Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 125135 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 501(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125135 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 501(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
I sucked down some of my beer and leaned back with a big ahhh. “All by myself, my friend. I’m just happy to be here with my dearest mates.”
Colby positioned his beer cap between his thumb and middle finger and snapped. It went flying through the air, bounced off my forehead, and landed in the middle of the table.
I grinned. “Guess my ante is two bucks.”
Owen finished dealing out five cards each and set down the deck. “Any of you know how far out we have reservations on the Airbnb unit?”
“I think we have one at the end of the month, but that’s it. We only opened the reservation calendar for six months.”
“Can we cancel that reservation?”
I shrugged. “Person probably won’t be happy about it. But yeah, we have the ability to cancel. Why?”
Owen looked around at all the guys. “Because Lala got the grant she applied for.”
I froze. “How do you know?”
“She called me today. They want her to start Monday. It’s a government grant, so if they don’t begin spending the money by the end of the month, they lose it from their budget next year. She wanted to know if we’d rent the apartment to her. I told her I’d get back to her after I checked whether it was available, but I wanted to see how you guys feel about offering it to her rent free. Her grant lasts for six months, so we’d be forgoing rent for half a year. But we wouldn’t have this building if Ryan hadn’t made us the beneficiaries of his life insurance policy. It seems like the right thing to do.”
The guys all started nodding. “Absolutely,” someone added. But I was still stuck on Owen’s first sentence. “Why did she call you and not me?”
He shrugged. “Probably because I’m nicer and better looking. Oh, and I’m an adult who doesn’t take naps.”
I was offended that Lala had chosen to call Owen, but when Colby’s eyes slanted to mine with a knowing look, I covered up as best as I could. “Yeah, sure. That’s fine.”
“So we’re all good with giving it to her rent free?” Owen asked.
Everyone nodded.
“Alright then,” he said. “I’ll call her back later and let her know she has a place to stay for as long as she needs it.”
***
“Hey, I’m glad you’re home.”
I opened my apartment door to find Owen on the other side. “What’s up?”
“Lala is supposed to be arriving about two today, and I just got a call from a client who wants me to show them an apartment right now because they’re very interested, and I already have an offer coming in on it from another agency. I was supposed to give Lala and Warren a hand moving her stuff in. Any chance you could help them out in my place?”
I felt bad saying no. But Dr. Douchebag should be able to carry the boxes himself. The apartment was fully furnished, so it wasn’t like he had to carry anything big. “Sorry.” I shrugged. “I have plans.”
“Shit. Okay. I’ll try Brayden and Colby.”
“Alright. Good luck today.”
“Thanks, man.”
Owen started to walk away, but turned back. “By the way, I caught Frick and Frack, the teenagers from hell in 410, up on the roof again last night. They had buckets of water and were trying to dump them on unsuspecting pedestrians this time.”
“Seriously? Mrs. Martin from 408 called me to complain two days ago that they’d been blasting music all night. When I went up to tell them to knock it off, they were home alone. I thought I scared them a little. Guess not. Have you seen the mother lately?”
“Nope. And we didn’t get rent this month either.”
I shook my head. “They’re old enough not to need a babysitter, but they’re not old enough to live alone. I’ll see if the mom is around later and have a talk with her if she is.”
“Thanks.”
I shut the door, feeling like a complete piece of shit for saying I couldn’t help Lala. But the last thing I needed was to be around her and her fiancé. Since she was moving right next door, I was bound to hear them when they arrived, and that would make me feel like an even bigger scumbag for hiding out in my apartment. I needed to make myself scarce, so I scrolled through my contacts for someone to make plans with. I didn’t have to scroll very far.
I’d hooked up with Anna a few times, and just last week I’d run into her on the subway. She’d told me to text her. So I did. I asked her to a daytime movie, though I had no interest in seeing one. She texted back quickly, sounding excited about getting together, which made me feel like shit yet again.
I wanted to be gone by the time Lala arrived. So after I took a shower, I figured I’d take a slow walk uptown to the theatre where I’d told Anna I’d meet her in an hour. But when I got outside in front of the building, there was some sort of commotion. A guy was yelling and flailing his arms, standing beside a car pulled halfway into a parking spot, nose first. Meanwhile, another car was backed halfway in. It wasn’t until a woman got out of the other car and slammed the door that I realized it was Lala getting yelled at. Shit. I ran over just as the other driver began walking toward her.