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Chapter One
“This can’t be happening.”
Dahlia dragged her hand over her face, peering through her fingers at the commotion in her living room. Three men were moving an armchair and bookcase out of her house while her roommate, Belinda, was haphazardly tossing figurines from a shelf into a cardboard box. The scene itself wasn’t any different from most moving-out scenarios, with the exception of one major detail. Belinda hadn’t given her any notice, which meant Dahlia didn’t have a replacement roommate. It left her solely responsible for the rent due in a week.
For some people, this would be an inconvenience, but for Dahlia, it was devastating. Most months she scraped by just to come up with her own portion. She didn’t have the extra cash to cover Belinda’s half.
Shit!
Dahlia pushed off the wall, rushing to follow Belinda down the hallway leading to the bedrooms. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and Dahlia wasn’t above using any persuasive tactics if necessary.
“What’s the rush?” Dahlia blurted, and Belinda turned. “I mean, why not take the month to do a slow move-out? That way, you can make sure you don’t forget anything, and you can settle into your new place a lot easier.”
Belinda furrowed her brows. “Then I’d have to pay rent for the month.”
Exactly!
“That’s silly to pay two rents, don’t you think?”
Of course, it was. However, Belinda didn’t pay the rent. Her dad did, and she wouldn’t be paying anything for her new home courtesy of her boyfriend, Dave. Dahlia had inside information that she’d learned through thin walls. Dave’s father owned a small house on the opposite side of the city and offered to let them stay rent-free as long as they took care of the property. How come no one ever offers me free shit?
Dahlia drew in a breath, choosing her words wisely. If she had any hope of reasoning with Belinda, she couldn’t lose her temper. It was hard, though, knowing that Belinda and her boyfriend, who came from backgrounds wealthier than her own, seemed to have landed the perfect deal.
“I understand, but you didn’t give me any notice.”
Belinda cocked her head. “Sure I did. I called you.”
Are you serious right now?
“Last night,” Dahlia snapped, unable to control her rising anger. She reeled in her irritation and forced a smile. “I mean, it was last night when you called to tell me you were moving out today. It wasn’t even twenty-four hours’ notice.”
Belinda squinted. “I’m not on the lease.”
Fuck! Of all the stupid and idiotic things Dahlia had done in her life, and there were quite a lot, this had to be the most irresponsible. It wasn’t an intentional mishap. Three years ago, it had come from necessity. When she’d originally started renting her house with her friend, Dahlia’s had been the only name on the lease because Penny wouldn’t have passed the credit check. It wasn’t a big deal. Penny gave her the cash a few days before the rent was due, and Dahlia paid it. When Penny moved out, she’d given a month’s notice, which had been plenty of time to find her new roommate, Kim. The same cycle continued without any hiccups. Until now.
I should’ve seen this coming.
There were warning signs from the very beginning that Dahlia had chosen to ignore. The first was Belinda’s statement of wanting to “live like real people.” It only took Dahlia a few days to discover that her roommate’s definition of real was simply code for poor. This was further explained by who paid the bills on her behalf. Belinda’s lack of a job was initially a concern, but Dahlia was assured her father would pay the rent and utilities each month. And he did. It always struck her as odd that a grown, capable, twenty-four-year-old woman still lived off her parents’ dime. But as her own father often reminded her, everyone’s different.
They weren’t a match made in heaven, but Dahlia’s options were limited if she wanted to keep her house in Lawry. The only other applicants had been men. I should’ve picked one of the guys. But she hadn’t. She’d chosen Belinda despite all her odd quirks and beliefs. They didn’t have to be friends. They just had to live together. What could go wrong?
Everything!
Dahlia followed Belinda into the bedroom and stood near the door. Dahlia had to come up with something. She barely had enough in her savings to cover her own rent, let alone Belinda’s.
“How about a good faith compromise?” Dahlia asked as Belinda started out of the room and down the hall.
“What do you mean?”
Dahlia hurried her steps until she reached the living room. “Since I think we can both agree that less than twenty-four hours isn’t exactly a fair amount of notice, maybe you could pay for half the rent.”
Belinda held up her hands. “You don’t think it’s fair, but I do. This is your place, and I appreciate you letting me stay here, but I’m not under any obligation to give you anything except for the rent, which I paid last month.”
You didn’t pay for it. Your daddy did! Dahlia tightened her lips, swallowing the lump in her throat and willing herself not to react to the asinine response. Belinda was spoiled, thoughtless, and self-centered. The polar opposite of Dahlia. Never in her life would Dahlia even consider screwing someone over the way Belinda was doing to her.
“Maybe you could ask your dad?”
Belinda shook her head. “I don’t want to take advantage of him.”
