Page 12 of Besties
Mom snorted. “Those things hate me now. The doctor put me on a restricted diet. Very low-carb, while limiting my fat and protein. I lost thirty pounds, and feel healthier than I have in a long time.”
Richie put a brownie on the plate and slid it over to me. I picked it up, took a bite, and was astounded by how rich and delicious it was. When I glanced up, he smiled at me, exaggeratedly wide, and his teeth were covered in chocolate. I couldn’t help but snort, remembering the last time we’d done this.
We finished our brownies, and then he nudged my breakfast toward me. I dug in, surprisingly hungry since we ate so much the night before. Being here with Richie, and having my mom on the phone, released a lot of the pressure that had been building up inside of me.
“Richie? Can I talk to you a minute? In private.”
I glared at him as he picked up the phone and took it into the other room. I thought about following so I could eavesdrop, but stayed where I was. Not sure why, but I knew that somehow Richie would realize I was there. When he came back to where I was, he put the phone down next to me.
“Your mom says you should check in with her later. How’s breakfast?”
Putting my fork down, I stared at him. “So what did she say?”
“Nothing much. Just that she’s worried about you and asked how long I was staying. She wants me to try and convince you to come down to live with them. They’ve got plenty of room, or so she says.”
“No.” Absolutely not. I loved my mother, but moving in with her? A shiver slid through me. “I’ll be okay.”
“That’s what I told her.” He gestured toward the table. “Because today, my friend, you and I are going to be looking to find a new place for you to live Now, I’ve found several possible locations, each with its own charm. If you want, I’ll go along with you to look at them, or you can go alone.” His lower lip jutted out, affecting a fake innocence. “But I’d really like to come along.”
“I can’t do this without you. I need you to be my conscience.”
That seemed to appease him. He ate quickly, munching happily on his bacon. “This is going to be good, you know. I think you’ll really like these places.”
After he finished, we pushed the cart out into the hall. I had a hand on the door, ready to go, when Richie called my name from his room. I closed the door, walked over to his side of the room, and peeked inside.
“I got something for you.”
He opened the closet and took out a deep-brown leather bomber jacket. It was beautiful. The material looked decadently rich, but still had a gentle sheen. It had a high collar with a strap-and-buckle closure, snap cuffs, and four front pockets.
“What’s this?”
“It’s chilly. You needed a jacket.”
“But I have one at home.”
He took a deep breath. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“What there is really important to you? I mean, when we move, what do you absolutely need to take?”
I thought for a few moments. “My laptop—assuming it’s still there—and some old paperwork that I figure I’ll need when I go looking for a job. My clothes.” Holy shit, was that what my life had been reduced to? I didn’t really want anything else. Everything there had been tainted by Jesse. I wouldn’t be able to look at anything and not see his face in my mind.
“That’s all?”
I nodded, too ashamed to speak.
“How about I make you a deal? You keep your paperwork on the cloud, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, then how about this? Let me buy you a new computer. You can take these clothes, and ditch your other stuff. Or, if you want, we’ll go buy you a whole new wardrobe. Let your landlady sell everything and see if she can recoup some of the money that Jesse’s costing her.”
“Wait. What?” He’d already spent a small fortune on the room and what he’d bought me from a men’s shop in the most elegant hotel in Milwaukee.
“I want to do this for you. Please.”
“I have money of my own.” Which wasn’t true. Jesse and I lived paycheck to paycheck, with me bailing him out when he somehow ended up “short.” I already knew I’d have to ask my mom for a loan just to get the first month’s rent and security deposit on a new apartment.
