21. Chapter 21
Chapter 21
Adalie
W hen he calls that night, he tells me Taylor had brought him extra clothes without being asked and that Dani got settled in fine. I tell him about yoga with Vic, and how we went for sushi after. We talk so long, I fall asleep with him on the phone, something he teases me about by text the next day.
When I tell my friends that Nate and I started dating, Lis gives me a high five and Spencer hands Derek a twenty-dollar bill. Apparently, they’d bet on how long it would take. Spencer had bet middle of summer. Derek had bet before summer started. Everyone loves my new tattoo, all of them saying how well it suits me.
By Thursday, I’ve been distracted all day by my excitement and nervousness at seeing Nate again. Then everything is thrown off when my brother comes into my office near the end of my day.
“Hey, Addie,” he says, startling me and causing me to jump in my chair.
He chuckles as he comes in and sits across from me before I invite him to.
Denise is at the door, obviously having led him to me. “Is there anything I can get you and your brother, Ms. Murphy?” she asks.
She never calls me Ms. Murphy—we’re rather informal with our staff—but she’s also heard a few stories about my family. I smile at her appreciatively.
“Thank you, Denise. I’d love a tea, please. Elliot?”
“Coffee. Black, two sugars,” he says, not bothering to look at Denise when he says it.
She lifts an eyebrow toward me but doesn’t comment. Once she’s gone, I turn to my brother.
“What are you doing here, Elliot?”
“Can’t a brother come see his baby sister at work?” he asks, spreading his hands in question.
I blink slowly at him. “I suppose a brother could. But he never has before.”
He sighs as though I’m making this supremely difficult on him. I bite my tongue against the urge to apologize.
“I was in the area. I had to go to St. Paul’s for a meeting. I could be up for a new position there in the fall.”
He pauses, looking at me expectantly.
“Congratulations,” I say as Denise returns with his coffee and my tea. “I didn’t know you wanted to leave Surrey Memorial.”
He shrugs. “It’s more money. How could I refuse?”
“Right.”
Denise gives me a small smile, then departs. I want to call her back, tell her I need her to stay, but there really isn’t any reason for her to, and there’s no sense in both our afternoons being thrown off by this visit.
“Addie, I wanted to come here to talk to you,” Elliot says, leaning forward and interrupting my thoughts. “What happened last weekend?”
I blink, confused. “You were there, Elliot. You saw what happened.”
“Why did you bring that guy to dinner? You had to know Mom and Dad would pitch a fit. And the tattoo. Addie, what were you thinking? Are you going through a midlife crisis?”
My mouth drops open in shock. “Elliot, I’m twenty-nine years old. I’m not having a midlife crisis.”
He picks up his coffee and sits back in his chair. “Then what? Mom and Dad were really upset the way you left like that. And kissing him on the front step? Riding off on his motorcycle? We’re worried about you.”
He says it all like he is truly worried about me, concern lacing his every word.
I want to tell him it’s none of his business, that I can kiss whomever I want, ride on whichever motorcycle I want. I want to tell him that my body is not to be policed by other people. I can get tattoos and piercings or do anything I want to it, because it’s mine.
I don’t. Instead, my gaze drops to the edge of my desk and I say, “I’m sorry Mom and Dad were upset.”
As much as I’d love to say all those things, I hate confrontation more. However, I’ve also learned how to issue an apology that isn’t a real one.
“I’m sure they’ll be fine eventually. Maybe wear long sleeves when you come to visit. At least for a while. And don’t bring that guy again.”
I look up. “ That guy is my boyfriend, Elliot.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea? Dating someone like him?” He gives me a pitying look before taking a sip of his coffee.
I feel my temper flare. They can come down on me all they want, but my family does not get to come after my friends. Or my boyfriend.
“You don’t know anything about Nate,” I say. “He’s a good man, a successful business owner, and an amazing father.”
“ Single father,” Elliot points out. “You have to think about that, Addie. The man couldn’t make it work with his kid’s mother. Why do you think he can make it work with you?”
“If you just came here to shit talk my boyfriend, you can leave the way you came in.”
I pick up my tea and take a sip, setting it down again before he can see my hands trembling, trying to not let Elliot know how fast my heart is racing. I would never have said something like that to him a few months ago.
He holds one hand up in a placating gesture. “Okay. I’m sorry. I don’t want to see you get hurt or taken advantage of, that’s all. Guys like him are bad news.”
My hands ache and when I glance at them, I realize I’ve clenched them into fists. I loosen my grip and try to keep an even tone. “Why? Because of the motorcycle, or because of the tattoos?”
Elliot sighs as though I’m not getting his point at all. “Addie, I didn’t come here to fight.”
I say nothing in response, because I can’t think of what I might be able to say that isn’t snarky or telling him to get out. He’s my brother. It’s nice that he’s concerned—sort of—I just wish he would trust me when I say he doesn’t need to be.
“I actually also wanted to talk to you about that loan I mentioned on Sunday.”
I freeze. And by that, I mean I stop moving and my body goes cold. Is this the real reason he came here today? Maybe he’s not concerned about me after all. Maybe he just needs money. Again.
“Elliot,” I say slowly. “You haven’t paid me from the last time.”
My heart is hammering in my chest because no one is here to help me. I’m on my own and I’m not going to be able to say no.
“Yeah. I’m sorry. I promise, I’ll pay you back every cent once I get this new position. But for now, I need a little bit to keep me and Suzanne afloat. You know how it is. Mortgage, maintenance fees, the car payment. Besides, it’s not like you don’t have the money. What did you make last month? Ten grand?”
I don’t answer. The chill has left me and now I’m hot. I’m struggling to breathe. I don’t want to give him any more money that I won’t ever see again. But he’s my brother and I don’t want him to be homeless, either.
“How much?” I ask.
“I just need like five grand.”
“Excuse me?” There is no way I could have heard him correctly. He’s never asked for so much money at one time.
“I know it’s a lot. But I looked at the bills for the next couple of months while I wait for this position to come up, and that’s what I’ll be short. I figured it would be easier to ask for it all at once, then I won’t have to ever ask for money again.”
I shake my head. “I’m not giving you five thousand dollars, Elliot. No way.”
“Come on, Addie. If you don’t, we’ll fall behind on the mortgage payments and you know how hard it is to catch up. I’ll be starting the new job at a deficit.”
He’s laying it on thick, but then he kind of has to for this amount of money.
“Did you see that financial advisor I told you about?” I ask, picking up my tea and taking a sip, mostly to give my hands something to do.
Elliot lets out a sigh. “I tried, but do you know how much he charges to create a financial plan for you?”
“Yes, I do.” I set my cup back down, a little afraid I’m going to spill the hot tea all over myself in my agitation. “Which is why I said you could also see one at a bank. I don’t know any of them personally, but they’ll be able to help you for free. I can’t keep loaning you money. At some point, you’re going to have to figure out how to manage your finances better.”
Elliot sighs again, and I can hear Vic’s voice inside my head.
Tell him no. He’s a grown-ass man. He can figure his own shit out.
In fact, Vic has said those exact words to me before. I’ve never been able to listen to them. Just like I’m not able to now.
“I’m not giving you five thousand dollars, Elliot,” I say, then hold up a hand as he opens his mouth to argue. “I will give you two thousand.” I hold up two fingers. “ If you make an appointment with a financial advisor.”
His smile looks relieved, and I wonder how much he needs this money. It makes me feel guilty for not giving him the whole amount. Not enough to give in, but enough to make me uncomfortable.
“I’ll make the appointment today,” he says.
“Now.”
He blinks at me in confusion.
“You’ll make the appointment now. Where I can hear you doing it. Get out your phone.”
He does as I’ve said and I turn to my computer, searching up the bank he goes to. I know because of how often I’ve sent him money. I get the phone number for the branch near his apartment and write it down for him.
It doesn’t take long for him to make the call, set up the appointment, and for me to transfer the money to him.
“Thanks Addie,” he says when we’re done. “You’re the best.”
I bite the inside of my lip and give him a tight nod. He stands to go, but I call to him before he can leave my office.
“This is the last time, Elliot. You have this appointment. You need to get your finances together. I can’t keep bailing you out.”
He stares at me for a long time, and I wonder if he believes me. After he nods and leaves, I sit there staring at my computer where I’ve transferred the most amount of money I’ve ever given to my brother, and I wonder if I believe myself.