Page 40 of The Jerk in Apartment 1B

“He told her he’s focusing on his career, but who the hell knows? Anyway, that’s how she ended up here. She needed a cheap place to live. And apparently, he owned all the furniture, which is why she doesn’t have a bed.”

Cole leans back on the couch. “I bet she goes back to him.”

“After what he did? I doubt it.”

“Just wait. If he asks her to get back together, I bet she does it.”

“Why the hell would she do that? The guy kicked her out on the street, left her with nothing.”

“If her choice is to live in that tiny apartment, sleeping on the floor, or go live with her boyfriend, she’s going to choose the boyfriend, especially if she still has feelings for the guy.”

“I think she’s smarter than that.”

“Guess we’ll find out.”

My phone rings and I answer it. “Hey, this is Scott.”

“Scott, it’s Amy. Jess and I are really struggling with the business plan, especially the financials. Any way we could meet to go over them?”

“Yeah, what time are you thinking?”

We decide to meet late afternoon. I try not to work on the weekends, but they’re on a deadline so this really can’t wait.

“You want to go do something?” Cole asks, getting up from the couch.

“Yeah, let’s get out of here,” I say, needing to get my mind off of Trina. I don’t know what it is with that girl, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her since we met. It’s probablybecause she hates me, or maybe not hate, but she definitely doesn’t like me. I think it’s less about me and more about guys in general. But even so, I’m not used to girls treating me like the enemy, especially a girl who doesn’t even know me. Girls usually flirt with me, even ones who have boyfriends. Jenna used to flirt with me all the time, but in a friend way, not with the intent of it going anywhere.

“Should we invite your new neighbor?” Cole says, grinning like an idiot.

“Stop acting like that. There’s nothing going on there. Like you said, she’ll probably get back with her ex.”

But if she did, I’d be really disappointed. She seems like a smart girl who can get by just fine without her ex. It’s only been a couple of days and she’s already found a job and a place to live. She’s got drive and determination, two things I find really attractive in a girl. But I’d never date Trina. She’s one of those relationship girls, so I am definitely not the guy for her. And she hates me, which is good because it means we’ll never be tempted to be anything more than neighbors.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Trina

I stumble into my apartment, almost dropping my sacks of groceries. I finally went to the store and bought some food. Even with my employee discount, it was still expensive. When I lived with Asher, he paid for the groceries so I didn’t pay much attention to the price. And we ordered them online and had them delivered so we didn’t have to lug home heavy sacks.

“It’s fine,” I say to myself as I put the groceries away. “You can do this.”

I keep telling myself that, that I can do this, that I can survive without Asher. I know I can. I’m perfectly capable of making it on my own. It’ll just be more difficult than I’d like. The past few years, I relied on Asher more than I should have, and now I’m paying for price.

I feel stupid for not being more independent. I shouldn’t have given away all my stuff when I moved in with Asher. Actually, I shouldn’t have moved in with him at all. I should’ve got my own place and not agreed to move in with him until after we were married. And I should’ve taken more risks with my career. If I had, I’d be in a higher-level job that couldn’t befilled by an unpaid intern. Looking back, I’d do so many things differently now, but unfortunately, I can’t change the past.

After a short nap, I get up and get ready for work. I’m actually looking forward to it. Stocking shelves is so much easier than my old job. As an assistant, I got stuck with all the tasks nobody wanted to do, like cleaning up spills in the break room or getting everyone lunch or carrying heavy packages up from the lobby. Most of what I did had nothing to do with fashion. And honestly, when I watched what the designers actually did, it didn’t look that fun. It wasn’t at all like I imagined when I was a little girl dreaming of designing clothes someday.

Maybe it’s good I got fired. Maybe it’s a sign I should do something else. I still want to work in fashion, but maybe the design side of it isn’t for me. Sara got a job in fashion merchandising. Maybe I should consider doing that.

My phone rings, and I’m shocked when I see it’s Asher calling. I wonder what he wants. Did I leave something back at the apartment? Or maybe he’s calling to remind me to forward my mail so it doesn’t keep going there. I forgot about the mail. I might have to go pick it up, or maybe Asher will send it to me.

The phone continues to ring. I need to make a decision. Do I answer his call or not?

“Hey, Asher,” I say without any emotion, like he’s just some random guy I know and not the guy I almost married.

“Hey, how’s it going?”

How’s it going?Is he serious? How does he think it’s going? He left me with nothing, not even a place to live.

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