Down for Her by Melissa Chambers (best electronic book reader .txt) 📕

“Longer than the walk from here to your housing unit?”

I think about whether or not I want to get into this with her. The last time I shared private info about my family with a girl, it didn’t end well.

“I’m sorry,” she says. “Was that an intrusive question?”

I shake my head as we step onto the sidewalk, realizing I’m being paranoid. She’s just making conversation. She’s not Madison. “I found this place when I was sixteen, actually.”

“You’ve been working here since you were sixteen?”

“Yeah. I started out at the Circle busing tables for one of the restaurants, then I moved to games.”

“That must’ve been a little more fun,” she says with a smile that threatens to make me return one. “How did you make the move to occupational therapy from games? That seems like quite the leap.”

I’m damn sure not gonna tell her about my brother. I don’t even know her. “Just did.”

She looks at me strangely.

“What?” I ask.

“I don’t know. It’s just your personality seems to be at odds with itself.”

“Excuse me?”

“On one hand, you’re this guy who wants to devote his life to helping little kids, and on the other hand, you have three girls on the hook in the course of about an hour and a half.”

“I don’t know what to tell you,” I say, picking up my pace.

She catches up with me. “Tell me you’ll slow down. I think I’m about to blow out a strap on my sandal.”

I stop and turn to her, and she just smiles at me like she got me.

I roll my eyes and start walking again. “You ask a lot of questions.”

“That’s typically what people do to get to know one another.”

“Why would we need to do that?” I ask.

She’s silent for a second, and then I give her a partial smile to indicate I’m kidding. It’s her turn to roll her eyes.

I pull my keys out of my pocket as we approach my car, nodding toward the front door of our unit. “You’ve got your own key card, at least for now.”

She pulls it out of her pocket. “I assume you’re off to satisfy girl number four?”

“Something like that,” I say. “See you in the morning.”

Just as I’m about to slide into my front seat, I hear the voice of my sworn enemy. “You’re headed home early, too?” But Jack’s not talking to me. He’s walking on the lawn toward Kylie, who’s at the front door now.

She walks in his direction, saying something in return, but I can’t make it out. What’s that asshole doing up here, anyway? He lives in a high-rise on the beach. He’s clearly not funding his brother’s college and his grandma’s healthcare. He was probably walking Bailey or Simone home since he came from the direction of their unit.

They stand on my front lawn, smiling at each other like idiots. Are they flirting? Fuck, why do I care?

I start my vehicle and back out of the driveway, leaving the resort and heading toward the pharmacy. I just need to focus on my grandma and getting her meds…and I need to quit wondering if Kylie’s gonna invite that asshole into my house.

5

Kylie

I’ve been awake for half an hour, but I’m almost afraid to move from the bed. Val and Brett must both be sound asleep, because you can pretty much hear a pin drop in here…or a mouse scurrying. Maybe one or both of them never made it home last night.

I stare at the ceiling, unable to believe I’m in a strange guy’s bed, who’s probably in some strange girl’s bed. If Joshua could see me now, he’d… I wonder what he’d even do? Would he care?

I check my phone. No more messages from Joshua, but there is one from Samantha.

Are you doing okay? Just checking in.

I’m tempted to tell her where I am and what’s happening, because it’s all so bizarre, but I don’t need her trying to send me money. She already gave me two hundred dollars. She tucked it in my purse as we were saying goodbye the other day. “Just in case,” she had said. Little did she know that money has been my saving grace.

I text back. I’m good. Settled in.

I text her a little about the resort and the accommodations they provide to kids with disabilities.

Wow. Sounds like you landed in the right spot. All that experience at your dad’s company will soon be put to very good use! I’m so excited for this venture in your life! Off to greener pastures!

Ugh. I’m regretting my white lies to my closest friend—the only loyal friend I have left. I just didn’t want her to worry. If she knew I was taking a job as pool attendant, she would never have let me leave without a fight. She might have even done something like contacted my dad for help. I need to do this on my own. I need for her to believe everything’s okay.

I text her back a smiley face and then stick my phone in my purse. I wander down the hallway, walking softly until I pass Val’s room and find it empty. I head to the living room, peeking over the back of the couch, and it’s unoccupied as well. I’ve been hiding in Brett’s room and the whole place has been deserted, probably all night.

Venturing into the kitchen, I open the refrigerator door and close it right away when I see it’s nothing but a biohazard in there. I’m not sure I can survive this place, even for a weekend.

I open the cabinet under the sink to see if there are any cleaning products, and I find a caddy with rubber gloves, floor cleaner, spray cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner and brush, sponges, dishwasher detergent, and a dish scrubber. There’s a bow around it and a note attached that says, Val, clean your floors at least once a week, por favor, mijo. Love, Mamá.

I can’t help a chuckle, thinking of my own mother leaving