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.”