I sat down next to her. "Mom, I don't think scrambled eggs can give you heartburn. I think you should make that doctor's appointment you keep talking about."
She waved off the notion. My mom was one of those people who waited until a limb was about to drop off or an organ was about to shut down before seeing a doctor. And she was the same with me growing up. At eight years old, I fell off a bar and broke my wrist. It was obviously broken because the hand was sitting at the end of an S-shaped wrist, but Mom was sure some ice and aspirin would make it all better. She sent me to school, and the teacher nearly passed out when she saw my wrist. I was sent home, and Mom got a visit from social services. After that, she was a little better about taking me to the doctor.
I sensed she was still in pain. "Let me get you some antacid."
"No, no, that stuff doesn't work, and it tastes awful." She scrunched up her face the way Jack did whenever I set a plate with vegetables in front of him.
I rested back and put my head on her shoulder.
"My sweet little girl, I've been thinking. I'm going to go back to the fabric store and see if I can get some hours. Misty always liked me. I could work from nine to three, which would give me plenty of time to take Jack to day care and pick him up."
"That's up to you, Mom, but we're still going to have to find a smaller and cheaper apartment. The new rent is going to be too much for us to keep living here. Honestly, Mom, I don't know what to do." For the first time since that crummy day when my car got totaled and the new building owners lowered the boom on the existing tenants, I allowed myself to cry. I never liked to let my guard down in front of Mom and Jack. I was the strong one. I was the person carrying the weight of our existence on my shoulders, and I never wanted to worry them, but at the moment, I had no idea how to keep our heads above water.
Mom reached over and patted my face. "I'll see about getting some hours at the fabric store. It doesn't pay much, but it'll help a little bit. And we'll find a nice apartment with better rent. You'll see, Ray. It'll be fine. We've made it this far together, and we've been in worse situations."
"But back then it was just the two of us and things were more affordable. Now we've got Jack."
My stomach growled. "Need some toast. Do you want a piece?"
"Maybe that'll help settle down my heartburn." Mom got up and followed me into the kitchen. "How was work? Anything interesting happen?"
I smiled as I stuck the bread in the toaster. "Nothing out of the ordinary." I thought about my chat with Evan and the follow-up note on the napkin asking for a coffee date. Then his wordsI could make your life easierdanced through my head. I wondered just what the heck he meant by that. No, I had to get it out of my head. It didn't matter what he was offering. I wasn't taking the bait.
Mom's voice penetrated my thoughts. "Jam or butter?"
I released an exhausted sigh. "I think I'll splurge and have both."
eleven
. . .
Ronan
"This place is cool," I said as I walked to the big front window. The sun had set on the day and the long week and the town lights lit up the sky. "What's this apartment setting you back?" I asked Colin. He was carrying in two boxes.
"You mean how much is it settingusback?"
My happiness, my relief of no longer being passed from house to house like an old, farting uncle that nobody wanted was suddenly paused. "Bro, I can't split this with you. I thought I was just renting a room."
Colin laughed. "Relax. You're not splitting the bill. I thought a grand a month. Will that work?"
"Fuck yeah, that works." I walked into the kitchen. The counters were granite and the refrigerator was massive. "This is like a damn five-star hotel."
"Like you've ever been in a five-star hotel," Colin said. "Help me get some more boxes from the truck."
I followed Colin out. Two women were coming out of the neighboring apartment. One was wearing a tight black skirt and the other had on jeans that highlighted curves in all the right places. The one in the skirt hurried over on her ankle boots. "You must be our new neighbors. I'm Jen and this is Esme."
"I'm Colin, and this is my brother Ronan."
Jen leaned her head toward Esme. "Told you a hunk was moving in next door." Jen smiled. "I saw you looking at the place with the building manager, and I texted Esme at work and said our new neighbor is going to be way better than old Mr. Grimshaw. He cooked fish every night, and he pounded on the walls if we were laughing too loud." Jen had blue eyes and red hair that was cut short. "Are you moving in, too, or just helping with the boxes?" she asked me.
"I'll be moving in, too."
"Woo-hoo, Esme, it's our lucky day. We'll talk later. I have a feeling we're all going to become great friends." We watched the two of them walk away, and they made sure to move all the right parts to make their departure more intriguing.
Colin looked at me. "You're welcome. Guess this beats washing Dad's underwear and listening to him belch." His phone rang, and he pulled it out. "Speaking of the belch man. Go get some more boxes." He carried the phone inside. "Hey, Dad …" His voice trailed off as I walked down the stairs to Colin's truck.
It was a nice Saturday for a change. The clouds had gone, leaving behind a clear blue sky and a glacial chill in the air. I was so damn happy about finally having a place to live where I didn't feel like a leech or a guest overstaying their welcome. Nev, Indi and, of course, Rio were all cool about me staying in their places, but I could feel Zander and Jameson counting the days. I really owed my twin this time. He got me out of a lousy, homeless feel that, even with the new job, was making me feel like crap.