Chapter 11 #2
“Yeah, that’s my bad. Welp, this is clearly another conversation for your dad to handle.” I jump up from the couch, creating as much distance from Dex as I can. “Jensen!”
I meet her and Lucie at the end of the entry hallway. Lucie’s sweatpants hug her curves in the best way, but I don’t have time to admire that. I also don’t have a death wish. “You ready?”
Jensen quirks an eyebrow. “Yeah?”
“Great, let’s go.” I look to Lucie. “Miles has a question for you and Dex.”
Lucie folds her arms. “What question? It took me an hour conversation to undo the curse words Will taught him.”
I don’t wait around to answer, I simply take Jensen’s hand and walk for the door.
“Beck, what did you do?” Jensen chuckles, but I don’t have to answer because then we hear Miles.
“Lucie, what does friends with benefits mean?”
Once we’re at her apartment, I get why Jensen said this place isn’t worth fighting for—she’s practically living in a box. Thirty-five hundred for this place? I think the fuck not.
The entire drive Jensen was quiet, and while I appreciated that she didn’t ask for more details on the whole friends-with-benefits comment, I need to see some of that Jensen personality I crave.
I look at the wall closest to her bed and see the thin cloth with a pin-up girl design on it. I nudge her with my elbow. “Oh, hey, a tapestry, who would have guessed?”
Her nostrils flare with a deep huff as she shoves me back. “I told you it was a gift. My sister had it made with one of my drawings when I got my apprenticeship here.”
“You drew that?”
It’s incredible, so I guess I shouldn’t be entirely surprised…Jensen’s crazy talented anyone with eyes can see that.
“Yeah, it wouldn’t have been my first choice to go on my wall, but my sister said it was fitting for the situation…thought she would encourage me.”
Between the look on Jensen’s face and the softer tone in her words, something tells me there’s a bit more to that story than she’s letting on, but I think I’m pushing her enough today already.
I keep my tone light. “I like it, but for now, it has to come down.”
Jensen scrunches her nose then takes a look around. “Beck, this is insane, how are we going to get everything out today? We have zero boxes and getting all my furniture is going to be a pain. Where are we even going to put it?”
It takes me no time at all to answer. “Leave it here.”
“What?”
“You got any emotional attachment to the big stuff? The bed, tiny kitchen table, and one love seat?”
“Well…no? But it’s my stuff. I don’t want to have to buy new things when I find a new place to live.”
“I’ll buy them.”
“Beck, no, that’s ridiculous. You are not buying me new furniture.”
Before I can begin to win this argument with her, there’s a knock at the door. “Perfect, Callie and Will are here, more people to back me up on this.”
Stepping around Jensen, I open the door, but it’s not Callie and Will.
“Can we help you?” I ask the weasel of a man standing in the hall. His salt-and-pepper hair is slicked back, and it takes all my willpower to not punch him in the face when I notice his cut-off shirt that reads Warning, choking hazard with an arrow pointing down.
“Don’t believe you’re my tenant,” he snarls. “Jensen, I know you’re in there. You get rid of the damn dog yet? Or maybe you want to talk about a deal?”
“The fuck?” I mutter as Jensen appears beside me and sighs heavily.
“This is Charlie, my landlord.” Her disdain is very clearly written all over her face. “I told you, Charlie, I’m not getting rid of my dog.”
Charlie eyes her in a way that has me seeing red. He steps closer as if he were going to just walk right in. I lift my arm to block the door. “I think the fuck not.”
“You heard her, this is my place. I can come in if I so please.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. Landlords are required to provide a minimum of twenty-four hours’ notice before entering, and not to mention, have a legitimate reason. So, why don’t you back the fuck up. You’re not coming inside.”
Charlie takes two small steps back and huffs an arrogant laugh. “I see when I said no dogs, you didn’t get the complete picture. Seems like you have this one on a pretty tight leash.”
Jensen looks him dead in the eye. “Yeah, and he’ll bite if I tell him to.”
I’ll bite her, that’s for damn sure.
Jensen places her hand on my arm, lowering it so she can step in front of me. “You know what? I’m so done with letting all this bullshit go. Fuck you. Fuck your rent. You want to change policies, be my guest. I’m moving out of this shithole.”
Charlie takes a small step forward, and, while I hate him breathing the same air as her, Jensen doesn’t flinch, and I’m not about to stop her from standing up for herself. I’ll be here if she needs me.
“Go ahead, you want to be this prick’s whore instead of living here? Go for it, but according to our lease agreement, you owe rent through the month of January.”
Yep, this one’s me. “Consider it paid.” When he blanches, I smile. “I bark on command for her too.”
Jensen’s lips fold tight and her cheeks start to turn bright red. This amazing reaction I get out of her doesn’t last long. She seems to force it down then turns back to Charlie. “Now if you’ll excuse us.”
Charlie looks over at her one more time, then to me before starting his retreat.
“Oh, and Charlie?” Jensen says before he gets too far. “Tell Hank and Tally whatever false narrative they want to spin about me won’t make their shitty reality any better.”
Charlie opens his mouth, but I’m done hearing his voice. I take one step into the hallway and he spins on his heels and out of eyesight.
“Pussy,” I mumble.
“Tip of the iceberg, Beckham,” Jensen groans and walks back in this box of an apartment. She folds her hands on top of her and with the click of the door she spins around to me. “I’ll pay you back for the rent money.”
“The fuck you will.”
“Beck—” she starts but I stop her.
“We can argue about it later.” Pulling her arms down from her head, I take her hands cautiously in mine. “I told you to call me on a lazy day, but it seems we’re stuck in shitty ones, so what do you need?”
“I don’t need anything!” Jensen pulls her hands back, a sharp edge in her voice. It takes her a second or two before it really settles in that she does in fact need things. “Dammit! I just need to get out of this place.”
“Okay, done. Keep going.”
Jensen looks like she wants to fight me, but then she throws her hands up. “I need to find a new place to live, and find a tattoo shop that will hire me after the damage tweedle-dipshit and tweedle-twat did by spreading lies about me.”
I swallow my laugh the best I can. “Okay, you’re living with me, mark that one off your list. You’ll find a solution to the tattoo thing because your drive and work is something they can’t even fathom. Keep ’em coming. What else?”
Jensen sighs. “I don’t know…those were the main ones. My head is hurting…I just feel like I want a tub of ice cream and to break something.”
I nod. Alright, I can handle all this. Walking over to her tiny kitchenette, I pull out one of her plates. “Any emotional attachment to this?”
Jensen pulls her eyebrows together. “What? No? What are—”
“You got a broom and dustpan?” I cut her off.
She huffs. “Yeah, but—”
I step up to her. “Break it.”
Jensen looks at me like I have two heads. “I’m not going to break my plate.”
“Why not? I have plates, and we already agreed that I’ll buy whatever you need for your next apartment.”
“I never agreed to that!”
I push the plate in her hand. “Break it, Jen. Now.”
Jensen’s eyes soften as she looks in mine. She turns slowly, then chucks the plate against the far wall. The sound is way more dramatic than the actual breaking of the ceramic, so I walk back to her cabinet to grab another plate. “Again.”
This time there’s no hesitation or argument when she throws. With the shatter, Jensen’s shoulders drop. “Okay, you were right, that helped.”
I’m too smart of a man to rub in her face the fact that she just willingly admitted I’m right. Gloating isn’t the move for today. “Good, now I’m going to clean this up and we’ll start getting some of your stuff out.”
Jensen doesn’t speak, as she gives me a half nod. I’m not about to push her while she processes how she needs to. I find her broom, and Jensen stands like a stone statue until everything is cleaned up.
“You good?” I ask cautiously.
Jensen blinks once then twice before shaking her head like she just came out of a daze. “Yeah, I’m good. Fine, just…a lot.”
“A lot, but necessary.”
“Right, I know…I know.” Jensen takes a deep breath when another knock comes to the door. “That better be Callie and Will, or I might tear this whole place apart.”
I hum in amusement. Can’t say the idea isn’t tempting to do anyway.
I squeeze her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Killer, I’ll help.”