Page 3 of Double Fault

She’s quiet on the other end.

I huff a sigh. Her nonanswer is answer enough. “You’re right. I totally am. But it’s bad enough having to crash at your place. I don’t want you to have to get me a job too. A girl has to have some pride, you know?”

“You act like we pity you. That’s the furthest thing from the truth. We want to help you because we love you.”

Ugh. Now she’s pulling out the big guns.

When my duffel is bursting at the seams, I put the phone on speaker and work the zipper closed. Then I scour my room for the rest of my belongings and shove them into tote bags.

“I’ll hear you out over dinner tonight. How does that sound? If one of your suggestions sounds like it would be a good fit, I’ll consider it.”

Lucy sighs, making the line between us crackle. “I guess if that’s all I’ll get, then I’ll take it. I assume you’re heading to the house now?”

“Yep.” I plop onto the bed and shove my feet back into my combat boots.

“I’ll let Alyssa know.”

Heart clenching at her generosity, I tug one set of laces tight. “Thank you, Lu.”

“You’re welcome. Things are going to get better, Sab. I know it.”

My shoulders sag. I hope she’s right. Most days it seems unlikely.

“I’ll see you later,” I say in response.

“All right. Be careful.”

Once the call is disconnected, I stuff my phone into my pocket. Then I strip the bed. I leave the bedding in a pile on the floor and heave my duffel bag across my body. Then I shoulder my tote on one side, purse on the other.

It’s pathetic the way all my belongings can be carried out in one trip, strapped to my body. Twenty-two years old, and this is it.

I open the door, then go back and gather up my bed things. It’s a challenge, getting the door closed and making it down the stairs without taking a tumble. By the time I reach my ancient Toyota 4-Runner, I’m out of breath and sweating.

I drop the bed things to the ground. They need to be washed anyway.

The back door opens with a creak.

The vehicle is older than I am and has nearly three hundred thousand miles on it. How it’s still running is beyond me, but it’s never let me down. Good ole Pearl just keeps on running.

My shoulders cry out in relief when I toss my bags into the cargo area. After my bedding is loaded, I slam the lift gate, dust off my hands, and round the bumper.

I crank the engine and take a moment to close my eyes and breathe. Pearl needs the warm-up, anyway.

After a minute, or more like five, I pull away from the apartment complex I’ll never return to and drive toward Lucy and Alyssa’s house on the outskirts of Houston.

CHAPTER 2

SABRINA

I feellike I’m contaminating the immaculate lawn as I make my way over it from the street to the front door. Lucy and Alyssa always insist I park in the driveway, but I refuse since Pearl leaks oil on occasion.

On the porch, I set my duffel and tote down, then jog to the car for my bed linens.

By the time I make it back to the front door, Alyssa is hefting the rest of my things into the foyer, wearing a kind smile, like she’s excited to see me, even though I’m here to once again crash into her life because of my stupendous lack of luck.

“Nice decorations.” I hold one finger up and give it a whirl, gesturing to the greenery strung with lights hanging above the front door. The windows are decorated with wreaths, and lights glitter from every eave in the waning afternoon light. The scene is dreamy, the kind of Christmas setup I was always in awe of when I was a kid with my nose pressed to the car window as we drove by festive homes.

It’s always been my goal to own a house and decorate it for Christmas in a similar fashion. I might be down on my luck right now, but I have faith that eventually things will get better.

---