Page 39 of For All It's Worth
Chapter Sixteen
Charlie
AlthoughIwantedtobe out of Mom’s house and into Henry’s apartment as soon as possible, I was working too much over the next few days to do anything about it.
We sat on Max’s slightly lumpy sofa, letting our food settle a bit before we decided what we were going to do with our day off. Max was still scheduling our days off together so we could try and hang out. Our shifts either had us working at the same time or overlapping, so we’d at least see each other.
“D’you want a hand picking up some stuff for the apartment? We could go shopping and get stuff if you want,” Max asked.
I’d gone over to his place after my therapy session, the last of the twice-weekly sessions, and he’d made us brunch.
“Would you mind?”
“Wouldn’t ask if I did,” he said, giving me a nudge. “What all do you need?”
“Henry said I could borrow some of his bedding.” I saw Max make a face. “Yeah, I’m not really into that idea either. So my own stuff is a must.”
“You don’t have any from your last apartment?”
“No, I gave it all away, remember?”
He nodded before jumping up. “Hold on a sec, I’ll get some paper and make a list.”
I waited for him to be ready and tried not to be distracted by staring at him again. “So bedding and towels, stuff like that.”
“Sure.”
“Oh, and Henry said the mattress was cheap shit so probably a new one. He couldn’t afford much when he moved in and Pete complained about it.” He noted that down.
“Anything else?”
“I’ll text him now and let you know what he says.”
“Sounds good to me.”
There hadn’t been a lot of time for us to hang out with Mom on my case so much. I felt fifteen and not thirty. Part of me thought that she blamed Max for abandoning me and getting myself mugged, or for enabling my behavior to the point I ended up in a mess I couldn’t get out of. Not that I could tell Max that, but I think he knew something was up.
“What else do you need to get?” Max’s voice broke through my thoughts.
“Henry said there’s just the bed with the crappy mattress and a built-in closet in the room. So a dresser and a couple of nightstands.”
“At least one lamp too,” he interjected. “D’you know if there’s carpet or wood flooring?”
“I have no idea.” It hadn’t occurred to me to ask.
“Maybe just get a rug just in case. You could always take it back if you don’t need it.” Max was always the more practical of us. He wouldn’t have forgotten to ask these things. I’d been sure he was going to complain that I hadn’t even seen the place before I agreed to move out. Maybe all the hassle with my mom had him cutting me some slack.
“True. Good idea. Where should we start?”
“There’s a furniture store not far from here if I drive us. A family-run place.” I nodded in approval, preferring those kinds of stores over chains. “Then we can hit up a department store for towels and bedding. After that, dinner out somewhere and we can drop your purchases at Henry’s, sorry, your place. Once your furniture is delivered you can move in but there’s no point in upsetting your mom by taking stuff there to store it.” He shot me a concerned glance. “Is she okay with you moving out?”
“Not really, but she knows she can’t stop me. I think Evan is going to call her and arrange a few sessions for her.”
At the mention of Evan, Max’s cheeks heated and it was so adorable I couldn’t help reaching over and running a finger over the blushing skin. “Or do you prefer to call him Dr. Daddy?” I teased.
He caught my finger, looking me in the eyes, searching for something. I held my breath as the tension ignited between us, the swarm of butterflies in my stomach bursting free and prompting me into action. We leaned in and the moment stretched between us, snapping at the sound of my phone. I groaned when I saw who was calling but still answered since the mood was already broken.
“Hey Mom, yeah, I’m okay.”
