1
PIPPA
It’s probably pathetic that almost everything I own fits into two suitcases. But considering that I’m being kicked out of my apartment, effective immediately, it’s also pretty damn convenient.
The Uber driver puts the suitcase with my clothes in the trunk easily enough. When he lifts the second one, he grunts.
“What the hell do you have in here, lady? Bricks?”
“Books.” And only the ones I’ve accumulated over the past six months. I’ve got way more packed in the basement at Mom’s house. What can I say? I have a problem.
He glares at me, resentment in his eyes as I shuffle the big, blanket-draped box in my arms and shiver against a lashing of frigid winter wind.
“Want me to put that in the trunk, too?”
“Er, no. I got it,” I say quickly, sliding into the back seat where I’m immediately smothered in a cloud of patchouli-scented air freshener. At least it’s warm.
A small meow escapes the box while the driver slams the trunk.
“Shhhh,” I whisper. “Not until he drops us off.”
I’ve already been kicked out of my apartment. I don’t need to be kicked out of a car, too.
I should have known that not signing an official lease would bite me in the ass, but when my now ex-landlord offered me a furnished apartment that fit my budget on a content writer’s salary, I accepted a handshake agreement. It’s almost impossible to find a good apartment in Toronto right now, so I was willing to do almost anything to make it work.
Except give up the love of my life.
The minute I saw the tiny black cat curled up on my doormat, I knew we were meant for each other. She was just so small and helpless. The cat distribution systemfinallychose me, and who am I to spit in the face of destiny? After whisking her away to the vet for a checkup and a microchip check, I named her after my favorite breakfast food and smuggled her into my apartment to live happily ever after.
Until Monday, when my landlord figured out that the reason his new girlfriend kept sneezing in the laundry room was living in my apartment. Apparently, she has terrible cat allergies. He told me that either the cat goes, or I do.
I chose the cat. So now, Waffle and I are en route to a new temporary home.
I thought about asking my best friend, Cat, if I could stay with her. She and her boyfriend Nate definitely have room in their apartment. But I quickly nixed the idea. Being a third wheel for the occasional night out is one thing.Livingas a third wheel twenty-four seven with the most in-love couple I’ve ever seen is more than I can handle.
My parents are a no-go, too. They’re both out in Oakville, which is an hour’s drive away from the city and my job, assuming traffic’s half decent. Plus, I don’t have a car, and I definitely can’t afford cab rides back and forth every day.
I’ve got friends who would be happy to take me for a night or two, but there’s no way I’ll find a new apartment that quickly. I need a home base that’ll last me for at least a few weeks. Cats get stressed out by new environments, and a daily move would be more than Waffle could handle.
So I’m left rooming with the last person on earth I’d choose to share oxygen with.
My evil stepbrother, Ryan Archer.
I tell myself this is temporary. A stopgap. A cute little detour on the way to the life I’m actually meant to have, but the truth hits hard: if this goes wrong, I don’t have a backup plan. No safety net. No spare key under a different mat.
God, I better be able to find a new place soon.
Meow.
Waffle meows pathetically inside her carrier, and the driver peers at me in the rearview mirror.
“Is that a cat?” he asks.
Shit. If this guy’s allergic too, I don’t want to be stuck out in the cold while I wait for another car. I have a nice warm coat, but my poor kitty will be freezing.
“Just my ringtone,” I say, hoping he’ll buy it.
I really pull out my phone to make sure I didn’t miss any texts from Ryan. Ever since I texted him to let him know I was coming, he’s been giving me shit. Hewouldhead out to catch a movie with his buddies and leave me sitting in the lobby with all my possessions, waiting until he deigns to come back and let me in.
