Chapter 3
Luca
I spent Saturday morning scrolling through the spreadsheet I kept for my finances.
Breaking it to my roommate that I’d lost my job hadn’t been easy, but he’d been there.
John Grmaldi had been my roommate for two years.
He was a handsome Italian-American with a chiseled jaw that could cut glass.
An aspiring actor and full-time bartender, John was going to make it big one day with looks like that.
I just wish that day were now because he lived as close to the edge of disaster as I did.
My only saving grace was that it was early enough in the month to find something else that worked with my schedule.
Maybe I could shuffle my expenses to make the rent, or skip the student loan payment without ruining my credit.
It wasn’t much, since I’d had most of my undergrad covered with scholarships.
John padded out of the bathroom to get his coffee from the refrigerator. “How’s it looking?”
I exhaled as I looked at the red subtotal at the bottom. “Pretty bleak at the moment. But if I’m creative, I think I can make it.”
I went to the small kitchen cabinet to assess the food supply.
If I skimped and shopped the reduced goods aisle at the market, I might be okay.
We kept dry goods at work that had to be discarded when the expiration date lapsed.
Thirty dollars a week was doable if I stretched it.
I’d done it before. I’d even dumpster dived when necessary.
I wasn’t ashamed. It had been a necessity.
It wouldn’t kill me to do it again to make the rent.
“What about a payday loan from one of those places?” he suggested.
I shook my head. “Too risky. I’ll never catch up like that. I could probably donate plasma again.” I could check into the rates.
“Got anything to pawn?”
“I don’t think so.” My computer was the only thing of value I had, and it was already old. No one would want my car, and there was no way I’d let it go. It had been my home before this place opened. Besides, I needed it for work.
“You could do an OnlyFans account. You’re hot, sexy hair and tatts.”
That was laughable for so many reasons. “Yeah, I don’t think so. You could do it. You’d make a killing. Besides, that might cost me my real job.”
“We could do it together,” he suggested. “We could cover your face, and I could do all the work.”
I nixed that immediately. “Nope. I’ll find something.”
John snorted. “Think the old people would care?”
“It’s not them I’m worried about. Susanna would kick my ass if she found out. And the HR department would fire me on the spot. Besides, I only have one more semester to finish my master’s, and I’ll move up in pay. Maybe I won’t need a second job.”
I had no problem with people doing whatever they had to do to make it in this world. Living here was expensive, but it was all I knew. I’d worked hard to keep myself out of that life when it would have been so easy to give up.
We brainstormed a few more ideas, giving me a short list of options. It would be difficult to make the kind of money I did at the Midnight Market, but I couldn’t dwell on that any longer. That was over.
“Okay. How about grocery shopping and delivery? Lots of people use that. Or the ballpark? They gotta need people. They’re actually winning for a change.”
I shrugged. “That’s a good option. Maybe I’ll try that one.” I needed this conversation to end.
He squeezed my shoulder as he walked by. “Don’t worry. Something good is coming your way. Much better than working for that fuck stick Richard.”
I smiled, searching for the positivity I needed.
The problem was making it work with my schedule.
So I went to work filling out online applications, and when that was done, I packed up my computer and headed to the cool confines of the public library.
At least I could get some preliminary work done on my capstone project over the weekend.
Thinking back to Thursday evening, it would have made things so much easier if I had accepted Axel Hughes’ help.
But I couldn’t do that. Wouldn’t allow myself to do that.
Living on my own terms meant sacrificing some things to ensure I was safe.
Nothing in life came free. And even though I didn’t think he would take advantage of me, I trusted only myself.
I could tighten the purse strings and do one meal a day until I found the right job.
I didn’t know the job was looking for me, or rather, the man was.