Page 74 of The Jerk in Apartment 1B

“Wait.” I catch up to him as he heads to the door. “You really bought me a mattress?”

“If you’re working for me, you need to be awake. I knew you weren’t getting much sleep being on the floor, so I got you a mattress.” He opens the door for me.

“That’s a really nice mattress. It must’ve been expensive.”

He smirks. “I’m rich. I can afford it.”

I keep forgetting he has money. I have no idea how much he got when he sold his company, but it must’ve been a lot. He told me he’s on the company’s board of directors and goes out to California for meetings a few times a year. It’s impressive he’shad so much success at such a young age. And now he’s helping others have success. I really like that about him.

We work in the storage room until two, mostly going through boxes of old files that need to be organized. I could easily do it myself, but Scott insists on doing it with me. I don’t know if it’s because he doesn’t trust me, or if he just likes spending time with me. I’d like to think it’s the latter, but it’s probably more about not trusting me to go through his stuff. Then again, he did ask me out for tonight.

I’m going on a date with someone who isn’t Asher. I should feel sad about that, and part of me does, but the other part of me is looking forward to it. It’s not a real date so there’s no pressure. I can just go out and have fun with my really hot neighbor, which is a million times better than sitting home crying about Asher.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Scott

“I can’t tonight,” I say to Cole when he invites me out for a beer. “I’ve got plans.”

“Since when? This morning you said you were free.”

“Yeah, well, that was before I found out Trina broke up with her boyfriend. She finally ended it with him.”

“What does that have to do with tonight?”

“I’m taking her out.”

“Like on a date?” he asks, sounding surprised.

“It’s not a date. I’m just being a friend, getting her out so she doesn’t spend all night crying in her apartment.”

“Where are you taking her?”

“We’ll get a drink and then I’ll take her to dinner. And I thought we’d stop by this art gallery that has an exhibit she’d like.”

“Sounds like a date.”

“It’s not.”

“It could be. I know you like her.”

“As a friend. That’s it.” I move in front of the mirror and button my shirt. “Unlike you, I can go out with a girl without it leading to sex.”

“You could, but that’s usually not how it turns out.”

“Nothing’s going to happen. She just broke up with the guy she was going to marry. Sex is the last thing on her mind.”

“You don’t know that. Some girls deal with a breakup by having sex with another guy.”

“It’s not gonna be me,” I say, rolling up the sleeves on my shirt. “She already thinks I’m just some guy who sleeps around. I don’t need to be proving her point.”

“You could at least kiss her.”

“I’m not kissing her. Did you not hear me say this isn’t a date?”

“I heard you. I just don’t believe you. You wouldn’t be spending all this time with her if you only saw her as a friend.”

“The time I’ve spent with her is for work. It’s not personal.”

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