Page 5 of Besties
I choked back a sob as the memories of all Jesse had screwed me out of flooded through me. “Would you believe it’s impounded? Found out that douche was using it to transport drugs. I took a taxi to get here.”
He reached out and ran his fingers through my hair, and desperate as I was, I leaned into it. “I wish I had known. I would have come here and kicked that fucker out.” He growled as he put a hand on my shoulder. “Okay, I probably would have killed him, but I figured you would have helped me hide the body. A group project would have been just the thing we needed.”
If he was hoping for a laugh, he was going to be disappointed. I’d been on pins and needles waiting for him to arrive. It was selfish of me, but I needed his solid presence to keep me grounded. Over the past few weeks, my entire life was spiraling out of control, and all because I thought I’d been in love with Jesse. The truth was, I was blinded by the fact that he even gave me a second glance. Not too many people were interested in someone who could probably have stood in for one of the Munchkins, but Jesse? He said pretty words and did all the things that made me feel special. I soaked it up like a sponge. Then he wrung me out and left me to dry up.
“You’re thinking about him again, aren’t you?”
Richie’s big hand slid down to my lower back, as he guided me out of the airport. Once there, he hailed a cab, tossed his luggage in the trunk, opened my door for me, then got in and gave the driver an address. As the cab pulled away from the terminal, I turned and looked at him.
“Where are we going?”
“The Pfister. I booked us a room there. We’re going to take a few days and sort through things, like I said. You can’t do that in your place.”
“My old place. She’s kicking me out.”
“On what grounds? You’re innocent of everything.”
“Yeah, well, I’m going to need a new job too. Jesse really did a number on me.”
Richie’s cheeks went scarlet. He usually had a pretty even temper, but when he got pissed, it was easy to see.
“We can fight this.”
I shook my head. “Don’t want to. Mrs. Balmor is letting me stay until the end of the month, which she doesn’t have to do.” Richie huffed a breath. “Don’t be angry. She’s not a bad person, but Jesse’s screwed her life up too. Even if she said I could stay, I wouldn’t want to. Living there would just remind me of how shitty life is. I’m hoping I can find a job before I’m out on the street, though.”
A deep sigh emanated from Richie. “Why didn’t you tell me things were this bad?”
Because Richie had always been there for me, and I wanted to show I could stand on my own two feet for a change. “Who wants to hear a grown man whine?”
I caught the cab driver eyeing me in the mirror as he shook his head. Well, fuck him.
“I do. I want to hear you when you’re happy, when you’re sad, when you’re angry. I’ve told you that so many times over the years, and one day, when I say it again, I hope you’ll finally listen.”
When I’d met Jesse, I called Richie and told him everything. He was underwhelmed and didn’t hesitate to tell me so.
“He sounds too slick.”
“He likes me.”
“And that’s great, but letting him move in with you already has all the makings of a bad movie.”
“You don’t understand. He sees me. Hegetsme.”
Oh my God. Thinking back on that conversation, I had to wonder when I’d lost my self-respect. When Richie patted me on the leg, I knew: the day he left Milwaukee and started a new life. Being left alone had thrown my world off-center. The one true constant in my life wasn’t there, and over time everything fell apart. Having him here now? Everything came back into sharp focus and I could breathe again.
“Thank you for coming.” God, how inadequate did that sound? He dropped everything and came running just because I needed him.
“Like you could have kept me away. Besides, I missed our hugs.”
Warmth flowed through me. If only Richie meant it like I wanted him to.
The taxi pulled up on the side of the hotel. A valet came out for Richie’s luggage, a wide smile on his face. “Checking in?”
“We are. Thank you.”
He led us to the front desk, where a chipper blonde woman completed the transaction with stunning efficiency.
“And how many keys?”
