Page 17 of The Offer

“Must be nice,” she hummed to herself, not realizing how loud she said the words. She ignored the way Kevin awkwardly shifted next to her.

“You could just break up with him,” Calvin responded.

And take us up on your offer, Jess finished for him in her head. She curled her hands into fists, wondering if the reason she was questioning her relationship so much was because of them.

Her phone rang in her pocket. She grumbled when she noticed it was Charlie, but was happy to have an excuse to step away from her loved-up friends. “Speak of the devil.”

Jess entered the cottage, pressing the phone to her ear. “What?” she answered.

“Jessie, hi!” Charlie said cheerfully. They still hadn’t talked about their fight a few weeks ago, and now Charlie was off on his family vacation in the Cape. Without her. And sounding like he was having fun, no less.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to be civil. “How’s the Cape?”

“Cold right now, but beautiful,” he said. “Not the same without you here though.”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” she gritted out.

Jess heard the porch door swing open and turned abruptly. She saw Kevin step inside, Calvin at his heels. She frowned, rolling her eyes as she turned away from them.

“Hey, so I was talking to my dad,” Charlie said. “He was wondering when you were going to send rent for April? He said you’re usually good about it so he was surprised it didn’t roll through.

Jess froze. “What do you mean send rent in? I thought you said you had it handled.”

“Wait, what?”

She removed her glasses and rubbed her face with the back of her hand. Thank god she couldn’t afford makeup anymore, because she would just be smearing it down her cheeks for the number of times she did this in a day. “You told me you would handle all of April’s rent, remember? After you watched me eat grilled cheese for breakfast over a pile of unpaid bills?”

Jess slid her glasses back on and noticed the way Kevin cocked an eyebrow at her. She heard him mutter something under his breath that sounded like, For breakfast?

“Oh, I, well—” Charlie spluttered, hesitating.

Jess waited for one beat, then two, hoping he would remember. Praying that he would offer to do so anyway.

But after an uncomfortably long silence, she shook her head. “Charlie, I have to pay my portion for May in a couple of days. I can’t pay double the amount, I don’t have the cash.”

Jess watched as Kevin and Calvin looked at each other—damn them and their silent exchanges. She shook her head and stepped away, walking toward the kitchen sink.

Laughter sounded on the other end of the phone at something someone said. Her stomach churned as she wondered what was so funny. Wondering if she was the cause of that laughter.

“Look, Jessie, I gotta go. I already gave him my half, and he says you can send the rest with your May payment.”

She blanched, unable to form sentences, unable to defend herself. Paying rent for April and May was going to clear out everything she had in her checking account, and Post Road wasn’t paying her again until next Thursday.

“Love you!” he chirped, then dropped the line.

Jess just stood there in a daze, looking at the lock screen of her phone, her wallpaper a picture of kanelbullar she made two months ago that she was particularly proud of.

She felt a soft hand on her shoulder. “Hey, you okay?”

Her gaze drifted to Kevin’s wavy locks and the hazel eyes that looked intently at her. Her gut reaction was to brush him off. But his hand on her shoulder felt like an anchor as she battled the anxiety building up in her chest. As if he knew, he gave her a gentle squeeze, waiting patiently for her breathing to slow. She simply shook her head in response, and he squeezed her shoulder once more.

Jess looked past Kevin and realized Calvin was already back on the porch, leaving the two of them alone in the cottage.

“What can I do to help?” Kevin asked her softly.

“Do you have eighteen hundred dollars?”

Kevin let out a low whistle. “Jesus, I wish.”