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* * *
Roommate needed to share a two-bedroom, one-bathroom in Lake Starlight downtown area. Must be clean and organized. A list of chores will be assigned once you move in. Under no circumstances will I clean up after you. I’m neat and clean and expect my roommate to be as well. Guests are not welcome to stay and must be gone by ten o’clock. Must pay first and last month’s rent plus security deposit. All necessary background checks will be required. No pets or felons allowed.
* * *
“Yeah, I’m not sure. I mean, no guests and a chore list?”
Alice stands and stares down her nose at me. “Everyone sounds a little harsh in an ad. They don’t want some hoarder moving in.”
I tuck the paper in my bag because I’m still unsure, but I can’t afford to keep staying at the Glacier Point Resort.
“Just call, sweetie. You’re splitting the rent, so it is cheap.”
Nate nods in agreement.
“Yeah, okay, I think I might.”
After I’ve worked out the details of my employment with Nate, I leave and take a seat on a bench in the town square, then I call the number on the ad to say I’m interested in taking the room. Alice is right, it’s only for a short time, and no one can really be as bad as this ad sounds.
Three
Brinley
I sit in my SUV outside the Anchorage airport, waiting for my cousin Calista and her new husband, Rylan, to arrive. Rylan is a professional soccer player, and they’re returning to Lake Starlight for his off-season. Before I drop them at their place, we have to swing by my apartment, so they can pick up some stuff Calista left there.
In the end, I didn’t have to change my ad because I got a response and the service that the paper uses did an entire background check on my behalf. So this evening, I’ll have a new roommate.
I honk when I spot Calista and Rylan walking out of the sliding doors with their luggage. Calista waves and motions to Rylan, who has the brunt of the luggage weighing him down.
I get out of the SUV to help get everything in the back. “Hey, lovebirds.”
I hug them and tell them about my new roommate while we figure out how to fit all their stuff in my vehicle. Eventually we manage to jigsaw all the luggage into the back of the SUV. Rylan climbs in the back, and Calista and I sit in the front.
“We’ll swing by the apartment to grab your stuff before I drop you off. It’s only, like, three boxes,” I tell them, so they aren’t surprised I’m not taking them to their new rental house that’s big enough to fit half the Bailey clan.
“You could’ve dropped them at my mom’s,” Calista says, situating herself in the front seat while Rylan is ultra-relaxed in the back, arms spread out across the seat.
I wave her off. “It’s fine. My roommate isn’t going to be here for a little while anyway.”
“How did you meet her?” Calista shifts in my direction.
“Through the paper.” Calista opens her mouth to say something, but I add, “Now, before you argue, the newspaper has a background check service, and I did pay extra to look into her. No criminal record. Good credit report. Like, no debt. Not sure why she needs a roommate, to be honest.”
“That’s all good. I still don’t like the idea of you living with a stranger.” She glances at Rylan, who’s on his phone in the back seat.
She’s apologized to me so many times that Rylan doesn’t want anyone living with them. I don’t blame him in the slightest. I mean, they just got back together after years of weaving in and out of each other’s lives. They’re married and I know they want to start a family soon. The last thing they need is a bunch of Baileys hanging around. I remember the first months after Sawyer and I were married, and I want Calista to have that.
“I’m fine. I come from tough stock.”
We laugh. It’s true, my mom is a hard-ass, and my dad can definitely hold his own in a fight. Rumor has it that my dad protected Calista’s dad more than once.
“What’s her name?” Calista asks.
“Um… Carrie.”
Finally, Calista stops asking questions and relaxes her head on the back of the seat. We get to Lake Starlight in no time, and I park along the curb in the downtown area outside our… er… my apartment.
“Did we miss anything?” Calista inspects the area, but not much changes around here.
