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Chapter 2
Natalie
I arrived at my apartment after dark.
As I came up the stairs, I could hear the music coming from our place. My roommate, Holly, was obviously in and relaxing after work. She managed a deli and coffee shop in town, and we had been living together for two years. The arrangement suited both of us even though we were quite unalike.
Holly was outgoing, loud, and sociable, always going to or coming from a party, with loads of friends, acquaintances and boyfriends calling her and dropping by. I, on the other hand, was quiet and more introverted. But being around Holly was fun and it lifted my spirits. She often told me that I was her conscience and that she needed me to keep her on the straight and narrow. As if anyone could make Holly do anything! She was a free spirit and I admired her for it. She wasn’t a pushover, like me. Holly went for whatever she wanted and usually, she got it.
When I opened our front door, she was dancing to music in our messy living room. She was wearing only a t-shirt and there was an open bottle of wine on the kitchen counter. Our apartment was small but cozy and I loved living here.
“Nats!” she shrieked when she saw me. “Did you get the job?”
She turned the music down.
I fetched another glass and poured myself some wine. I had to think carefully about what to tell her. I had texted her a message about the job and that I may be needed right away.
“I did.”
I had no time to say anything else as Holly started punching the air and uttering cries of victory. She knew I needed a job and was desperate for some steady money. Things Dana and her employer did not need to know. I preferred to think of him as my employer at this point. It was easier than calling him by his name.
Sam.
A name weighed down by so much emotion for me. So much history, so much trauma.
“Tell me everything,” Holly commanded, filling her glass with more wine, and leading me to our couch, a big lumpy piece of furniture full of clothes, throws and a blanket I had crocheted myself. Holly cleared a spot for us to sit on by throwing some things on the floor.
“Begin!” She said, staring at me with her big dark eyes, her wild frizzy hair framing her face. Holly’s positive energy usually cheered me up, but I knew I couldn’t tell her the truth.
Not the whole truth.
“It’s a live-in job,” I started, slowly. “Looking after a four-year-old boy, Ethan. He is on the spectrum, so it is demanding.”
“Rich parents?”
I nodded. “The father, yes, they’re divorced.”
“Handsome?” Holly’s eyes twinkled.
I was not prepared for that question, and it threw me. Was Sam handsome? How to answer her? I didn’t know how. I found myself looking for words, looking for something appropriate to say. But I didn’t know how. I drank some wine, then some more. I got up and went to my room.
“I came to pick up some things, I have to get back there.”
Holly followed me into my room.
“I don’t know if it will work out. We are giving it a week. But the money is good.”
“How good?” Holly asked.
“Very good.”
I turned to face her. “If I stay, I will be able to pay for Tucker’s rehab.”
Holly nodded slowly. “But that’s fantastic, right?”
Tucker, my youngest brother, had been struggling with drugs ever since high school. He had nearly overdosed a few months back and had finally committed to try giving it up. The problem was that rehab cost a lot of money and my parents weren’t exactly flush right now. I said I’d help, but I didn’t have that much money. My last proper teaching job had been months ago, and I’d been getting by on babysitting and tutoring but it was barely enough to cover my rent. The money Sam had promised to pay me was more than I could ever have hoped for, especially if he kept his word to double to the rate.
“So, what’s the problem?” Holly asked. “There is a problem, right?”
