Page 61 of Someone Like Me
“Rent?!” Her eyes bug, and her mouth quirks in an odd line. “We wouldn’t charge you rent. We’dpayyou.”
Now my mouth falls open. “Janine, you couldn’t — I wouldn’t feel—”
Her hand lands on my knee. “Do you know how exhausted we’ve been? I can barely stay awake in my classes. I had to drop down to nine hours. And James said he was so tired during a client meeting this week, he almost wept when it was over.” Her own eyes fill with tears. “Evie, he’s a first-year CPA, he can’t cry in front of clients. They’ll leave him.”
“I get it but, you don’t need to pay me if I get to live here for fr—”
“It’s a write-off, Evie. James says it’ll actually help us with our taxes.”
“I — But—”
“Evie, just say yes. We can work out the money tonight when James gets home.” She squeezes my knee again. “And we won’t take advantage of you, I swear. We’ll split shifts so each of us gets enough sleep every night. And of course you’d have nights off.”
I give her a wicked grin. “Or y’all could take a night off. And go somewhere fun. Maybe New Orleans or a bed and breakfast?”
Her eyes round with wonder. “Oh… really?” Her chest heaves. “That would besogreat…”
She looks so awestruck I have to laugh. I push myself up from the floor. “We’ll work it out. But right now, I need to get ready. I have class at ten.”
Janine seems to come to herself, blinking away visions of room service and do not disturb signs. “Oh, right. I have some reading to do before class. But—” She points a finger at me and gives me her own wicked grin. “Sometime this afternoon, I want to hear more about this Drew guy.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
DREW
Evie’s light has been out for two nights.
She didn’t mention she was going anywhere. I know it’s none of my business, but I can’t help but wonder where she is. It’s Monday morning, and we’re supposed to go the the DMV this afternoon.
Which is definitely not a date.
But we didn’t really settle on a time. And we never swapped numbers, so I can’t call her. Of course, even if I had her number, I still don’t have a phone. So I’d have to call from the cordless in Grandma’s kitchen.
How pathetic is that?
Still, something tells me I don’t need to worry. When it’s time to go, Evie will turn up. It seems like she’s turning up all the time. Even if I haven’t been able to catch a glimpse of her all weekend — not since I watched her disappear inside her house after clearing the fence like an Olympic gymnast.
I keep thinking about Friday night. How having her in the apartment left a permanent change. How I still feel Grandpa Pete everywhere, but now the feeling is lighter, warmer. How Evie is a living, breathing pain reliever. A laughing, teasing pain reliever.
Knowing I’d clock out early, I got to the garage at seven this morning, and I’ve spent three hours so far replacing the motor mounts on a Nissan Versa. And that’s where my cousin Chip finds me.
“How’s Grandma?”
I pull my head out from under the hood and peer around the engine sling. Chip stands there with his hands on his hips, his eyes not meeting mine. My guess is he’s focused somewhere around my collar.
This is actually the first time he’s spoken to me about anything personal in the two weeks I’ve been here. Before now, he’s just given me orders. And that’s okay by me. I follow his orders and give him no reason to feel like he’s made a mistake in offering me this chance. If I have a question, or need to go over a repair with a manager, I try to find Cody. I know my cousin doesn’t want to talk to me, so I’m surprised to see him now.
“She’s in a lot of pain, but she’s trying to be tough about it.” Grandma’s self-diagnosis was spot-on. Shingles. A mean case of it, too.
Chip winces, and in this moment of distraction, he brings his gaze to mine. “Aunt Josie called my mom and told her this weekend.”
I nod. “Yeah, Aunt Shelly and your dad came over this weekend to look in on her.” Shelly and Nelson are Chips parents. He’s the oldest of their three boys. And like I said before, he’s the one who looks most like Anthony. Standing this close, talking to him, is a mindfuck. I want to stare at him, look at him from all angles. Just to pin down all the ways he’s like my brother.
And I want to hide my face and cry. The way I do when Anthony visits my dreams.
“They’re glad somebody’s at the house with her,” he says, keeping his eyes on mine. “I am too.”
To say I’m shocked would be an understatement. It takes me a second to marshal a response. “I’m lucky to be there,” I tell him, and we both know it’s the truth.
