On the Rocks
Page 21
When my eyes finally peeled open the next morning, I called my landlord, Mrs. Tapper, first thing. She answered on the fifth ring, same as every other time I’d ever called her, making me wonder if she counted the rings just to be sure she made people wait for her to answer.
“Hello?” her crackly voice answered. Mrs. Tapper was one of those women you swore had smoked a pack a day since birth. She had the gruff voice and wrinkles around her mouth to back that theory up.
“Mrs. Tapper, hey, this is Lauren Myers from apartment two B.”
“Yeah, what’s the issue? If you’re calling to get an extension on rent, you’re out of luck. You used your get out of jail free card back in October.”
I pursed my lips together. October. That had been around the time I’d gotten fired from my hairdressing job, because I’d left some crap on a customer’s hair too long and nearly singed it all off. The poor lady, she’d come in looking halfway decent and left looking like the before picture on a makeover show.
“No, that’s not what I’m calling about,” I said.
“It’s not? Then what the hell is it? My show is getting ready to come on,” she snapped, and then burst into a coughing fit from hell.
I waited until she’d caught her breath before I spoke. “I’m calling because there’s a leak coming from the upstairs apartment.”
The distinct sound of a lighter flicking was the only thing I heard. No doubt, she was lighting another cigarette, eager to feed that emphysema of hers a little more. “A leak? No, I don’t think so. The girl above you would have called if that was the case.”
Dropping my head back, I clenched my jaw tight. “There’s water dripping from the ceiling in my bedroom. My entire bed was soaked last night, and I had to sleep on my couch. There’s a leak.”
“I’ll send my grandson over to look at it later this afternoon, then,” she said in a clipped tone. “I’m sure it will be a wasted trip. I know how you girls are nowadays—nitpicky as hell and with such high standards.”
I bit my tongue and prayed she would hurry up and get this shit fixed. If not, she’d be paying to have my comforter dry-cleaned and my furniture replaced.
“Thank you, Mrs. Tapper. Please have him call me before he comes,” I insisted.
Timothy, her grandson, was nothing short of a skuzzy pervert. There had been times when he’d come in my apartment to change the air filter while I was in the shower. I’d never seen him actually enter the bathroom, but I’d heard the door close and noises coming from the hall where the furnace was. Anytime I called out, he always answered with a, “Just changing the air filter. I’ll be on my way now.” He was creepy as hell.
“Yeah, yeah,” Mrs. Tapper muttered. She hung up on me before I could say another word.
With a loud sigh, I chucked my phone onto my couch. If I could find something else within the same price range as this place, I’d be out of here in a heartbeat.
Standing, I walked to the kitchen for some Chex cereal and almond milk. I was attempting to get healthier. It was harder than I’d initially thought it would be, but I was sure the payoff would be great in the end. A healthier, slimmer me.
My cell chimed as a text came through. Rushing over, I scooped it up and glanced at the screen. It was a message from Jimmy, my on again/off again guy. Jimmy was sexy as hell—dark hair, incredible eyes, and a smexy European accent. He was like a freaking exotic stallion I enjoyed riding from time to time. I was fine with this and so was he.
I tapped on my screen and read his message.
How have you been, my love?
I smiled at his words, able to hear them in my head said in his thick accent.
Not too bad, I guess. ~ Lauren
There was a long pause before he answered. I took a few bites of my cereal and turned on the TV. I still had a good forty minutes before I had to be at work.
Doesn’t sound like a confident answer to me. Let me cheer you up.
My mind raced with ways Jimmy had been known to cheer me up—all of them involving mind-blowing sex.
And just what do you have in mind? ~ Lauren
Setting my bowl of cereal down, I bit at my bottom lip as I waited for his response.
Let me come by. I’ll make sweet love to you, and then tell you about my latest surprise.
Tempting. Oh so tempting. What I would give for him to touch me the way he did every time he mentioned stopping by to make sweet love to me.
I don’t have time. I’ve got to be to work in forty. ~ Lauren
God, sometimes being a grown-up sucked. Teenage me didn’t know how good she’d had it—no true responsibilities, skip school and there were no consequences like power getting shut off or insurance lapsing.
Oh, too bad. I guess I could still tell you my surprise.
I waited for him to tell me, cramming another large spoonful of cereal into my mouth. When he never continued, I asked.
What is it? ~ Lauren
I’m taking you away with me.
What the hell? Taking me away with him? Where was he going?
To? ~ Lauren
The pause that came before his response lasted a bit too long for me, causing my heart to hammer from the anticipation.
To Greece.
Holy hell! A wide grin sprang onto my face. I bolted from where I’d been sitting, nearly spilling the remainder of my cereal down the front of me. Greece? I’d always wanted to travel.
Are you for real? ~ Lauren
Absolutely. It’s your birthday present from me.
I was breathless. No one had ever bought me a trip to Greece, or anywhere equally awesome, for my birthday. This was going to be the best birthday ever.
How can you afford this? ~ Lauren
I hated to ask, but Jimmy was by no means wealthy. He lived in a tiny apartment and was a student at the college. He didn’t even have a job that I knew of.
My parents sent me the tickets.
Was this a good thing? Did he tell his parents about me, and they wanted to meet? My stomach knotted as the thoughts swam through my mind. Taking in a deep breath, I exhaled and decided to just go with the flow. I was going to Greece! That was all that mattered, not the how or why.
That’s awesome! Thank you for taking me with you! When do we leave? ~ Lauren
I’d have to let Paige know I wouldn’t be to work on those days. If it was a long enough trip, which I prayed it would at least be longer than a weekend—although I would settle for that—I’d need my mom or sister to stop by my apartment and make sure things were okay every so often.
The seventeenth and we’ll get back on the twenty-first.
My mind was blown. I darted to the calendar on my fridge and searched for the dates he’d said. That was nearly five days in paradise! We were leaving on the day before my birthday and coming home three days after. Also, I had about a week and a half before we left.
Four days! That’s amazing! ~ Lauren
I thought you’d be happy.
I can show you just how happy I am later tonight, if you want. Wink, wink. ~ Lauren
After finishing the last few spoonfuls of my cereal, I set the bowl in the sink.
I’ll be by at seven.
See you then. XO ~ Lauren
I was going to Greece for my flipping twenty-second birthday! Rushing to my soggy and sweltering hot bedroom, I rummaged through my dresser for something to wear to work today. Paige was going to die when she found out where I’d be celebrating my birthday this year.
Hell, everyone would die when they found out. I was dying a little because of it.
For more information about Jennifer Snyder’s books, please visit her online at:
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Acknowledgements
As always, this book would not have been possible without the support of my family. Grant, I can’t imagine taking this journey without you.
Thank you to Whitney Per
ry, Melanie Genanatti, and Katy Austin for your beta reading, and to Jennifer Snyder and T.A. Foster for being such fantastic writing partners. A special thanks to T.A. for sharing your bartending expertise. Thanks to Nicole Stephenson for the editing, and to Kristina Scheid for the proofreading. Thanks to Stephanie Nelson of Once Upon a Time Covers for the beautiful cover. Thanks also to Kelly Simmon of Inkslinger PR for your continued support.
Thanks to all the bloggers who have continued to help me spread the word about my books, and to my readers for giving me the opportunity to share another story with you.
Table of Contents
Other Books by Alyssa Rose Ivy
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Sample: The Hazards of a One Night Stand
Sample: Wreck You - A Coldcreek Novel
Acknowledgements