“Where? It’d be great if it were close so you could visit with her while I was gone. That way, you wouldn’t be so lonely. Trust me, dinner for one is pitiful. I’m sure she’d love the company, too.”
Silence stretched over the line before she said, “It’s late. I’ve had a long day and have to get up early. It was really nice talking to you, though. Thanks for calling. I’m looking forward to chatting again.”
It was an obvious brush off. I’d gotten them more times than I could count through the years, which indicated I’d pushed too hard too fast. It made me clench my jaw and fist my free hand in frustration. I didn’t make that kind of rookie mistake. I knew the exact amount of pressure needed to get answers, but apparently, this intriguing firecracker had thrown me off my game.
“I’m sorry, Jade. I didn’t mean to keep you up. Do you work tomorrow?”
“Yeah. Shift starts at seven.”
“Will you have a job lined up if you move?”
Her hesitation to respond indicated she was hiding something, but it was so hard to tell because her answer, her tone, came across as genuine. “Yes. I’ll have a little girl to care for if I move there.”
I soaked up her words, desperate for the truth she kept hidden. But I couldn’t keep her on the line all night, no matter how badly I wanted to. I tried to believe my need to talk to her was to get all the information I could on a potential roommate, but that wasn’t the truth. The thought of getting off the phone with her left me feeling even more lonely than I was before.
“Okay, that’s good. I’d hate for you to lose your job. It sounds like it means a lot to you.”
“It does. Thank you. Goodnight, Cash.”
“Night, Jade.”
I’d managed to make it until two in the afternoon before picking up my phone. I’d checked it ever since waking up, hoping to find a text, email, or even a missed call from Jade. But there was nothing. Unable to wait any longer, I touched her name and listened to the line ring in my ear, needing her to lessen the loneliness that surrounded me.
Seconds before giving up, expecting to get her voicemail, she answered, once again sounding out of breath. But this time, there was a hint of laughter in her tone rather than secrecy. It took me a moment to absorb it, trying to block out the images of her running around. For some reason, I couldn’t help but wonder what she looked like, what color hair she had, how long it was. I had purposely avoided knowing these things in my plight to find a roommate who would remain platonic. Yet now, without any of that information, it made visualizing her difficult and confusing.
I shook those thoughts from my mind. “Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“No, not at all. I’m at the park and didn’t think I’d make it back to the bench in time to answer the phone.” The happiness in her voice was undoubtedly genuine, and it proved to be all I needed to lose some of the weight I carried on my shoulders.
“Oh, you’re working. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“That’s okay. It feels like I’m always working, but you’re fine. What’s up?”
“You sure? I feel like an ass for taking up your time when you’re supposed to be watching other people’s kids. If you’d rather call me back when you get off, I can wait. I just wanted to talk some more.”
“No, it’s okay. I can do both.”
That was a relief, because I had no desire to hang up.
“What did you want to talk about?”
Here went nothing. “Anything. Everything. I don’t care. I just figured this is the best way to get to know each other, and since I work during the week, my time is rather limited. I’m a firm believer in trust, and if we end up living together, we need to have that between us. And I understand that’s something that’s earned, but I guess I just want to make sure you aren’t wasting my time.”
“Oh,” she breathed into the receiver, quiet and completely unsure of herself. It twisted my insides into unyielding knots, a feeling I was unfamiliar with. Empathy. Possibly pity or compassion. Whatever it was, she inflicted it with one, soft-spoken word.
One syllable.
One exhale.
“Shit…I’m totally fucking this whole thing up.”
“No, I get it, Cash. And I agree.”
“You do?” I was shocked. That hadn’t been what I expected her to say.
“Yeah. There definitely needs to be a level of trust between us before we decide to live together, which I think is smart. But I also don’t see that being very possible. I mean, I can answer any question you ask, give you my whole life story, but at the end of the day, you’ll only have whatever information you find on a background check. I’m not saying I’ve lied to you or plan to, but that’s the reality of it. Not to mention, I don’t know the correct spelling of your last name. You spelled it one way on your profile for Roommates Anonymous and another on your email. So it’s slightly concerning that you could be some grand con artist, and I wouldn’t even be aware of it until you’ve taken off with my identity or every last possession I own. If I’m being truthful, this worries me.”
She made valid arguments, and the last thing I wanted was for her to be concerned with me. I may not have been completely truthful to her, and there would always be one aspect of my life she’d never find out about, but in the grand scheme of things, I hadn’t lied. “My last name is spelled N-i-c-h-o-l-s-o-n. I purposely spelled it wrong on the ad because I didn’t care to have a shitload of people in my personal business.”
“Well…that makes sense.” Embarrassment rang in her tone, which ate at me.
“So let’s get to know each other.”
“What do you mean?”
“Let’s talk.”
3
Jade
My throat constricted and I clawed at my neck, desperate to relieve the pressure caused by the invisible noose. There were things I couldn’t tell him, things he’d never be able to find out about, information that would never turn up on even the most detailed history report. So I figured I’d go into this blind and pray he didn’t ask the tough questions—I wasn’t sure how many more times I could avoid them.
“What do you want to talk about?” I leaned back on the bench and watched Aria out of the corner of my eye. She was in the sandbox entertaining herself.
“I don’t care. How about we pick up where we left off last night? We were talking about your aunt.”
“Oh, yeah.” I wondered if he’d believe my phone had dropped the call if I suddenly just hung up. Probably not. And he’d more than likely call back. I could’ve blamed it on a dead battery, but that would be too convenient.
“So I drove there today to check it out.” His words caught my attention, and I realized I hadn’t heard a thing he’d said.
“Wait…what? You drove where?”
“To the retirement home you were telling me about.”
“I didn’t tell which one, did I?” I distinctly remembered avoiding that answer last night.
His rumbling chuckle reverberated through the line. “It’s good to know you listen when I talk,” he teased.