Page 44 of Fractured Heart

Angela’s shoulders slump in relief. “You don’t know how much this means to me. I need this job. You wouldn’t understand, living here, but I have a little sister. She’s depending on me and we’ve got bills and…you don’t care about my problems.”

“Of course I do. I don’t want you to lose your job.” I hesitate, but there’s no harm in telling her the truth. Some of it, at least. “I don’t actually live here.”

I quickly summarize leaving home, falling in the forest and Tate inviting me to stay. I make sure to downplay the fight I had with Father and I make it sound like things between the guys and myself have been purely platonic.

“Wow,” Angela stares at me with new eyes. “And they’re letting you stay here?”

“Just for a couple of days.”

“It was so sweet of Tate to order you a massage.” Angela gets a dreamy look in her eyes.

“He’s just a nice guy.” I can’t help but smile when I think of my Prince Charming.

“But you like him?” Angela winks.

“Maybe.” I stare down at my feet.

“So, about that massage?” she asks hopefully.

“I’m sorry.” I shake my head and she gets that panicked look again. She needs the money, but there’s no way I’m letting her see my bruises. I can’t think of any way out, except…“What if we just pretended you gave me a massage?”

“Huh?”

“We both say the massage happened, that way you still get paid.” I’d still have to find a way to pay Tate back, but considering I already owe him and Charles for food, clothes, the bathroom flood and a broken guitar, I can just add it to the list.

“You want me to lie?” Angela doesn’t look happy.

“I promise I won’t tell anyone. And you can hang out here, so it looks legit.”

“I guess.” Angela takes a few seconds to think it over. “You’re the client, so I guess there’s no harm in that.”

“Great.” I take a seat on the couch, which immediately makes me think of JJ. Where did he storm off to? And does he plan on coming back here before rehearsal, or is he avoiding me?

“Whoa, this thing’s fancy.” Angela tentatively sits down on the couch. “I don’t know how people can live like this.”

“Like what?”

“Like this.” She gestures around us. “This whole apartment looks like…”

“A castle.” I can’t quite keep the longing out of my voice.

“I was going to say freakish mansion.” She gets to her feet and circles the living room, much like I had last night. “Don’t know why anyone would want to live like this. I’d be afraid of touching anything.”

“It’s not so bad.” I flooded the entire apartment and the guys didn’t even bat an eye.

“I guess.” Angela shrugs. “So, what do you have against massages, anyway?”

“I just don’t like them,” I lie, then quickly change the subject. “Do you want some coffee?”

Angela follows me to the kitchen, and I show her how to use the fancy coffee maker. I make sure to follow all the steps Tate had, and manage not to flood—or break—anything.

While we wait for our coffees to cool down, Angela asks me to describe each of the guys in great detail, starting with Tate. She fans herself when I describe his princely good looks. When I get to Charles’s huge, towering form she whistles. Then, when I reach JJ’s ripped muscles, and the way he exited his room shirtless, Angela makes me laugh by pretending to swoon.

“And you’re staying with all three of them?” she asks.

I nod.

“I don’t know how you’re going to choose between them.”