.”
But it wasn’t, so he did it instead.
Deep breath. “Let’s go.”
It’s hard. So fucking hard to walk up these steps. To see the gray walls. The light overhead has been fixed, the bare bulb covered with a functional cream shade.
My feet drag, but Jared quietly follows my movements without complaint.
And it’s a lotcleaner. All the rubbish has been taken away, the floors mopped. I shoot Jared a suspicious look, but he’s not looking at me as he searches his pockets for my apartment key.
It distracts me enough that I manage to make it all the way up the steps. Jared stays close as I approach my door. “I thought this was broken?”
When I look at him, his lips are pressed together. “You have a secret talent for home renovation I didn’t know about?”
My voice is easy, but my heart pounds. He did this for me. And it must have been yesterday, because it’s the only time he left me.
Jared shakes his head, but there’s a small smile on his lips. “You think I’d let you come home to a broken door and an unsafe apartment? Give me a little credit, Em. That’s just human decency.”
Not to me.
My cheeks still feel warm as we walk through the door. Pausing, I pull my eyes up from the floor and look around. “You’re a sneaky one, Jared Bennett.”
