Good Girl : An Enemies-to-Lovers, Roommate Romance (Alphahole Roommates Book 2), page 8
Hey, this is Phil. Bonez gave me your number. Is Gramma with you?
That’s obviously a wrong number - so I pull the blanket over me and close my eyes again. I don’t fall asleep straight away. Because I don’t know what the heck tomorrow will bring.
My phone makes another noise. I look and I’ve gotten a Facebook messenger alert from Carly Carmichael. Oh wow. She changed her name already. I get a pang of happiness for her, for them.
I drop the phone in my haste to read the message, reach to the floor beside the couch and slip off and fall on my ass.
“Of course,” I grumble as I lift the phone from the floor. She’s responded to my inbox message.
Hi Jada! Of course you can stay at the condo. Austin only needs one bedroom and there’s the spare. It’s not a big deal since he’ll be busy working all the time. Just ask him but I know he’ll be cool. But we’re kind of confused - did Alice not call you to ask you to work for Austin for the next little while?”
Austin is his name. Figures. Sounds like a rich guy snob name. Yeah - Austin won’t be cool. Austin is a grouch and Austin thinks I’m a junkie, a stripper, a squatter. Well, I guess I technically am a squatter.
I send Carly a reply.
Huge congrats on your marriage. Sorry, this is gonna be long. Or I’ll try to make it as brief as possible. I was stuck and you guys didn’t answer so I used the key and stayed and my bipolar brother is off his meds and had a party. Austin came home mid-party as I was freaking out and double freaked. Rightly so. Everything was a mess but I’m cleaning up now. I’m homeless atm and freaking out. I’m so sorry, Carly, to lay this on you guys. This isn’t your problem, I don’t even work for Aiden anymore but I had the key and was stuck so was just hoping to stay a few days. I got abruptly evicted and was just stuck. Austin isn’t going to want me here after this and I totally understand. He went to a hotel and told me he’s back in 12 hours and I have to leave then. He wanted to call the cops and didn’t believe the misunderstanding. I know you’re on your honeymoon and this is the last thing you need to worry about but please don’t let him call the cops on me. I’m cleaning up everything and if anything is damaged, I’ll pay for it. As soon as I can. My purse was stolen but Austin found it in the elevator. Oh and pls can you ask Aiden to report his credit card that he gave me stolen asap? Again, I’m super sorry. Again, my apologies that I laid this on you guys while on your honeymoon. Congrats again. I can’t wait to see pictures from your big day.
My finger hovers over the send button for a second and I think about how all that must sound. Scattered. Lame. I’m tempted to go back and edit it into something less frantic and without saying sorry however many times, but instead I just hit the send function and then I start biting my nails. Asking to see pictures. Oh yeah, nice wedding pictures, they’ll make me forget all about my homeless problem.
Poor Carly, getting a message like this from me while on her honeymoon. We’ve only met a handful of times. I don’t know what I’d do if I got a message like that and was in her shoes.
Austin Carmichael is right. I am a walking disaster.
I’m still in my slutty magician’s assistant outfit because my clothes are in that bedroom with a gigantic, fuzzy spider.
I laugh sardonically and then I’m on the verge of tears again when Carly dings me.
My heart races as I read.
Shit happens. We’ll figure it all out. Don’t sweat, Jada. You’re not homeless. I’ll call you tomorrow. I’ll text Austin now and tell him you can stay. Aiden is calling his bank now. We’re not upset. We’ll figure this out. Don’t worry! Just sleep. Take a bath in the master and use some of my lavender bath bombs. They’re truly magical and have Epsom salts which will relax you and help you sleep. Hang in there. I’ll message or phone you tomorrow. Everything will be okay. Ok? Hugs.”
I blow out a breath.
How magical are these bath bombs? Magical enough to un-fuck my life? To undo tonight? I’m not about to go find out with that spider in there.
Thank God Aiden Carmichael just married Carly. She’s angelic. And she might be my only friend in the world right now.
Lord knows my brother is not my friend. My brother… I know he’s sick, I know he needs help, but he’s really screwed things up on me this time.
And I’m really really angry with him.
I text back.
Thank you, Carly. From the bottom of my heart. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.
I put a bunch of hearts and type congratulations again.
And I flop. Relieved. I don’t have to walk the streets aimlessly tonight.
6
Austin
I get to the apartment and see a lump under a blanket on the couch. The lump snores.
“Wake up.”
I kick the couch and the thing moves an inch.
She startles and sits up straight, fast, gasping for air, then grabs frantically for the blanket she’s got on and covers her chest. Too late, I already saw most of her boobs spilling out of that tuxedo top.
She’s still wearing that ridiculous getup, all but the glittered little hat that sits on the coffee table. Her large eyes are wide on me and I see she’s washed all that black makeup off her face and her hair is now down, falls just past her shoulders, straight, shiny, a dark blonde, verging on light brown.
Despite that she looks like a different person and the place looks cleaner, my foul mood of last night hasn’t cooled much at all.
I barely slept three hours.
She seems disoriented. Probably jonesing, ready for more drugs. She doesn’t look like the type today, but I’m not convinced she’s not a pill popper or something in that vein.
“Deal with the spider?” I demand, arms folded over my chest.
She shudders. “I… I can’t go in there. I have to tinkle, sorry…”
I watch as she stumbles toward the hallway then to the bathroom. I roll my eyes and sip the coffee I brought. I stare at the back of the closed door after she goes inside.
I immediately hear her breath hitch and then she’s blowing her nose and sniffling.
Sounds like she’s crying in there.
Fucking hate seeing or hearing a woman cry. It grinds my gears especially when I’m fairly sure it’s fake. This chick probably gets what she wants by turning on the waterworks like many of them try to do.
I move to the kitchen cabinets and open a few of them before I grab down a large glass salad bowl, then head down the hall past the bathroom to the master. I open the door and look inside, ready to try to trap it under the bowl. A quick look around and I don’t see it.
She clearly hasn’t been in here since last night, the room is still a sty. That’s one of the many differences between my brother and me, he’s happy to live like a pig but I hate mess. I like order. It must be my numbers-oriented brain. The sight of this room? I wouldn’t be able to sleep in a room like this, I’d have to clean it before I could rest.
I got to the hotel last night, unpacked my stuff and threw out my shoes. I had two other pairs of shoes in the suitcase as well as a suit and some casual clothes and the case is a Samsonite so nothing inside was soiled. I cleaned the suitcase with hand soap in the bathroom and then left a note to housekeeping asking them to sanitize it for me, leaving a tip with the note. I’ve got enough stuff to get by until more of my clothes get here. My delivery was supposed to arrive today, but I checked tracking and my stuff is delayed.
It’s just as well, I want her out of here before my shit arrives and I move in.
I’m dealing with this shit today, getting this chick out of Aiden’s place and having it cleaned professionally as well as – looks like calling pest control for a giant spider. I’ll move here in a couple days when I’m satisfied the place hasn’t got bed bugs, lice, or some other parasite problem.
I got a text from my brother late last night, too, and wasn’t real happy about it.
Carly is talking to Jada. She’s fine to stay in the spare room. Whatever’s going on, help her sort it. She’s a good girl.
Help her sort it? Good girl? Right. Whatever.
I didn’t reply until this morning.
If I’m staying in your place while I’m in NY I don’t want her there. She trashed it, had a party with a bunch of junkies, and she’s a bitch. Didn’t believe a word out of her mouth. Don’t have time for that shit. I’ll hire a maid service myself. Cancel the credit card you gave her. She says it was stolen. My guess is she’s run it up and is playing games. After she goes I’m changing your locks in case she made key copies.
I headed out after texting him and though I heard a text alert shortly after, I haven’t reached into my pocket yet to see what his reply is. I’m kind of steamed he never got back to me about the Sienna shit, just glazed over that and instead has the nerve to tell me to help the girl in his apartment.
This Jada obviously pulled the wool over his eyes to make him think she’s something she’s not. Carmichael men often have blinders on with women.
Not this one. Not anymore.
7
Jada
I come out of the bathroom and he’s standing there gritting his teeth, looking pissed off as he looks at his phone screen.
His eyes bounce up to me and he looks even more annoyed, like he was annoyed with something and has now decided I’m even more of a pain than whatever that was.
“So, um, Carly said I can stay here while I figure some things out,” I say.
His eyebrows shoot up.
“And again, I’m really sorry about the misunderstanding, but if you need me to do for you the things I did for Aiden, I would be more than happy to.” I make myself smile.
He looks me over with a judgmental expression that makes my skin crawl.
“What kinda shit did he get you to do?”
My eyes bulge.
He doesn’t mean what I think he means, does he?
He looks me over a second time and rolls his eyes.
“Your services won’t be required, thanks,” he mutters as he turns his back on me and heads down the hall toward the master bedroom.
“Nothing like that! You’re serious?” I follow him but then realize he’s going in. In to where that spider is. He has a big bowl in his hand.
I brace as he turns the door handle and looks around.
I get as far away as I can. I’m on the opposite end of the living room, plastered against the window, but then I remember I’m afraid of heights and my belly dips as I look down. I slide over to the wall, hyperventilating.
He comes out, holding it in the glass bowl with a piece of paper – a pizza menu, I think, underneath. Holding it! Only a piece of paper separating the palm of his hand and a freaking spider and there’s space around the glass, so the huge spider is not adequately trapped.
I can’t recoil any further.
He sets it down on the kitchen island. At least now it’s stuck.
“It’s someone’s pet. Came right to me.”
I shake my head. “I don’t know anybody from last night except my brother and kind of met the security guy the other day.”
He stares at me.
“My brother is a good guy, he’s just got a lot of problems right now, problems he needs medication for. I was out doing the thing that I have this outfit on for, a stupid temp job assisting a magician, and when I came back, he was throwing that party, and… I talked to Carly and she said –”
His phone rings. He lifts his hand, halting me and answers his phone.
“Aid? What?”
“I’m gonna go take a shower and change,” I say, slipping past him, walking as far away from the counter as I can get because that spider is just sitting there, under that big glass bowl. Yikes. The glass bowl hangs an inch off the counter, too, probably to give the spider air, but still…creepy.
Giving him a minute to talk to his brother will probably serve me well. Aiden can tell him I’m not a drug addict. That he trusts me.
I’m so relieved Carly was so cool about me being here.
Aiden might want to talk to me, but I really need that shower, a minute to myself, and to get out of this outfit.
God, I hope there aren’t any more surprises in here.
8
Austin
“Hey man, you at the condo?” Aiden asks.
“Yeah. Just pulled a giant black spider out of your bed.”
“A what?”
“Yep,” I say, annoyed. “I’m calling animal control to get them to pick it up.”
“Where’s Jada?”
“Since the bedroom is no longer a danger zone, she went in there to get her things, get dressed, take a shower, something I guess.”
“So like I texted, she needs to stay in the spare room for a bit,” Aiden says.
“Not while I’m here. I want no part of that shit.”
“Why? She’ll be there cooking, cleaning, and shopping anyway, what’s the big deal if she stays there, too?”
“Aid. Are you fucking kidding me right now?”
“Uh, no, Auz. I’m not. What’s the prob?”
“The prob is that this chick is a walking disaster. She was throwing a party in your place last night with a whole shitload of druggies. There was a six-inch black tarantula in your bed. When I got here, one of the partiers fucking puked on me…”
Aiden laughs. “That doesn’t sound at all like Jada.”
Laughing right now? For real?
“Again, are you kidding me right now?”
“Auz. Lighten up, buddy."
“Did my brother just tell me to lighten up when I told him the chick that used to work for him was throwing a wild party in his apartment while he was out of the country?”
He’s riding the high of getting married. That must be it. He’s pussy-drunk.
As soon as I have that thought, I feel bad for it – I don’t think of Carly that way and I am happy for my brother, I’m just feeling incredibly foul right now.
“Yeah, man. It’s just one of those things. Girl got caught up in some bad stuff but believe me, Jada is a great employee. Never had a single problem with her while she worked for me. Girl works hard. Carly talked to her late last night and told her she can stay while she figures stuff out. You’re there the next three months, have her work for you, stay with you, that oughta give her the ability to figure that out. Listen, tell her the guy that stole the credit card got arrested. Not to worry. You gonna get Alice to send her a new CC company card so she can handle your stuff?”
“Did you not hear me? She’s not working for me. She hadn’t even gotten the call to work for me, Dad probably forgot to tell Alice.”
“He did forget. Carly called Alice. We already have her on the books. She’s on payroll now, Carly straightened things out this morning. We just need a couple quick details.”
I shake my head. “She’s not working for me, not staying with me. I can’t fucking believe this shit sandwich you’re serving me.”
“Shit sandwich? How’s that?”
“Man, are you serious? Your new wife is nicer than you are, or you know that this wouldn’t happen.”
“Back up. Fill me in Auz, I don’t know what you’re going on about with a shit sandwich.”
“That shit the day after your wedding? You didn’t return my call and now you’re all, help Jada out, and you haven’t even fucking addressed that other shit.”
“Oh, the other shit where I found you in bed naked with my also naked ex?”
“That shit,” I confirm.
He scoffs. “You get the lab results?”
“No. Not yet. But I tell you that bitch date-raped me and you storm out and don’t return my calls?”
He blows out a breath. “Listen, I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings, Auz, but I got married two days ago and I’ve been kinda tryin’ to enjoy that.”
I roll my eyes. Now he’s being even more of a fucking dick.
“But you can imagine the shock it was finding you in bed with my ex when you’re supposed to be at a family brunch the day after I get married. I had to walk it off. You telling me you wouldn’t have reacted?”
“Imagine my shock, too, since I’m the one that woke up in bed with her with no fucking knowledge of how I got there!”
“I cooled off. Talked it out with Carly. I believe you.”
I grind my teeth and hold the phone.
“What, you want an apology from me? You grow a pair of tits or something, Austin?”
“Fuck you, Aiden. I had to face Meryl, worry about making sure Sienna didn’t ruin your wedding, deal with Roger there, try to keep it so nothing fucked with the vibe for you and Carly, got in a fist fight with Meryl’s fiancé and then that shit happens with your ex and you walk out on me; I think I have a right to be a bit put out about all that shit. The bitch drugged me, she had to have, and fucking climbed on my dick while I was half unconscious, man. I don’t need the shit of coming here, which I didn’t even wanna do. You know I hate this city, and I get here, exhausted from that scene with Meryl, from that fucking – whatever it was with Sienna, and I walk in and some bitch is squatting in your apartment without your permission and there’s a fucking giant spider running around your room, and people everywhere. I got into an accident on the way here and then got puked on by a junkie, and-”
“Austin,” Aiden’s voice has changed. “I’m sorry, man. I didn’t think of all that shit with Sienna that way.”
“Whatever,” I grumble. “Your wedding was beautiful. I’m happy for you that you saw none of the drama happening around it. But I’ve had a really shitty couple days.”
“I get it. I just reacted seeing you two in bed and as soon as I thought on it I knew you wouldn’t do that shit to me. I’ve already let it go. Man, I’m on my honeymoon, I’m just tryin’ to enjoy it.”
“I get that. I don’t need the shit of dealing with this chick, Aid. I wanna send her packing, get this place cleaned and fumigated, and get on with whatever I have to do here. I’ve got to go to the office tomorrow and play tyrant boss on top of all this shit and you know that’s not me – I hate that shit.”
