But when I returned to the kitchen to continue unpacking, Drew walked in with a pizza box and held it open to me. Smiling, I took a slice and followed him back to the living room.
“So, what still needs to be done?” he asked.
Taylor looked around. “Honestly, nothing I can’t do myself. So while you’re all more than welcome to hang out for as long as you want, don’t feel obligated to stay.”
I looked around at the hastily painted white walls and dark-brown carpet that likely hid untold horrors. The place definitely didn’t make me want to stick around, but I also didn’t want to leave Taylor here alone. She seemed…dimmer here. So while I knew I couldn’t stay forever—or cart her out of here and find her a different place to live—I’d hang and try to see if I could spruce the place up. Either decoratively or with morale.
Everyone else seemed to feel the same because they all said they’d stay awhile longer.
As we continued to eat, a thought occurred to me. “Have any luck in the bedroom?” I asked with a mouthful of pizza because I was evidently a toddler.
Every head in the room slowly panned in my direction.
“What?” I asked.
“Dude,” Brody gushed excitedly. “Did you just ask if she had any fucks in the bedroom?”
“What?” I asked, truly horrified. “No! Of course not. I asked if she’d had any luck in the bedroom.” That didn’t sound much better, even to my own ears. “With the unpacking!” I ran a hand over my hair, the slight length on top dragging through my fingers. “Jesus Christ.”
At that, they all burst out laughing.
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, fuckers,” I mumbled.
“Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to talk with your mouth full?” Taylor chided teasingly.
And even though I knew she was joking, I couldn’t help the small pang at her words. Because no, my mother hadn’t taught me that or anything else. But that was my baggage to deal with, so I tamped the awkward feeling down before shrugging. “Guess not.”
For as cool as I tried to play it, I saw a slightly puzzled look take over Taylor’s face and wondered if I wasn’t as smooth as I liked to think.
“I’m gonna finish up in the kitchen,” I announced before fleeing to the cramped space so I could pull myself together.
“Aamee, wanna go have some fuck in the bedroom with me?” I heard Brody ask.
She sighed heavily. “I get you’re trying to be clever, but that’s a really unappealing invitation.”
“I’m nothing if not unappealing,” he joked.
I heard a snap of fingers. “So that’s what you two have in common.” Had to be Sophia. Taylor’s voice was pitched a little lower, almost raspy.
“One day, when we’re sisters, I’m going to disown you,” Aamee threatened.
“That’s so not how that works.”
I left the kitchen to watch the show. When those two got going at each other, fireworks were close behind.
“Is too,” Aamee replied, her tone petulant. It always surprised me how someone as put together as Aamee could morph into a preteen prima donna so fluidly.
“It’s not. I speak from experience,” Taylor said over her shoulder as she moved a box.
Sophia whirled around to face her friend, all bantering with Aamee seemingly forgotten. “He didn’t disown you, Tay.”
She shrugged as if the topic of the conversation didn’t bother her, but it was clear from the way she didn’t meet anyone’s eyes that it did. “He didn’t support me either.”
“I’m sure he’ll come around.”
Taylor shrugged again. “Maybe. But all I know for sure is I can’t count on him.” With that, she turned and disappeared into the bedroom.
Sophia gave Drew a helpless look before following her.
Once both girls were gone, Drew blew out a long breath. We were all silent for a minute until Brody spoke. “I’m not sure how to handle drama that isn’t mine.”
That broke the awkwardness as we all laughed quietly and got back to various tasks, though it was more to keep busy than anything else. Taylor didn’t have much, and what she did have was mostly set up already.
After a few more minutes, I took a peek in the bathroom to see if I could hang her shower curtain or something. I had to walk past the bedroom to get there, and I heard Taylor’s and Sophia’s voices as I passed, causing me to pause. Eavesdropping was a dick move, but I couldn’t help it. I knew what it was like to not be able to rely on family, and if there was something I could do for Taylor, then I wanted to do it.
“Drew already said he could get you a job at Rafferty’s,” Sophia said.
“I know. And I appreciate it. I’m not trying to be stubborn about it, but—”
“Then stop. You need the job, Taylor. Take it.”
“I know they’re already at capacity with employees. I’d be stealing hours from someone because of a favor.”
“That’s not true. Aamee’s leaving.”
“And you told me they’d decided not to replace her because the Yard was closing for the season soon and there was no point in adding staff.”
Sophia paused. “I said that?”
“Yup.”
“I have such a big mouth.”
“That’s considered a perk in some circumstances.”
Sophia laughed for a second before sobering. “We can scour job apps later.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I can handle it.”
Sophia groaned. “Ugh, fine. But don’t be an island. If you need help, ask for it.”
“An island? Really?”
“Shut up and hug me. You know I’m bad at analogies.”
Having heard enough, I moved into the bathroom and looked around, though I didn’t really see anything. My brain was too busy working double-time. Taylor had interned at a summer camp for adjudicated youth this summer. A bar might not be her speed, but I bet I knew something that was.
Before I could think too much more about it, Taylor barged into the bathroom, startling at the sight of me.
“Shit, you scared me,” she heaved between breaths.
“Sorry. I was just…in here.”
“Yeah, I noticed,” she replied, eyeing my curiously.
I needed a good transition for how to bring up the plan I had.
Be smooth, Ransom.
“I heard you and Sophia talking, and I can help.”
Her eyes narrowed at me.
Not smooth.
“Were you eavesdropping on my conversation?”
How did I answer this without being a creep? “Yes.”
At the hardening of her face, I realized that was, in fact, not the way to avoid being creepy.
She crossed her arms over her chest and cocked a hip out like the angry little bee she was.
“I didn’t mean to. I was coming in here and heard Sophia mention you needed a job.”
She raised an eyebrow, which was as effective as a torture method to get me to keep talking because that was what I did.
“I work at a community center. We run a camp in the summer for kids. It’s ending this week, and a lot of our counselors are heading back to school. But our after-school program is starting, and we need staff. It’s probably not quite as intense as where you worked this summer, but we still get our fair share of troubled kids, so it’s no cakewalk. They could probably use you every afternoon, and it would leave you time to do your school stuff during the day.”
It had been quite a word vomit I’d released, but I wanted to get it all out there before she told me to mind my business. I did think it would be a good opportunity for her. And having an excuse to see her almost every day was a definite plus. Though I’d keep that bit to myself.
She eyed me warily, her jaw bobbing up and down as she nibbled into her bottom lip. After what seemed an eternity, she exhaled. “Why would you do that for me?”
Not quite the question I was expecting. The intent way she was looking at me let me know that my answer to this was
important.
No matter how many times I’d tried to get close to Taylor since we’d met, she’d always rebuked me. Her inviting me into her space was a major step forward, but I had a feeling we’d plummet backward if I was too honest. Not that I wanted to lie, but she seemed…skittish. My only guess was that she wanted my offer to be genuine and not because I wanted to get into her pants—something she’d shown she was decidedly not interested in me doing.
Telling her that I wanted to help would come across like pity, and explaining that I wanted any excuse I could get to be in her presence would have her erecting a metaphorical Berlin Wall between us.
So, instead, I went with, “Because you’re terrifying, so the kids will like me more in comparison.”
Her smirk told me I’d gotten the answer right.
Chapter Four
T A Y L O R
“Excuse me, lady. I have twenty dollars for you.”
“Huh?” Hesitantly, I looked to my right, where a guy who looked to be around my dad’s age, standing at the metal mailboxes in the apartment entrance, was holding out a twenty-dollar bill. “Oh, um, that’s okay. You keep your money.”
He was only about my height, with graying hair that needed a washing and thick glasses that were held together with what looked to be black electrical tape.
“Take it,” he said. “Really. Buy yourself somethin’ nice.”
“I don’t need it. You keep it,” I said again.
I wanted to head to the elevator, but I would’ve had to move past him to get there. He hadn’t done or said anything inappropriate, but for some reason, someone offering me money felt more insidious than it would’ve felt had he asked me for some. Like offering a stranger cash was the adult equivalent of someone rolling down the window of a nondescript white van to tell a child that they have extra candy. The only difference was the child would have more room to get away. Here, in the dimly lit lobby with peeling floral wallpaper, I felt closed off from the outside world.
The space was actually too small to even call it a lobby. It was more of a hallway that could fit either someone getting their mail or someone walking toward the elevator, but not both. I grabbed some bills that had already arrived—which made me thankful Xander had been able to at least hook me up with free Wi-Fi—and did my best to ignore the awkward man attempting to give me a handout.
By the time I got back upstairs, I felt exhausted, as if the efforts of the day had suddenly caught up with me now that I could actually relax. I appreciated everyone’s help, more than they probably knew, especially since I’d only known most of them a few months. But that same fact made me feel a little strange taking their help, mainly because I hated feeling indebted to anyone.
Living independently shouldn’t have been an all-or-nothing scenario, but something made it feel like that—like if I didn’t have the help of my own parents, I shouldn’t have help from anyone. Though logically the opposite was probably true.
Sophia had told me not to be an island, and Drew and Ransom had already offered to help me get jobs where they worked. And judging by how long everyone stuck around after I was completely unpacked, it seemed like at least a few of them wondered whether I’d make it through the night by myself.
Whether that said more about my ability to take care of myself or my choice in housing remained to be seen.
After lying down for a little while, I pulled myself up to look for something to eat. It would have to be either peanut butter and jelly or another slice of pizza, and since I’d already eaten three slices earlier with the gang, I opted for the former. I was two bites into my sandwich when my phone rang and my mom’s face appeared on the screen. She’d called once already—though not through FaceTime—but I’d been too busy to answer. I didn’t exactly want to talk to her now either, but I didn’t have an actual reason not to.
Answering the phone, I took another bite of my sandwich and finished chewing before saying hello. I hadn’t talked to my mom in a few weeks, other than through text, which was our usual form of communication since she was sometimes in another time zone. And I knew why she was calling.
“Hey, hon.” She waved, and behind her I could see the morning sun rising. “You look exhausted.”
“Thanks,” I answered dryly, though I was sure she didn’t pick up on my sarcasm because she was already on to her next comment.
“How’s everything going?”
I told her the minimum: that I was planning to stay near Sophia—though not why—and that I moved into another apartment because Sophia was heading back to the sorority house for the new semester.
“It’s fine,” I added. “Just a long day with the move and everything, but I had people helping, so it wasn’t too bad, I guess.”
“That’s good. Did you have to go far?”
“A few miles away from where I was.”
“Oh, I don’t know why I assumed you were in the same complex. I figured you just had to move because your short-term lease was up, and they had someone lined up to move in there soon.”
“No, I probably could’ve stayed, but the friends I made here were all moving too, so it was just as well. No point paying for a luxury apartment when I don’t really need it. Other than doing my schoolwork here, I probably won’t even be home too much.”
“Are you continuing with your internship?” My mom looked to her right, and I saw my stepdad come into frame with a cup of coffee.
Joe handed it to my mom and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “I gotta head out to a client meeting, but I’ll call you later and let you know what time to meet for dinner.”
“Oh, hey, Tayl,” he said with a wave, and I couldn’t help but cringe at the name. It’d always reminded me of the appendage attached to an animal’s butt.
“Hey,” I answered.
Even though Joe had technically been my stepfather since I was twelve, I’d never actually told him about my feelings on the nickname. Then after a while, it seemed strange to bring it up at all, especially when I didn’t see either one of them more than a couple of times a year.
I’d never been close with him, which really wasn’t all that strange since I wasn’t even that close with my mother. He seemed like a nice enough guy, and he certainly treated my mom well, but I’d never spent enough time with him to formulate a thorough opinion of the man, other than what my mom had told me.
“Where are you guys, anyway?” I asked.
“Australia,” my mom answered. “Joe’s company just acquired a client here, and we’re staying the month.”
“Looks beautiful there.”
“A bit too cold, but I certainly can’t complain,” my mom said with a smile at Joe before looking back at me. “What’s it like where you are?”
“Hot as hell.”
My mom laughed, and Joe disappeared. “Anyway, you were saying about your internship?”
“Oh, right. No, that’s done. I’m just going to find a job here and try to save some money. I won’t have to attend classes, so I’ll have more time. A few of my friends might have openings where they work, but I haven’t given it a ton of thought yet.”
“They must be some good friends if you decided to stay there. I thought you loved school.”
This was my mom’s way of probing for information about why I’d really left, because even though we weren’t as close as I would’ve liked, she still knew me better than a lot of people. I couldn’t pretend I’d simply wanted a change of scenery.
“I did.” The fact that it was the truth made me feel better about saying it. I had loved school—the classes, the people. Well, most of the people. “It just made more sense to stay here and finish everything online.”
It was hard to tell if she bought it, but thankfully she didn’t ask anything more about that.
“What’d your dad say when you told him?”
She looked like she winced at the thought, and I hesitated before saying, “He wasn’t exactly pleased with my decision, but I’m paying my own way, so there isn�
��t much he can do about it.”
“Paying your own way?” My mom looked like she’d been verbally slapped. “So he’s not helping you with school or housing or anything?”
“He agreed to pay for the rest of my degree. I guess he was afraid if he didn’t, I might not get to finish it. But he said I’m on my own for pretty much everything else.”
“You don’t have to be on your own, Tay. Joe and I are happy to help.”
“It’s really okay. I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure? It looks like you could use some furniture and a few decorations.” My mom knew I didn’t like taking money from Joe, so even if I wasn’t sure I’d be fine, she also knew I’d say I was anyway. And I was sure part of the reason she was offering to help was because my dad had refused to, which only made me want to refuse more.
“Nope. I’m good,” I said, hoping like hell I would be.
Chapter Five
T A Y L O R
Claymont Community Center was located in a busy part of the city and in close proximity to three elementary schools, two middle schools, a high school, and a K-12 charter school.
From the research I’d done before my interview, I’d learned that the center offered a plethora of services to the community—everything from dance classes to cooking lessons to parenting seminars to literacy instruction. They even had a person who helped with job placement. It was impressive to say the least.
With so many offerings, I’d expected the building to be larger. As it was, it looked like it might have once been a church or maybe a Catholic school. Even though the website said the center was nondenominational, it held a certain Gothic feel that made me almost expect to see stained-glass windows and a bell tower.
A woman at the front desk directed me down a long hallway toward the back of the building when I said I was there for an interview with Safe Haven. My heels clacked against the tile floors and echoed in the quiet halls. Ransom had said there was a week of camp left, but I wasn’t sure where that took place because the building was almost eerily quiet.
Ready or Not (The Love Game Book 4) Page 4
