I pull the envelope from my purse and set it on the kitchen counter. Twelve hundred dollars, pulled from an ATM on my way here. If I had to bet, I’d say Rick here will be drinking that money by the end of the night.
When the Bulls game reaches a commercial break, Rick looks at my mother. “G, baby, grab me another beer, will ya?”
She leaps to her feet, jewelry jangling. “Of course, baby. I’ll be right back.”
She scurries off, leaving me alone with the newest Derek, who is looking at me and grinning like the cat that ate the canary.
“Don’t be a stranger, darling! Come, sit. Let’s get to know each other.” He pats the couch again, still warm from where my mom was sitting, and gives me a wink. “I don’t bite, I promise.”
Blech.I resist the urge to throw up in my mouth.
But I pick my way over and take the seat Mom vacated. “So. Der— er, Rick. What do you do for work?”
Historically speaking, most of Mom’s boyfriends trip at this first hurdle.Work—the most evil of four-letter words for Derek and his ilk.
Rick’s grin falters momentarily as he scratches his neck. “Oh, I’m, uh, between opportunities at the moment. I was doing some construction work, remodeling and such, but the boss and I got into a bit—he doesn’t have a head for business, see, not like I do—so we decided to part ways.”
Just as I suspected.
“I see.”
“This place of your ma’s, though, it’s got real nice bones to it, doesn’t it?” He sweeps a hand around at the apartment. “A little elbow grease and it’d clean up super nice.”
“Is that so?” I ask emotionlessly.
“Oh, yeah. Big time. All it’d take is a little cash flow, a couple upgrades, and abracadabra, you’ve got yourself a real gem.”
One by one, my alarm bells are starting to ring. Mom is somehow taking an eternity to fetch Rick’s beer, though, so while I’ve got a few spare seconds, I let him keep running out enough rope to hang himself with.
“Just a little cash flow, huh?”
“Big time.” He nods, eyes huge. “Speaking of which, your mom was telling me you work at Hale Hospitality. I know those guys. Got a couple buddies up at that big construction site of yours on Randolph.”
“Oh, yeah. Big project.”
“Huuuge,” he agrees, rubbing thumb and forefinger together in the universal sign for money. “I hear the boss is a bastard, but seems like he pays well, yeah? Your mom was telling me you make good money.”
“Mom was telling you a lot, wasn’t she?” I mutter dryly.
He cackles and slaps his knee like that’s the funniest thing he’s ever heard. I don’t particularly like his laugh, but what Ireallydon’t like is how he touches my knee right after. His palm lingers there just long enough to be creepy, but not long enough to justify me saying something.
I pull my knee away and cross my arms. “So, Rick. How long have you and my mom actually known each other?”
“Oh, you know.” He shrugs. “Time’s funny when you meet the right person. Could be a week, could be a month. Feels like forever, you know what I mean?”
“Not really.”
He laughs again, that same knee-slapping guffaw. “You’re a funny one, aren’t you? I like that in a woman.”
My stomach considers expelling my lunch. I’m about to excuse myself before that can happen when Mom finally reappears, beer in hand.
“Here you go, baby.” She hands it to Rick, then turns to me. “Eliana, honey, can you come help me in the kitchen for a sec? I want to show you something.”
I leap off the couch. “Sure. Yeah. Of course.”
As I follow her into the tiny kitchen, I catch Rick’s eyes tracking my movement. The way he watches me makes my skin crawl. I feel like I need a shower and maybe a restraining order.
Mom closes the kitchen door behind us—well, pulls it mostly shut, since the hinges are broken and it doesn’t actually close all the way anymore.
