Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
NICO
I pulled up in front of Zach and Miguel’s apartment and smiled at Gabe. “Thanks for letting me drive.”
He smirked. “No problem. I’m always happy to help a new driver.”
“You’re so funny,” I said flatly. “I can’t wait until the three months are up and I can get my real license.”
“It’ll go by fast,” Gabe said.
“Yeah, I know you’re right.” For whatever reason, I was reluctant to go, but I had no reason not to. “It’s nice to get home early. Though it’s too bad the lead singer broke his ankle.”
Gabe nodded. “Yeah, it really sucks for him and for the fans who wanted to meet him after the show.”
We’d been hired to do security for an up-and-coming rock band performing at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. They were really good and had gained popularity practically overnight. The lead singer was super-hot and had this gravelly voice that sounded like sex personified. He was also all over the stage during the whole concert, running, jumping, and leaning in toward the crowd. Tonight, in the middle of their second set, he jumped and landed the wrong way on his right foot. We’d heard the snap of bone from the wings. Of course, the concert had to stop, and the planned VIP meet-and-greet was canceled. The fans were surprisingly chill about it, especially after being given free tickets for a make-up concert to be announced after the new year. That meant I was home two hours earlier than I’d originally thought I’d be.
I opened the driver’s side door, finally running out of excuses to stay and talk to Gabe some more. “I’ll see you soon. Thanks again for carting me around.”
Gabe got out of the passenger side and grinned at me. “Any time. We’re friends, right?”
Warmth filled me, and I couldn’t help but smile back. “Yeah, I guess we are.”
I made my way up to Zach and Miguel’s apartment, looking forward to relaxing and maybe having a beer and watching a movie. I only had the door halfway open when I heard a low moan followed by a gasp and Miguel saying, “Yes. Right there.” It seemed to be coming from the living room. Where I slept. Where I was going to watch a movie.
I stepped back out into the hallway and quietly pulled the door shut. I hurried back down the stairs and out onto the large front porch. The chill mid-November air bit at my face. My heart was racing and my hands were shaking. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to will away the tears of frustration. Motherfucker. I just wanted to relax and watch a movie in my own living room. But it wasn’t my living room. It wasn’t my apartment. I wanted to scream.
I loved Cody, and I was grateful every day that Zach and Miguel had made a place for me in their home. But me sleeping in their living room was getting old. It had been a month, and I was no closer to getting a place now than when I’d gotten out of prison.
The security gig paid well, but I could only work in New Jersey while still on parole. That meant fewer jobs and less pay per job because the high-end clients were mostly in New York City.
Santino D’Angelo had been working diligently to get my record expunged, but the state was dragging its feet. He finally threatened to go to the Bar Association about the way the prosecutor handled the case against me, citing fabricated, missing, and deliberately suppressed evidence. After that, they agreed to end my parole at the end of November and expedite the expungement of my record.
But that didn’t help me today. Or even in the next couple of months. I still had to save for a security deposit and the first month’s rent. And I had to get a two-bedroom apartment to have a place for Cody. That was one of many requirements for me to regain custody of my son. Rents were sky-high on the Jersey Shore, and I couldn’t imagine moving Cody away from the only family he’d ever known.
I started walking toward the boardwalk. I had no destination in mind. I just had to get away from the apartment. The wind coming off the ocean was bitterly cold, and my jacket wasn’t warm enough. I pulled up my collar and hurried over the boards toward Asbury Park. It was only around nine-thirty, so I decided to head to one of the local bars. On a whim, I pulled out my phone and hit Gabe’s number.
He answered on the first ring. “Hey, Nico. What’s up?”
I had no explanation for the relief I felt just hearing his voice. “I’m heading to Watermark for a drink. Want to join me?”
There was a long silence before he answered. “I thought you were going to get a beer and watch a movie at home.”
A gust of wind hit me, and I shivered. “I…uh…walked into the apartment and heard Zach and Miguel…” Christ, why was it so hard to say it aloud?
Gabe had no such problems. “Oh shit. They were fucking?”
“I don’t know what exactly they were doing,” I replied. “I heard them when I walked in the door and turned right around and went back out. I just know they were in the living room.”
“That sucks. Where are you now?”
A deep shudder ran through me as the cold started to sink in. “On the boardwalk heading toward Watermark.”
“The fuck, dude? You could have called me to pick you up.”
My frustration returned, and I’m sure he heard it in my voice. “I just started walking. I needed to get out of there.”
Gabe sighed softly. “Okay. I’ll meet you at Watermark. Order me a Guinness.”
“You got it,” I replied with a smile.
I pocketed my phone and picked up my pace. The icy wind made forty degrees feel more like twenty. By the time I walked up the stairs to the bar, I was shivering from head to foot.
The bouncer at the top of the stairs eyed me suspiciously. “You on something?”
I rolled my eyes. “No. I just walked along the boardwalk from Ocean Grove. It’s fucking cold out there.”
He shook his head. “Better you than me.” He nodded and let me into the bar.
Watermark was set up more like a lounge than a typical bar, with sofas and overstuffed chairs arranged in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the boardwalk and the Atlantic Ocean. I chose a seat farther from the entrance to get away from the cold. I sat facing the doorway so I could watch for Gabe.
A server came by to take my order. I got us both a Guinness, mostly because I didn’t want to have to decide. I also hadn’t had a Guinness in a while. He’d just set our drinks down when Gabe walked through the archway. I held up my hand so he could see me.
The server caught the move and looked over at my friend. He looked back at me with raised brows. “Oh, honey, you are one lucky boy. He is delicious.”
I opened my mouth to say, I didn’t know what, but Gabe was right there, and I wasn’t about to embarrass myself. Instead, I acted like the server hadn’t spoken. “Hey, man. You’re just in time.”
Gabe sat across from me and picked up his beer. “I’m always on time.”
We clinked our glasses and drank deeply. After I set mine down, I said, “Thanks for meeting me here. I know you wanted to go home. I just needed a friendly face for a little bit.”
“I’m happy to help. I’m just sorry your night got derailed.”
I closed my eyes and pressed my lips together. “I probably sound like an ungrateful asshole, but sometimes it’s really hard not having my own space. You’d think I’d be used to it since I was incarcerated for four years.”
Gabe shook his head. “I get it. You expected to be free when you got out. I’m guessing it’s hard for you to relax when you have no real privacy.”
I rubbed my eyes, pushing back the tears that stung them. “I sometimes feel like I’m still in prison. I keep telling myself it’s only temporary until I can start making enough money to afford rent around here. But that could still be months away. I’m off parole at the end of this month, but my record still hasn’t been expunged.”
“Once you’re off parole, you can take the jobs in the City,” Gabe reminded me.
“I know,” I replied. “And I will be taking those jobs. Don’t get me wrong, I like working with you and your team. I’m just not sure it’s what I want to do full-time. I liked being an electrician. I found all of it fascinating. The apprentice pay sucks, but it gets better over time. And when I’m licensed, I’ll make bank.”
“Truth. So what’s the problem?”
I ran my fingers through my hair. I was letting it grow longer, which made me feel less like I was still in prison. “Tony and Marco know my history. They know I didn’t commit the crime I went to prison for. But until my record is expunged, I might be limited even being in the union. Some workplaces want background checks. I can’t pass one with a felony on my record.”
Gabe frowned in confusion. “For now, you can work for us as much as possible, and you’ll be able to afford an apartment in a few months.”
All the fight went out of me. He didn’t get it. I understood why he wouldn’t. He’d been in the military, which meant he hadn’t had much privacy either. But he chose that. I hadn’t had a choice. I still didn’t. My throat was tight. I wanted to cry. I stared into my glass. “Yeah. You’re right. I just have to hang on for a few more months.”
There was a long silence. Then Gabe took my glass out of my hands. “Hey. Look at me.” I raised my head and saw the concern in his eyes. “I’ve been looking at this problem from the wrong angle. The problem isn’t money.” I looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “Well, okay, it is, but it isn’t. The problem is you can’t afford your own space and not having your own space has got you so wound up you can’t think straight. Am I right?”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak right away. I finally managed a hoarse, “Yeah.”
“I might have a more immediate solution for you.” His eyes were bright with excitement.
“What? A winning lottery ticket?” I snarked.
“Better than that,” he said with a grin. “Move into my house.”
I blinked, not sure if I’d heard him right. “Come again?”
“You heard me. Move into my place. I have three unused bedrooms. Well, technically, I have six unused bedrooms, but I’ve decided to use the whole third floor for a gaming room and library. You’d have your own space and still be close to Cody. This way, you can take your time finding an apartment for the two of you.”
I was speechless. Here was a man who’d known me for all of a month, inviting me to live in his home rent-free. “You’re crazy.”
“What’s your point?” he retorted. “I know you’re a good man. You need a place. I have the room. What’s the problem?”
I opened my mouth to list all the problems, then shut it again. Here was a solution to my problem being handed to me on a silver platter. Why the hell was I resisting it? It was so ingrained in me to never ask for help. I’d also learned not to trust anyone who offered help because they always wanted something in return. Well, not always. I took in a breath and let it out slowly. I did it again for good measure.
Once I was sure I was thinking straight, I said, “If I do this, I’m paying you rent.” I saw that he was going to object, so I held up my hand. “It’s nonnegotiable.”
He nodded. “Okay. I can live with that.”
“Good.” I looked him in the eyes. “I am so grateful to you for offering this, but I want you to take the weekend to really think about it. I don’t want you to regret asking and then be stuck with me. If you change your mind, there’s no hard feelings.”
“Are you kidding? I’ll have someone else to take out the trash.”
I rolled my eyes. “Uh-huh. Humor me, okay?”
He shook his head. “You are one stubborn pain in the ass.”
“Why do you think I’m giving you an out?”