Chapter 4
Mia
After another shitty day at The Philadelphia Inquirer, I come home to my apartment that smells like a Chinese restaurant.
My stomach growls from the scent of General Tso’s chicken rising from the ground floor.
I reach into my bag, pull out three dollars, and sigh when I realize I can’t afford dinner.
At least payday is on Friday.
I lean against the wall by the front door and strip off my lace-up canvas boots. For eight hours, I stood outside of City Hall. I waited all day to get a comment from the Mayor of Philadelphia about the new law requiring all businesses operating in the city to favor cash over credit cards.
It was a long day.
Exhausted, I stagger into the kitchen and open the freezer. Given my lack of choices, I remove the bottle of vodka and a TV dinner and set them on the counter. If I’m lucky, I’ll make it until the end of the week without borrowing cash from my older brother.
The thought makes me cringe.
I can’t handle another brotherly conversation from Will about my current situation. He’s a famous NHL player, and I can barely afford to eat.
As I shut the freezer, I jump at the sound of someone banging on the floor below me.
Living in the city, with all the car horns and noises, takes some getting used to.
My parents moved to Arizona for retirement, leaving my brother and me behind.
I rented this dump in Center City, Philadelphia, hoping it would be temporary.
That was three years ago.
Still startled and on edge, I yelp when my cell phone rings. I remove the phone from my pocket and check the Caller ID.
It’s my older brother.
“What do you want, Romeo?”
Everyone in the NHL calls him that because our last name is Roman, and he’s known for being a ladies’ man.
“Hey, baby sis,” Will yells into the phone, slurring his words. “Is that any way to talk to the person who helped you with your homework when you were a kid?”
I laugh. “I wouldn’t gloat for too long. Look how far that got me.”
The sounds of rap music assault my eardrum, making it harder to hear Will over the people screaming around him.
“Where are you?”
“I’m at McFadden’s for happy hour.”
“Why are you drinking? I thought the Flyers made the playoffs.”
“We did. Our first game is next week.” A beat passes, and he says, “But that’s not why I’m calling. I need to stay with you for a while. My apartment flooded earlier. So now I’m homeless until the condo association fixes the damage.”
“You’re messing with me, right?”
This sounds like one of the many stories Will has told me over the years to screw with me. He says I will fall for anything. And Will loves to exploit my weakness.
“No, not this time. The old lady upstairs fell asleep in her tub with the water running. Can I stay with you?”
“Yeah, I guess so,” I say, wondering why my brother can’t afford to stay at a hotel. “Get your ass here before I go to bed. I had the day from hell, and I’m not staying up all night waiting around for your drunk ass.”
“Whatever you say, boss lady. We’ll be there in a few hours.”
After we hang up, it hits me that Will said we. I agreed to let my brother stay here, not one of his one-night stands. Will can forget about me doing his dirty work for him in the morning. I’m not kicking out puck bunnies. I did enough of that during his high school and college days.
Hours pass before a knock at the door pulls me from my nap on the couch. I glance at the digital clock on the end table and sigh. As usual, Will didn’t keep his promise. He’ll be late for his funeral.
Wiping the sleep from my eyes, I stagger toward the front door in pink polka dot pajamas, a black tank top, and fuzzy slippers. A few more knocks pound onto the wood, shaking the door.
“I’m coming,” I shout. “Chill out.”
When I open the door, I gasp at the sight of Ethan Waters beside my brother. He left me ten years ago without a second thought. And I still hate him for it.
He told Will he had to take care of his sick grandmother in Boston, yet he couldn’t even make a simple phone call or send an e-mail to explain his sudden disappearance. I still don’t buy his excuse. Now that I work for The Philadelphia Inquirer, I have the resources to dig into people’s pasts.
His grandmother was never sick. She’s alive and healthy and still working as an advisor at the company her husband founded. The Waters have tons of money, and that kind of wealth makes it easier to cover secrets.
Ethan is hiding something, though I still haven’t figured out what’s worth so much secrecy.
His family has a lot of connections. So, trying to uncover the reason for his absence was impossible.
He showed up three years ago when he was traded from the Oilers to the Flyers.
He still acts as if nothing happened without a single explanation.
When he returned, he was cocky, arrogant, and nothing like the boy I once knew. Ethan hasn’t treated me the same since our last night on the swing set. He’s always rude and acts like the entitled prince that he is. Seeing him on my doorstep makes my skin burn, and my nostrils flare.
I point at Ethan while speaking to Will. “What’s he doing here? I said you could come, not this idiot.”
“Let me in,” Ethan slurs as he pushes past me to get inside. He stumbles, tripping over his feet, and somehow regains his balance.
Since I moved out of my parents’ house, I’ve avoided Ethan at all costs, which means spending less time with my brother.
Occasionally, Ethan stops by with Will when they’re not on the road with the Flyers.
I try to sneak over to their shared apartment when I know Ethan’s not around.
Distance and time are what I needed from Ethan.
I could use a little more right about now.
“You’re the most infuriating person I’ve ever met,” I yell, my face twisted in disgust. “Of all the people to show up with Will, it had to be you. I would’ve preferred one of his puck bunnies.”
“Don’t get your panties twisted,” Ethan hisses with one eye open. “Or I’ll have to rip them off you.” He walks away from me and into the kitchen, so, of course.
I follow him and bite out, “Gross. Like I would let you touch me. Who knows what disease-ridden skanks you were hanging out with tonight.”
“Can you two get along for five minutes?” Will says from behind me. “This situation sucks, so let’s make the best of it.”
I narrow my eyes at Will. “Wait, you think he’s staying here?”
“Ethan doesn’t have anywhere to go.”
“He has credit cards, a trust fund, and a contract from the Flyers. I couldn’t even afford to buy dinner tonight. I should be staying with you. Will, I agreed to let you sleep here, not the manwhore of Philadelphia. I might contract something. God knows where he’s been.”
Is my brother any better?
Not really.
He might even be worse than Ethan. More often than not, Will lands on the pages of my newspaper with a different girl on his arm.
Ethan stalks toward me. “You wish you could have me, princess. Bitter isn’t a good look for you.”
“I hate you,” I scream, not realizing my anger.
“No, you don’t.” Ethan throws his hands onto his hips, drawing my attention to his thick chest and muscular arms.
Why does someone so attractive have to be so damn annoying? After all the years of hating Ethan and him being a dick in return, I can’t stand the sight of Ethan fucking Waters. He knows he’s God’s gift to women. And he is, which makes me hate him even more.
Will and Ethan raid my fridge for a few minutes before they realize I have nothing to offer.
“Speaking of credit cards.” Ethan stares into my empty fridge that contains condiments and a few aged, half-eaten takeout containers I need to throw out. “Why don’t you use yours to buy some food?”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I stare up at Ethan. Who the hell does he think he is? What I do with my money is none of his business.
“Because I have student loans, rent, a car payment, and no money left on my credit card,” I quip. “If you’re staying here, you can at least buy food. I can’t afford to take care of you.”
“We’ll get you some food tomorrow,” Will mumbles. “I hate to see you living like this.” He shakes his head, and the same white-blond hair as mine falls onto his forehead. “Why didn’t you say something, Mia? I have money. You don’t have to live like this.”
“Food would be great,” I interject. “Enough about me. I don’t need another brotherly lecture.”
Will reaches for the bottle of vodka in my freezer, but I steal it from him. “You’ve had enough to drink tonight.” I tuck the bottle back in place and shut the freezer door. “I made up the bed for you in the guest room. Why don’t you get some sleep? I have to get up early for work.”
“Me, too.” Will cups my shoulder with his big hand, his balance a little unsteady with how much alcohol he’s drunk. “We have an interview with your paper in the morning.”
Leaving Ethan in the kitchen, I lead Will into the guest bedroom, the size of a walk-in closet. My brother stumbles into the dark room and walks into the metal bed frame, hitting his shin pretty hard.
“Fuck,” he yells and falls onto the mattress, grabbing his leg with both hands.
I sit next to him and turn on the bedside lamp. The dim light casts a shadow on his face. We’re three years apart and look alike with our mother’s white-blonde hair and light blue eyes.
“Do you want me to grab you a glass of water and some Tylenol?”
He shakes his head and sinks into the pillows, staring up at me with one eye open. “Nah, I’m good. Night, baby sis.”
I strip off his shoes, throw them onto the floor, and push myself up from the bed. “Night, big bro.”
Will is snoring by the time I close the door behind me. For a few seconds, I forget what awaits me in the kitchen until I find Ethan sitting on the counter pounding the bottle of vodka. Asshole.
“Hand it over.” I hold out my palm and wait for him to give it to me.