Page 7 of The Au Pair Affair

Chloe gasped. “What’s that?”

“Never mind.” Tallulah didn’t even have to cross the threshold to know the room was a dream come true, probably even had an ensuite bathroom. “Chloe, there is no way you’re renting out a room in this apartment for only seven hundred dollars a month.”

Her smile never wavered. “Yes, that’s what Sig told me to do.” She flinched, slapping a hand over her mouth. “I mean... yup! That’s the price.”

Suspicion prodded Tallulah. “Are you sure? Sight unseen, I’m thinking you could get quadruple.” She sensed that Chloe was trying to do mental math and perhaps not having the easiest time. “That’s closer to twenty-eight hundred, babe.”

“Right.” Chloe nodded like they were both in on a big secret. “I don’t know. I just live here and hope it all works out.”

Okay. No.

Someone could easily take advantage of this girl—and it wasn’t going to be her. “Chloe, I think you should rent the room for a better price, okay? I can’t imagine what the cost of this apartment must be on a monthly basis, but you could one hundred percent find someone willing to pay more. Wouldn’t that make things easier for you?”

“I don’t know,” she responded slowly. “Everything is pretty easy, as it is.”

Tallulah’s lips twitched. “I’m happy for you.” She hesitated, but decided she wouldn’t be able to live with herself without offering some assistance. “Look, I’m going to give you my phone number. When you relist the room, call me if you need help weeding through applicants.”

Chloe’s shoulders slumped. “So you’re not going to take it?”

“No.”

“Oh boy,” the blonde said, pacing into the room, turning gracefully and coming back out. “But I did exactly what Sig told me to do.”

An alarm bell started to tinkle in Tallulah’s head. “Which is...?”

“Charge you seven hundred and he would get the rest of your share from Burgess.” After a prolonged moment of staring at the ceiling, Chloe sighed. “I can’t remember if I was supposed to tell you that. Sig knows not to call me during my nighttime routine. It’s like hewantsme to have clogged pores.”

While Tallulah stood in place, reeling from that information bomb, Chloe moped her way into the living room, plopping down on her gray upholstered couch and hugging her knees to her chest. “I know you’re friends with Burgess, but Sig is the bestone on the team, even though he’s not the captain. Heshouldbe. I don’t care if you tell Burgess I said that.” She winced. “Actually don’t. He’s even scarier than my landlord.”

“Whoa whoa.” Tallulah waved her hands, desperate to regain control of the situation. “Let’s start from the beginning. Burgess was going to pay my rent?”

“Most of it, yes.” Chloe pursed her lips. “Aren’t you supposed to be happy about that?”

“What?No!”

“Why?” breathed the blonde.

“Because I want to pay my own rent,” Tallulah sputtered. “I don’t want to owe him anything.”

“But you were never supposed to know.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “Just pretend you never found out.”

“Chloe.”

“Well.”Her might-have-been roommate was thoughtful for a moment. “Sig said Burgess thought it was his fault that you had nowhere to go. He said footing some of the rent was the least he could do.”

Tallulah’s heart started to rap faster, the moisture fleeing from her mouth. “I... can’t believe he did that.”

“Are you mad about it?”

“I freaking should be!” she managed, forcing herself to take a deep breath.

“Still not clear on why,” Chloe drew out. “It’s like a present. A monthly one. And everyone loves presents.”

Tallulah wasn’t very clear on why she was mad, either. Or if she was mad at all. She kept waiting for the indignation to take hold, but all she felt was kind of... touched. Wasn’t that ridiculous? Yes! It was! But she couldn’t help but remember that yesterday, when she’d explained her reservations to Burgess in the smoothie shop, he’d acknowledged them without making herfeel silly or like she was overreacting. He hadn’t tried to badger her into changing her mind. He’d just quietly gone and done something to help without getting any credit.

“I’m mad because he... maneuvered me,” she explained, though her heart wasn’t in it. “I don’t need his help. I could have found a totally suitable place on my own.”

“And yet . . .”

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