“I thought he didn’t want you around.”
Good thing I had a particular set of skills that would keep him from finding out.
CHAPTER
FIFTEEN
Rett
I followed Haz to the kitchen, my eyes instantly locking on an impressive spread of food across the island. French toast, juice, eggs, bacon, fruit, coffee… it was basically a private buffet.
“Rich people sure eat good,” I said, stopping a few feet away. I guess it was unfair to assume Kieran was rich, but this was probably the nicest condo I’d ever been in. So to me, he was definitely rolling in the green.
Haz went on into the kitchen to grab a bottle of creamer and some ketchup from the fridge. “I know. Before Kieran, I never even ate breakfast.”
“Same.” I agreed.
“Not today. Today, we have all this,” he said, coming around to one of the barstools at the counter. “Come on.”
After a brief hesitation, I started forward.
“Hey, are you okay?” Haz asked, shooting me a concerned look.
“I should be asking about you,” I said, feet stalling. “You’re the one who has a burst eardrum from a gun going off so close to your head.”
“I’m not the one limping.”
Oh. He’d noticed. I’d been trying to hide it, but I guess I was just too tired and sore to do a good job. “Ah, yeah. I’m fine. Just sore from last night.”
Haz pursed his lips. “I’ve seen you limping before last night. You do it a lot actually.”
Startled, I froze in place. I wasn’t used to people being aware of me, of giving anything more than a cursory glance. And honestly, I tried to conceal the limp when I was out, but sometimes I relaxed when I thought no one was looking.
“Pretty sure I twisted my ankle going up the stairs.” The lie made me feel guilty. I mean, he let me stay here last night, lent me a shirt, and was even bringing me to a private buffet! “Downside of living on the fifth floor. So many stairs.”
Haz nodded. “Those things aren’t even stairs. They’re deathtraps. Last month, my foot went through one, and I almost died.”
He almost died a lot. I wondered if he was cursed.
“That was you?” I asked, coming forward again. “I see that hole all the time and wondered what happened.”
“Splinters happened,” Haz concluded and gestured to the stool beside him. “Sit here. The other stool is in the living room. Kieran doesn’t have any plant stands, but he has two plants. I named them Cliff and Atlas. I put them on a stool so they don’t get fried in the window.”
“I have a pothos from the old lady who died on the first floor,” I explained. “The landlord was just throwing all herstuff in a dumpster one day, and I begged him to let me take the plant.”
“He was going to throw it in the dumpster?” Haz asked.
“Actually, he did. Told me I couldn’t have it unless I gave him fifty dollars for it.”
“That’s robbery and murder!”
“I know. So I waited until he wasn’t looking and climbed into the dumpster to get it out. Luckily, it wasn’t destroyed. While I was in there, I found two cacti that must have been hers. I took them too. Now they all live in my apartment with me.” I’d been covered in bruises and a rash after that dumpster dive, but it was worth it.
“Do they have names?” Haz asked.
“Of course. All living things need a name.”
His fork clattered against his plate when he spun toward me. “That’s what I said to Kieran! He looked at me like I was crazy. This is why you’re my best friend.”
