Chapter One: Cause Daddy Said...
I hate that saying, when it rains it pours, because things never seem to just go a little wrong for me. Apparently they have to go fully off the rails, and in this case that meant water pouring out of the walls.
I stood in the kitchen with my phone pressed to my ear, watching a plumber crouched by a jagged hole in the drywall near the hallway. He had a flashlight in one hand and a clipboard tucked under his arm, muttering to himself while he poked around inside like he was investigating a crime scene.
Of course this would happen now.
Right after my summer had already gone to shit, the house had to follow suit.
“I can just stay with Jenna,” I said, dragging my attention away from the wall and forcing myself to focus on the call. “It’s literally not a big deal. She already said I could.”
There was a pause on the other end, the kind that always meant my dad was deciding how much patience he had left for me.
“No.”
I rolled my eyes even though he couldn’t see it. “You didn’t even think about it.”
“I thought about it enough to say no.”
I glanced back toward the open wall, where the plumber shifted and scribbled something down. “Well, I can’t stay here. He said there’s mold. Like actual mold, not just wipe it down and hope for the best mold.”
“Which is why I’ve already handled it.”
That made me straighten a little. “Handled it how?”
“You’ll be staying with Jonas until the repairs are finished.”
I blinked.
“Jonas?” I repeated. “Have I met him?”
“Don’t play coy,” my dad said with a sigh.
“Doesn’t ring a bell,” I lied.
Of course I remembered him. I’d seen him at almost every company event my dad had dragged me to. Tall, broad shouldered, always put together, and way too good looking for someone his age. The kind of man who never seemed rumpled or off his game, like he walked into a room already expecting people to listen.
“Enough.”
I let out a short laugh. “You expect me to go stay with some old guy?”
“He is not an old guy,” my dad said flatly. “He is younger than me.”
“That is not helping your argument.”
His tone sharpened just enough to let me know I was getting close to the edge. “You will not turn this into a debate. Jonas is doing me a favor. He lives close to campus, close to your job, and I trust him to keep an eye on you.”
I pulled the phone away from my ear for a second, then brought it back. “Keep an eye on me? Are you serious right now?”
“Yes.”
I laughed under my breath. “What am I, on parole?”
The plumber glanced over.
I turned slightly away from him, lowering my voice just enough to pretend I hadn’t been about to start a full argument in front of a stranger.
“You’re overreacting,” I said. “I can stay with Jenna. I’ll go to work, I’ll go to class, it’s fine.”