Page 24 of Jesse's Girl
I lean in to kiss Mom’s cheek. “Call me if you need anything, alright?” I point at her, smiling as I head to the door. “I mean it. And I’ll be back tonight to check on you.”
She lifts her hands in surrender, and we say our goodbyes. I let myself out and my phone buzzes again in the elevator.
Ada
Wanna come over?
My eyebrows twitch together. She wants to just… hang out? Just us? I hate how strong the impulse is to say yes. As I hesitate, another text comes through.
Ada
Just to like, be here? I’ve got people coming by to see Katie’s old room.
Dropped the rent on the ad and I have three people interested all of a sudden.
Right. Ada needs a roommate. Marcus said something about Katie moving out. Wait. Ada needs a roommate. The thought makes me hold my breath. No. Never gonna work. It’d be weird. Plus, I’m not here long.
Ada
Katie was gonna come but she had to stay late at work.
It’d be cool not to be here alone with sketchy strangers. A couple of them are dudes. #notgettingmurdered
Me
So what, you basically need someone with a pulse?
Ada
Pulse optional, but I think a dead body might send the wrong message.
“Nice place,” I say, peering around Ada’s apartment. It’s sparse—I assume since Katie moved out with her stuff.
“Sure,” Ada says, like she doesn’t believe me.
Better than the trash couch.
“So, I was thinking you could just hang out here and look…” Ada pauses, scrutinizing me. “Can you do scary?”
“What?” I laugh and lean back against the counter, crossing my arms. “Are you serious?”
“I told you, not getting murdered today. These are internet people, Jesse. God knows who the fuck is gonna walk in here.” She stuffs her hands into the pockets of her jean shorts and shrugs.
“Aren’t you overreacting a bit? They’ll probably be normal.”
She scoffs. “Men don’t understand.”
“What?” I frown.
“That women have to worry about getting murdered by strangers!” Her eyes are wide. “Like, all the time!”
I guess she’s right. Lennox is a small, safe town, but not so small that everyone and their dog knows each other. And, from what I’ve seen, the place has grown a bit since I’ve been away. Maybe it’s not entirely out of the question that dodgy folks could show up here.
“Okay, fine,” I say, resigned. “Sorry. I won’t let anyone murder you, okay? And I’ll be scary if that’s what you need.”
She drops her shoulders, visibly relaxing. “Thank you.”
“I doubt it’ll come to that, though,” I say. “When’s the first person coming?”