This place is…well, wacky doesn’t begin to describe it. The bus dropped me off next to a Christmas tree.
It’s June. I’m not sure whether to claim they’ve left it up too long or put it up too early. Either way, they’re wrong.
“So, here’s your key.” Nix hands me a small key attached to an oversized bookmark. “Cute, huh? I thought it would be good to lean into the whole book theme.”
“It’s a little…impractical.” As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I feel like a massive asshole. “It’s cute, though.” It won’t fit in my pocket, but it’s cute.
“No, you’re right. I hadn’t thought of that. I’ll go back to the drawing board, but in the meantime, feel free to put the key on whatever keychain you like.”
“Thanks.” I’m trying not to sound ungrateful. He’s doing me such a big favor. Or rather, he’s doing my brother a favor, but I’m the one benefiting. The last thing I want to do is piss him off on the first day.
“Okay, this way.” I follow Nix up the narrow staircase, hauling my bag behind me. He’s going to need to put a warning on the listing to let people know they’ll be schlepping their bag up at least twenty steps. Not conducive to long-term stays. Fortunately, I brought only the essentials. Since I’m not working, I don’t need much. A few casual outfits plus myrunning clothes. Otherwise, I’m low maintenance. Hopefully, this place has a drug store or something I can go to if I discover I need anything.
“Okay, so this is it.” Nix waves his arm around the space. It’s larger than I expected, with a small kitchen and living room, plus a bed stuck in the corner. It’s basically a blank slate, a bunch of beige walls with few decorations or anything that would make it stand out. Even the bedding is various shades of tan. The boxes I shipped ahead are neatly stacked in the corner, waiting for me to go through them.
Russ warned me it was a work in progress, but knowing Nix, I assumed everything would be colorful and full of book references.
“It’s great, thanks.”
“Everything should work, but if you find any issues, let me know. You’re the first person to stay here, so there’s probably a lot I haven’t thought about.” He pauses and takes a big breath. “The bathroom is over there,” he says, pointing toward a wall with a small pocket door. “There’s a linen closet in there with towels and sheets. Feel free to use whatever you want. I don’t have a washer or dryer here, but you can either come and use the one at my place or go down to the laundromat until the one I ordered arrives.”
“No problem. I’m sure I can handle it.” Honestly, anything is better than living in my brother’s den. As resistant as I was to coming here, Russ had a point. Spending my days stuck in the same environment, ruminating over my failures, wasn’t good for me. This might not be my first choice of destinations, but it’s a chance to break out of my funk. “I’m pretty self-sufficient.”
“Okay, well, I should get back to the shop. There’s some food in the fridge that I picked up for you. I’ve got an event tonight, but tomorrow I can show you around town so you can go shopping.”
Somehow, I’m guessing I’ll be able to find anything on my own. It’s not like Sleighbell Springs is so big that I’ll get lost. Plus, I have my phone to guide me. “No worries. I don’t need you to babysit me.”
“Oh, okay.” Nix stares at the ground. Once again, I feel like an asshole. It’s becoming a regular thing for me here today. “I’ll see you later. Feel free to pop your head in the shop if you need anything.”
His footsteps are heavy as he heads back down the stairs. As soon as the door closes, I drop onto the couch. One month. That’s all I need to get through. A month to focus on job applications and getting myself back on track.
It should be easy enough in a small town with minimal distractions.
3
CHASE
Blackout curtains are going on the top of my shopping list. It’s not even six, and the sun is beaming through the window over the bed, directly into my eyes.
Curtains and an eye mask.
I groan and roll over, shoving my face into the pillow, even though there’s no chance I’m going to fall back to sleep. Old me would’ve gotten up and started working. I could have all my inbox cleaned out and have a jump on my day’s tasks before anyone else was even online. Without a purpose, I have no idea what I’m going to do with myself.
There’s no TV in the little apartment. I have my laptop, but I forgot to ask Nix for the wi-fi password. By the time I remembered, it was too late to text him. Theoretically, there are plenty of books downstairs, but where would I even start? The last time I read an actual book was in college. And even then, I mostly skimmed the synopsis online rather than reading the whole thing.
I freeze as the mattress dips near my feet. “Um…hello?” I’m not sure what I expect to happen. The fact that there’s no response makes me feel a little bit better. Slowly, I lift my head up a little bit and peer down the duvet cover.
There, sitting at the foot of the bed licking its foot, is a massive black and white cat. It looks more like the kind of creature I’d find wandering through a forest than sitting in a sunbeam in my bedroom. “Um, excuse you.”
The creature pauses his cleansing ritual and glares at me. As though I’m the one in the wrong here.
If the cat lives here, that’s the kind of thing Nix really should have mentioned on the tour. I grab my phone from the nightstand and open the text chain I have with him. So far, there’s only the messages confirming my date and time of arrival. I look back over the bits of information he sent me. No mention of a cat.
It seems the apartment is already occupied.
I add a picture of the cat to the text to make it clear what I’m referring to. What now? I don’t expect him to respond for another hour or two. I could stay here, with my new bedmate, or I could get up and go for a run. It’s the only thing I have to do right now. There are job applications waiting for me to fill out, but those will only take an hour or two. Plus, they require the internet.
Running it is. It takes me a few minutes to commit, but once I do, I’m on my feet and ready to get dressed and moving. Apparently, my new cat friend is less willing to greet the day. In fact, the traitor makes himself comfortable on my pillow, enjoying the warmth I left behind.
