Page 8 of You'll Love it Here

Another uncomfortable feeling surrounds me. Why does she know that? Is she watching me? “Yeah... I work at a firm just above the Core.” The words feel awkward on my lips already.

Jane’s eyes light up. “I figured you worked near there. I always see you at the place on Fifth with the good sandwiches, the one with the barista who shows off his butt cheeks.”

“Oh, nice!” I force a smile. The Lululemon-clad barista is a notable landmark. But I’ve never noticedherthere, in all her bright clothes. To be fair, when I’m in work mode, I really only have eyes for people who look like potential clients. God, I wantthatlife back. “So, you work near there too?”

Jane nods. “At an office on Third. So, are you sick today?” Her head tilts again, assessing my situation. “Hungover?”

I catch Sami’s head perking up at the corner of my peripherals. My mouth is cottony dry. “I’m... Yeah, I had some vacation time that I needed to use up.” Technically true. I feel Sami’s all-knowing eyes boring through the back of my head. Did I talk about my basically forced leave with a random diner guy?

“Hey, where’d the vase go?” Sami interrupts, his attention now locked on the corner of the lobby.

Shit. The vase is in my bedroom, of course.

Sami searches behind the old chair. “I’d left it on the table here.”

He brought the vase of flowers in here? I don’t want to be mean, I just... you have to wonder what kind of person puts flowers in a lobby of some apartment that isn’t even theirs. It’s next to the cum chair, for crying out loud.

“That’s so weird.” Sami stands, his expression harder. “Did the vandal actually go and steal the vase my family gave Irene her birthday flowers in?”

Oh, that makes more sense. And I’m a wretch and a loathsome fool.

Carmen shifts Jane’s cat from shoulder to shoulder. A barbed-wire tattoo from an unfortunate era of body ink peeks out from his shirt. “Looks like we got ourselves a vandalanda thief.”

I’m so, so fucked.

A loud screech of a meow comes from Jane’s cat, drawing all our attention. The cat is hissing at the front stairwell landing, where two buggy eyes have just appeared. A geriatric weiner dog waddles into the room. His legs are so short that his penis grazes the floor in a way I sort of pity. Beside him, a leash is held by one of the remaining firefighters. Ernest is Irene’s dog, which she sometimes lets wander through the common areas. He’s old enough that he usually just plops down somewhere and watches people pass by. His beady eyes always seem to be boring into my soul, judging my innermost thoughts. Right now, he’s shaking terribly.

The firefighter clears his throat. “This guy was really spooked by the alarms. We found him hiding under the stairs.” Ernest’s shivers intensify as he looks up at us, proving the man’s point. “Your landlord had asked if anyone would be willing to take care of him while she’s getting checked out.”

Irene treasures this dog like nothing else. Likenobodyelse, because honestly, I think she has hardly anyone in her life. If I treat him as well as Irene would want, maybe I can start to make up for my misdeeds. This ridiculous dog can be my moral savior. I call out, “I’ll take him!”

Sami steps forward, glancing at me with a warm smile. “Don’t worry, Mona. I’d be happy to take the little guy in.” I don’t like the familiar way he says my name. The judgy look he’s giving me, like he thinks I shouldn’t be near Ernest. Does he think I’m too deranged to take care of a dog?

“Sami,” I start, just as familiar. “Don’t be silly. You said it yourself, you need to get back to the diner. I’m happy to take him.”

“No really, I’ve watched him for Irene before.” Sami makes his way over and puts out his hand for the leash. On instinct, I run interference and accidentally grab him by the bicep before pulling back just as fast. Another flash of memory from last night shudders through me. Sami helped me up after I stumbled getting into my stool. I said he had a really nice arm and I’d like to dance with it sometime. I just know that I’m going to lose hours of sleep over this comment for years, no matter what else I accomplish in my life.

I turn to the firefighter and say, “I’d best take the dog. I live on the same floor as Irene.” I direct my gaze to Sami. “I think Ernest will probably want to stay close to his home.”

Sami inserts himself again. “Don’t worry, he knows the diner. I’ve watched him before.”

“Well, then it must be my turn to help,” I say, through the tightest smile.

If it weren’t for me, Irene wouldn’t have fallen. She could’ve died. Everything from the past twenty-four hours draws a weary feeling into my bones. I wrote such a horrible thing. Wrecked her flowers. Meanwhile, this guy just came in to help clean and imply that he “always helps.” He doesn’t need this.Ineed this.

I’m going to show this dog the best time ever. I smile as I crouch down. “Come here, boy, it’s okay.” I coax Ernest closer, and when hewobbles to my feet, it feels like a miracle. Like this one creature can see that I’m not so bad. I lift his warm floppy body into my arms and try to ignore the fact that his peehole is grazing my torso.

The firefighter either takes this as confirmation of Ernest’s consent, or he’s not interested in watching us duke it out any further. He drops the leash and makes his way out.

Sami raises his brow. “Are you sure, Mona?” There’s a tenderness in his tone this time.

“Yes,” I say. “I’m actually on vacation for a few weeks, so I can take him, no problem, for as long as Irene’s gone.” It might actually be nice to have another living thing in my apartment aside from Alice and her bullshit.

“Oh, right,” he says in a way that indicates Ididsay something to him about my job last night. He casts his eyes down onto Ernest, and reluctantly says, “Okay then. That’s great.” His eyes shift back toward Carmen, who is handing Jane her cat, with a bit of struggle. “Well, I should get back to the diner, but I’ll drop by after my workout. I have a couple of Ernest’s things from the last time I watched him.”

“Sounds good,” I say. I hold Ernest higher. His earthy smell is so pungent for such a tiny little tube. I might have to give him a bath, lest he transfer his musk to my items. I make a show of patting him.

Sami turns to go, then abruptly stops, his forehead wrinkling. “Oh, you almost forgot.” He reaches out and plucks my undrunk coffee from atop the library.