AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Right, I’m sorry,” I instantly corrected myself. “Mr. Locke. I...um...good afternoon.”
My landlord watched quietly as I began scanning his items. Unlike Lady Bubblegum, he had an entire week’s worth of groceries. Either that or he was throwing one hell of a rager. I glanced up at him from time to time as I scanned each item. He was wearing a suit, like always. I didn’t know what his regular job was, but it was something that made him wear suits all of the time. Always. I’d never seen him not looking great.
Silently, I berated myself for not taking the time to put on makeup that morning. I’d been in class all day and then come straight to work. I didn’t exactly have a lot of time to make myself look fancy for a job like this. Not that Mr. Locke would ever notice a girl like me. Maybe I didn’t even want him to. It might be better to be invisible, I thought. A guy like Mr. Locke...well, he could chew your heart up and spit it right out if you weren’t careful.
As I filled each bag, I moved it over to place in his cart. He didn’t offer to help me. It was strange, but it didn’t bother me. I liked the idea of being helpful for Mr. Locke. There was something about him that made me want to please him.
I finished scanning his last item and totaled his purchase.
“$235.06,” I told him, reading the number. I expected him to scan his credit card, but instead, he handed me cash. I looked at it for a second and then up at him, blinking. Who carried cash anymore? And why so much?
“Keep the change,” he said, and then he was gone. There was no one else in line behind him, and I quickly counted the money to make sure he hadn’t shorted me.
He hadn’t.
He’d overpaid me by almost three hundred dollars.
“What the hell?” I whispered, staring at the cash. Maybe he meant to give me less. Maybe he thought he’d given me $240.00, which is what I originally thought he’d given me. An extra five bucks was nothing to a guy like that, but it was a lot to me. Five bucks was a coffee date. Five bucks was a cheap movie from the Wal-Mart bins. I sighed and counted the change, shoving it into my pocket. I didn’t dare leave it in the register. Patty would just keep it. Either that or she’d accuse me of stealing from someone.
Instead, I made a mental note to return it to Mr. Locke. I didn’t know where he lived and a management company handled my rent payments and maintenance requests, but I’d figure out where his main office was tomorrow and return his money to him.
It was only right.
It was only fair.
Besides, something about the way he looked at me made me feel...
Alive.
Chapter 2
Paige
BY THE TIME I FINISHED showering, brushing my hair, and putting on my makeup the next morning, it was nearly 10:00am. Luckily, I didn’t have morning classes that day, so I had plenty of time to go visit Mr. Locke’s office and return his cash to him. I told Fawn, my roommate, where I was going.
She just shook her head at me.
“Girl, if a man as fine as Mr. Locke gave me almost three hundred bucks, I’d be buying new boots to wear while wrapping my legs around him - not itching to return the cash.” She stared at me like I was totally crazy. Fawn was sprawled out on the couch eating popcorn and watching some show she liked on Netflix. She was a relaxed roommate, but she was also wildly opinionated. Sometimes that worked out for me. Most of the time, it didn’t.
“I’m sure it was an accident,” I told her, blushing. I glanced down at my own well-worn boots. I could use a new pair, but it wasn’t my money. It wasn’t meant to be. Besides, I could earn the money for my new shoes like everyone else in the damn world: by working hard. That was the whole purpose of going back to school at my age, right? I knew it was weird that I was a non-traditional student. I was too old for most people to look twice at. If anyone spared me a glance, it was to mentally question whether I was a graduate student or a really young professor. Nobody ever thought I was an undergrad.
“You’re an idiot,” Fawn snapped, setting her popcorn down. She paused her show to give me her full attention, and I didn’t like where the conversation was headed.
“What?” My jaw dropped. Was she being serious right now? What the hell was she talking about?
“You heard me,” Fawn shook her head. “You really think a man as meticulous and shrewd as Mr. Locke would accidentally give someone that kind of money?” She raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow, but I was starting to get pissed. I didn’t like the insinuation.
“Mistakes happen.”
“You’re living in a dream world, Paige.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Fawn just shrugged and went back to her popcorn. She picked up the bowl and started eating it piece by piece. She ignored me, letting me know that the conversation was totally finished. As if I didn’t know.
I glared at her for a minute before spinning around and leaving. I was careful to slam the door as I hurried out of the house. I didn’t need Fawn’s negativity right then. I didn’t need any of that. I was trying to make the right choice. I was doing the right thing here.
Fawn just didn’t understand.
