“Scapegoat?”
“Yeah, that.” I crush a second empty can and toss it on the floor. “And I don’t even care,” I mumble and sigh. “Some nice person with good intentions and a tragic story of their own will pat my back and tell me it’s not my fault. It’s the story of my life. But I’ve spent a lot of time locked up for a life thathasn’t been my fault.Ya know?”
“Maybe she’s different, Flynn.”
“She’s not. You should have seen the look on her face when she had on the expensive dress the Rawlings sent her or the way she couldn’t stop smiling while we ate dinner at that fancy restaurant. The orchestra. Just … everything.” I open another beer, feeling the start of a nice buzz. “And ya know what? I don’t even blame her. Cuz it’s not really her fault that she’s smart, pretty, talented, and rich. But it makes it hard for her to know me. To feel me.” I pound my fist against my chest. “Likereallyfeel me. That’s what money does. It numbs you toward the rest of the world.” I slouch against the door and close my eyes.
Monroe takes the beer from me. “Where can I take you? I can’t take you to my apartment. Are you staying with the Rawlings?”
“Yeah,” I whisper. “Sort of.” All I see is June biting her lip to hide her grin. All I feel is her fingertips on my neck. Her sweet perfume. The sound of her voice so soothing like a song. And for a few weeks, she chose me. The version I let her see.
She’s right. I’m the asshole.
“What’s this?” Rupert looks up from his computer when I step into his office, holding the folded suit and shoes.
Loki jumps off his lap and runs out of the office. This asshole likes the cat. I wonder if Callie knows this? I’m too tired to give it much thought. My head feels like a bowling ball crashing into ten pins. However, I’m proud of myself for thinking to charge my phone and set my alarm after waking up at three in the morning to piss.
“Thank you for the clothes, but I can’t keep them.” I set them on his desk. “And you can’t pay me five grand a week to hang out with your wife.”
Rupert leans back in his chair, hands folded on his stomach.
“I made eighteen dollars an hour at the detail shop, not counting tips. You should pay me the same amount.”
He chuckles. “Are you allergic to money? Opposed to getting ahead in life?”
“It’s charity. I’m not a charity case.” I sit on the sofa, elbows on my legs, head bowed.
“Now feels like the right time to mention I have security cameras in my garage, but you can’t see the toilet.”
I lift my head.
He’s seen me sleep in his car.Fuck my life… he’s seen me bathe in the dog wash.
“Am I fired?”
He chuckles. “Fired? I don’t know, Flynn. Do you want me to fire you? I’m at a loss this morning. I don’t know if, in the history of mankind, someone has ever requested a pay cut for themselves. Granted, it’s probably safe to assume most people don’t sleep in their employer’s garage either.”
“My roommate got engaged. And his girlfriend is pregnant. I was sleeping on the sofa. It’s a one-bedroom apartment. After you paid me, they assumed I could find my own place. But I don’t know how long this job will last, so I don’t want to sign a lease. Hotels require a credit card, which I don’t have. I could stay at a shelter. There’s one on Hiawatha that’s pretty decent. It’s just been really convenient to be in your garage since I have to be here so early in the morning.”
Rupert nods slowly. “Okay.”
Okay? That’s it?
He drums his fingers on the desk. “How was the orchestra?”
“I’m not an expert on that kind of music, but everyone seemed to know what they were doing.”
He rolls his eyes.
I try to smile, but it’s hard to find one today. “It was fine,” I say. “Funny thing I discovered.”
“An orchestra is comprised of people playing instruments?”
“Actually, yes.” I give him the bird. “June has traveled the world as a cellist in a band. Her picture is on the wall at Orchestra Hall.”
Rupert squints. “What?”
“Yep.” I lean back, hands laced behind my head. “It would seem that I landed a rich girl too. But I don’t want that life, so what a waste, huh?”
