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So now I'm homeless. And I didn't even get to eat my curry.
The firefighters were nice to me, but they wouldn't even let me go back inside to get my purse. One offered to let me stay with him when my landlord told me I was evicted. But he waggled his brows when he said it, so I turned him down. My landlord offering to let me stay with him was creepy enough. Everything about Chad Lineberry is creepy.
He's been weird ever since I moved into the apartment. He's always smiling at me or trying to flirt with me. I'm pretty surehe's even been in my apartment before when I wasn't home. But kicking me out of my apartment and then asking me to live with him really takes the cake.
I probably should have called Uncle John to ask for help, but he's in Vancouver.
I ended up sleeping in my car last night.
And then it wouldn't start this morning because I killed the battery. By the time I got here, I was even more tired than I was yesterday. I only meant to sit down for a minute before I made Theo's bed. But no. That's not what happened. Like I said, the universe hates me.
I fell asleep.
He caught me sleeping in his bed.
I close my eyes, hold my breath, and wait. And wait. And then wait some more.
"Are you holding your breath?" Theo asks.
"Yes," I say on an exhale, and then suck in a deep breath. Maybe I should exercise more. That didn't last very long. I make a mental note to ask Alexa how long I should be able to hold my breath. Surely there's a benchmark. I don't think I inhaled much smoke yesterday, so I can't even use that as an excuse for my poor lung capacity.
"Why?"
"I'm waiting for a meteor to strike," I admit, still refusing to open my eyes. It's silly, of course. Just because I can't see the wreckage of my life doesn't mean it's not still strewn all around me. "Can you tell me if it's happening yet?"
"Uh, no?" Theo says.
"No, you can't tell me, or no it's not here yet? Because I'm kinda hoping it'll hit. Preferably soon."
"Baby doll."
I crack one eye open, my stomach quivering. He called me that earlier. Andlittle one. I don't look anything remotely like a babydoll. And I'm not little either. I'm five-four and I wear a size sixteen. I also have way too much butt, and don't get me started on how hard it is to buy bras that fit me. But I think I like the way those words sound on his lips. To be honest, he could probably call me anything, and I'd like it.
I'm so in love with him!
I know it's wrong. He's my boss, my future step-cousin, and he's over a dozen years older than me. He's also a freaking millionaire sportsman who would be mortified if he knew how many times I've thought about seeing him naked. Women literally pass out when he signs autographs for them. Supermodels have sleeping with him on their bucket lists. I'm cute, like a cuddly little Koala. He's gorgeous. His life is pretty much perfect.He'sperfect.
My life, on the other hand, is a long series of disasters that show no sign of slowing anytime soon.I'ma disaster. A walking, talking, flashy-neon warning sign of doom. I've been that way my whole life. Even my mom got tired of it, which is why I ended up at college in Nashville instead of back home in Texas. I think she would have paid Uncle John and Vanderbilt her life savings to take me off her hands for a while if it'd come right down to it.
"What's going on, Charlotte? Why do you want a meteor to strike you?" Theo asks. He doesn't look mad. Just…concerned. Which has tears of humiliation springing to my eyes.
The last thing I want to do is admit to this man just how big of a mess my life is. He's already going to fire me. Being homeless and jobless is enough indignity for one day. I'd rather not add another layer of humiliation on top of it, thank you very much.
"Everything's fine," I lie, jumping to my feet. Except he's still crouched down beside the bed. So when I jump up, I bump into him.
He falls backward, landing on his ass with a grunt.
Why am I such a spaz? Oh, right. Because the universe hates me.
"I'm sorry," I say, already running for the door. Stumbling, really. Somehow, my shoe is halfway off my foot, which makes running difficult. So I do this weird Quasimodo gallop toward the door, tears streaming down my face.
"Charlotte!" Theo shouts from behind me.
I gallop faster.
Somehow, I make it down the stairs without breaking my neck. I even manage to burst through the front door onto the porch. Cool air swirls around me, chilling the tears on my cheeks. Two steps down the porch, I realize what I forgot in my haste to escape.
My car isn't here. And my phone is in Theo's kitchen.
