Chapter 2
Chapter Two
After dropping off my stuff to the receptionist at Calvin’s stupid office, I came home and immediately went back outside. My other neighbor, Mr. Buford, was an old man with mobility issues, and I often helped him with his garden. I took out my frustrations on the dried weeds I had neglected to get to.
Mr. Buford was one of the few people who had lived here since the neighborhood was built. He bought his home for a meager $25,000 and had lived in it ever since. He’d always been kind to me, and in return, I worked on the things that he didn’t need to worry about. As a man in his eighties, the last thing he needed to be doing was getting on his hands and knees. I was halfway through pulling them up when his front door opened.
“Amy, is that you?” he asked in his shaky voice. His cane hit the ground as he walked to the edge of the porch. “What are you doing out here in the middle of the day?”
“Enjoying the sunlight,” I replied, leaning back on my heels. “It’s keeping me warm.”
That, and the rage I felt.
Mr. Buford’s wrinkled face formed a frown. “You’re never out at this hour.”
“You know me. I have to change it up a bit. I was getting bored doing the same thing every day.”
I refused to burden him with my problems. One time, when a pipe burst under my house, he offered to pay for it. Him. He had countless doctor’s appointments and medical bills. He was only on Medicare, which didn’t pay for everything. And most older adults, he had a limited, fixed income.
“Is something wrong with the house?”
“The house is great,” I replied. “Nothing’s wrong.”
“Are you sure?” He raised one eyebrow.
“How is your house?” I asked back. “Everything good?”
“I know what you’re doing. You’re putting the attention on me.”
“Yep. You can’t leave me hanging now.”
“My house is good as always. She’s sturdy.”
“And so is mine.”
“Let me get you some coffee, at least. That’ll make me feel better.”
He ambled inside, and I had half a mind to tell him not to worry about it, but he clung to his independence, always making me coffee himself even though I had some at home. If I was lucky enough to reach his age, I wouldn’t want people doing everything for me either.
I pulled out more weeds, banishing all thoughts of Calvin from my mind. I was determined to give my full attention to the kind man next door. The second I tried that, however, it hit me that I might not be his neighbor for much longer. If I couldn’t figure out how to get money, I was going to lose the house—the very thing I’d worked so hard for.
Mr. Buford came out minutes later with a steaming cup of coffee in his hand. In the chilly, late-winter air, it was exactly what I needed. I stood and climbed onto the porch. “Thank you,” I said.
“I even put in cream and sugar, though I don’t know how you can ruin perfectly good coffee with that stuff.”
“Not everyone can tolerate bitterness like you can.” I took a sip of the delicious liquid. Mr. Buford never put in enough for my taste, but it was still good on such a cold day. My cheeks were ice, and I’d regret my last-second choice when I finally retreated home.
“How are you, Amy?” he asked slowly. “I know there’s something on your mind.”
“Just life,” I said. “I think things will be changing.”
“They always do, even when we don’t want them to.”
I sighed and took a long drink. “This isn’t going to be a good change.”
“Do you need help?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think this is a thing you can help with. This is a consequence of my own actions. I’ll deal with it.”
“I can’t imagine you doing something so bad that you’d get into trouble.”
“I find ways.” Like forging a will.
The caffeine was starting to hit my system and I knew my priority needed to be finding a job. “I should go,” I said. “I’m sorry I can’t stay longer but?—”
“You have things to do,” he said. “I get it.”
“I’ll be by tomorrow?”
“Not if it means you get in trouble,” he said. “But I’d welcome you anyway.”
I gave him one last smile and handed him the mug back before going inside. My expression dropped the second I was alone.
I hated the idea of finding a job. Not only did I have no filter, but I hated the idea of sucking up to someone just so they’d employ me. It was why I’d struggled so much to land anything and then had to come crying to Dad to get employment.
Now, I was on my own.
That was the thing about me: I didn’t have connections. Not in the business world, at least. I knew people, some of whom liked me, but I wasn’t good at crafting connections with people I needed something from. I liked talking to them because I liked them.
Calvin was the one who was good at the rest.
But I didn’t have a choice. It wasn’t like I was going to magically find money somewhere. The only well-off people in my life were my parents and Calvin, and they’d been very strict on sharing. Even when Emma had gotten into a wreck last year, they didn’t help her replace her car.
And they wouldn’t help me here either.
On my phone, I looked up any and all jobs. Some paid way too low or expected me to travel to the office. Neither were great, but the office positions at least had the potential of a livable wage, so I applied to them all.
After finishing more applications than I could count, I saw a familiar black car pulling into a nearby driveway.
And that was Lily.
I trusted Lily as much as I trusted V. Maybe more, considering I knew her full name. I needed to get her opinion of this, and if I were lucky, maybe her husband, Sebastian, would have a job for me.
“Hey!” I called as I jogged over. She jumped and turned, looking startled for only a second until her eyes landed on me.
“God,” she said, letting out a sigh, “you sound like a photographer when you’re excited.”
With how low-key she liked to be, I couldn’t imagine the version of her who had once been a famous Instagram model, especially now that she’d shed her entire look.
“Except I’m less annoying.”
“You do spy on me.”
“I’ve gotten so much better about that,” I said. “Are you free, or will you be spending the rest of the day writing?”
She rubbed her eyes. “I just finished the longest writing session at the coffee shop. There’s no way I can do more.”
“Then I can distract you in the form of friendship. And news.”
“Good news?”
I winced. “Not really.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Come on inside. Now I need to know.”
Lily and Sebastian’s house had been tastefully remodeled. There were pops of color on the walls, and the floors had been refinished with a beautiful dark stain. If I were able to keep my house, I’d use hers as an inspiration.
“What happened?” Lily asked as she unloaded her bag onto the table. Her laptop, which she used to write all of her incredible novels, came out first, followed by her planner and other things.
“Calvin took over the company and fired me.”
She paused and blinked. “In one day?”
“He’s an overachiever. And he’s still mad about the house thing.”
“Poor guy. He can’t build his pool with the family inheritance.” She faked a pout. “You can find something else, right?”
“I have no idea. I’m trying but ... I don’t know. Is Sebastian hiring?”
“For his department? Probably not. He sticks to a smaller team these days. But maybe the company is. I can ask.”
“That would be great,” I replied. “Where does he work again?”
“It’s called Leviathan,” she said.
The name sounded familiar, though I wasn’t sure why. I didn’t need to harp on it. A job was a job, no matter how much I dreaded it.
“I’ll owe him one if he saves my ass. Does he like it there?”
“Much more than working for his dad. He has a decent work-life balance these days.”
I tried to sound excited, but it was hard to when I hated working. I wished I had a life like Lily’s, where she had passive income and had free time that people with day jobs could only dream of. I knew she worked hard on her writing, and she’d had more than her fair share when her parents were still forcing her into modeling, but she had her happy ending now.
And I wanted that too.
But my life was all in books. My dating experience had been through apps and hadn’t led to any sort of connection besides a night of sometimes good, but most of the time boring, sex. Thankfully, I had Lily now, so I supported her in every way I could, including reading her books and supporting her as she renewed her vows to Sebastian. I loved her the only way I could—all the way.
“Wanna play video games until Sebastian gets home? I desperately need to think about something else.”
“Um, of course.” She gave me a bright smile. “What else would I do with my free time?”
“Glad I left my Nintendo Switch here. Mario Kart, or shall we continue our Stardew Valley save?”
“I’m in the mood to be a farmer today,” she said. “I’ll get us a few snacks.”
“I feel like I should marry Sebastian purely because he shares my husband’s name,” Lily said four hours later. She was following the in-game character with the same name as he walked to the beach.
“But he doesn’t give the vibe that real-life Sebastian has.”
“You’re just saying that because you want to marry game-Sebastian.”
“I do, but also, have you seen Harvey? He’s way better suited to you.”
“I like his glasses,” she said as she changed course to do something else. “But you’ve played this before. Shouldn’t you want to marry someone new?”
“Like who? Elliot? He’s too poetic.”
“Who is that again?”
“You thought he was a girl when we first started playing.”
“ Oh! Yeah, he’s wrong too. The men in this game leave something to be desired.”
“It’s too realistic,” I muttered. “Sebastian at least has a motorcycle.”
“I keep thinking you’re talking about my Sebastian.”
“Did he have to be named that?”
“Ask his dad. Oh, wait. Don’t. He’s a dick.”
I huffed out a laugh. “Fine, I won’t marry a man with the same name as your husband. I’m going for one of the ladies this time. Abigail?”
“She’s cute.”
“When in doubt about men, go for the women. It works out for most not-straight people.”
“Amy,” a male voice said. “Nice to see you again.”
I paused the game and turned to Sebastian, who’d just gotten home from work.
“Oh, hey,” I said with an awkward laugh. “I realize that without context, that didn’t make sense.”
“I’m used to it,” he replied, shaking his head. “I have a habit of only overhearing the weird things you say.”
“And always when you get home too. What a welcome.”
He laughed, but then his eyes turned to Lily, and she was all he saw. I didn’t blame him. If I were into women, I’d do the same thing. Ever since Lily had begun living for herself and not her parents, she was ethereal.
I looked away as she stood to kiss him. The last thing I needed was to let my loneliness show on my face.
“But Amy does have a reason she’s here,” Lily said after a moment.
“Isn’t socializing a good enough reason?” he asked.
“Always, but I do have something to ask of you.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “I may need a job.”
“Oh,” he said. “What happened to yours?”
“My brother took over and fired me,” I said. “I promise I’ll work hard, though, and I’m willing to go into the office too.”
The thought actually made my skin crawl, but I didn’t let it show.
“I don’t have any open spots on my team, but I wouldn’t want to be your boss anyway.”
“I’m not that bad.”
“It’s only because we’re friends . I don’t want anyone to think I treat you differently or that it was a favor.”
“This is kind of a favor, though.”
“I’ll try to get you an interview. I can’t guarantee you’ll get hired, but it’ll get you in the door.”
“Could you also throw in some interview tips too?” I said weakly. “I think I’ll need all the help I can get.”
“Yes, of course. Let me see what I can find.”
“See?” Lily added with a smile. “It’ll all work out.”
“Hopefully, it will. Thanks, Sebastian. You’re a godsend.” I checked my phone, hoping to see other interviews somehow lined up, but all I saw was a message from V. When I looked back up, I saw Lily and Sebastian getting closer to talk about their days, and I turned off the TV. “I should probably let you two have your night. I’ll talk to you tomorrow?”
Sebastian blinked like he’d forgotten I was there. “Yeah. I’ll let you know if I find something.”
I thanked them once again before leaving. When it was just me in the cool air, I let out a long breath.
My stress was going to leak into every part of my life. It was a bitterness I couldn’t stop. The same thing had happened when I was fighting for the house. Everything ground to a halt. I didn’t even read until I knew I had a place to live.
V
All right. I’m done with The Fair Originals. Not bad. Very gory. What are we reading next?
I let out a sigh before answering.
No idea. Honestly, my life is a bit of a dumpster fire right now. I don’t know if I’ll be in the headspace to read. I know we don’t talk about this stuff, but I don’t want to disappear like I did a few years ago.
V hadn’t been too happy when I did that, and I promised I would let him know if something was going wrong. It was still weird, though, considering we only talked about books.
Is everything okay?
Not really. Hopefully, it will be, but a lot is up in the air.
What can I do?
A warm feeling spread through me. V had no idea how hot it was to me that he’d asked that simple question. But conviction was always attractive in my book.
Nothing at the moment. I’ll talk more about it if it gets super dire. Right now, I’m just stressed. It’s hard to read anything new when I’m like this.
What about an old favorite? It worked for me when my dad passed.
I considered it. Biting my lip, I reached for the one I’d been reading many years ago, the one I’d apparently recommended to V somehow.
I’ll give it a shot. Thanks, V.
I’m here for you always.