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Devon wasn’t sure where it had all come from. During the last two weeks, she had been so frustrated from trying to a find a job and having no one to talk to. Hadley was avoiding her as much as she could, Garrett was mostly absent, and Bre
Garrett pursed his lips. He seemed to be contemplating her scenario before speaking. She didn’t know what he was going to say about it, but it couldn’t be worse than what Hadley would likely say.
“I mean, I hate to say it, but it has only been two weeks,” he looked sympathetic.
“I know,” Devon relented. “I just have to pay you rent soon, and I don’t have the money.” She sheepishly looked down.
“Hey,” he said, his hand landing on her knee, “don’t worry about that. I’m sure we can arrange something.”
Devon didn’t know if she should hear the hidden meaning in that or not, but she chose not to. This was Garrett, and he was madly in love with her best friend. There was no way he was insinuating what she thought he was insinuating. To avoid accidentally spilling her thoughts, she didn’t dare open her mouth.
“I’m sure you’ll find a job soon, and in the meantime, feel free to stay as long as you like. I’ve made do without the rent this long, so I think I can manage otherwise. I trust you to pay it back when you actually do get a job. Don’t stress yourself into the ground over it,” he told her, pulling back his hand.
Devon felt like a shitty person. Was she a completely wrong judge of character? Or was she just so used to people being horrible and taking advantage of any situation that she had assumed someone like Garrett could be like that, too?
“Thanks, Garrett,” Devon said. “I appreciate it, but I’m still going to look for work as hard as I can.”
“I’ll see if I know anyone that’s hiring.”
“That would be really helpful,” she told him, breathing a sigh of relief.
They sat back then and enjoyed the next two episodes of Heroes before Garrett had to get ready for work. Devon wanted to be out of the house before Hadley got back anyway. It had been easier like that lately.
ALMOST ANOTHER WEEK with no luck was sending Devon’s already spiraling depression farther down the rabbit hole. Garrett’s search had come back with grim results. No one was hiring. She couldn’t believe it.
How hard was it to find a job in this town? Seriously, it shouldn’t be this difficult, she thought, crossing the street.
May had disappeared so quickly. How had she already been here a month without finding a job? It felt like it was just yesterday when she had pulled up to Union Station with Dustin’s music blasting in her ears. She was amazed she had made it this long. She had never thought she would be strong enough, but here she was. She was still searching for a job, so she could find a way to stay two more months.
The route Devon normally had taken walked past Je
Devon crossed to the other side of the street, and as she did, she glanced into the windows as she passed Je
In truth, Devon was generally hoping to see someone else. It was silly. Bre
No Hadley. No Bre
Turning the corner, Devon immediately jumped out of the way as someone came barreling directly toward her. She got off a few choice words for the person as he passed her. People in Chicago are so rude! People just didn’t act like that in Nashville.
When the person abruptly skidded to a stop, Devon retreated a few steps. She hadn’t thought her cussing at the person would cause him to stop. She didn’t want to draw attention to herself. She certainly didn’t want to set off some street thug, or worse, tilt the emotional imbalance of some crazed serial killer.
When the person turned around, Devon’s fear dried up. It was immediately replaced with what she could only describe as an oh-fuck face.
“Devon?” Bre
Breathing heavily from his run with a sheen of sweat on his forehead, he looked astonished by her presence. She couldn’t blame him.
“Uh…hey, Bre
“What are you doing here?” he asked, ignoring her statement.
“I, uh…didn’t leave,” she murmured softly.
“What?” he asked, looking confused. “You were supposed to be gone like three weeks ago. Why would you stay?”
She had clearly shocked him enough for him to speak plainly. Normally, she thought he was so reserved, but his face was giving him away as clear as day. He hadn’t wanted her to leave, and now, he was glad to see her. Could she possibly be reading him correctly?
“I decided to stay and…help Hadley,” she told him. It was the truth…mostly.
Bre
Devon shrugged. Well, that looked seriously implicating. It wasn’t that she had told Hadley not to tell Bre
“I haven’t been succeeding…” she said. That much was also true.
“So, she’s avoiding you like the plague because she wants to keep using,” he said intuitively. “I’ve seen that before. You’re going to have to try harder.” He paused, glancing down and then up, like he wasn’t sure what to say. “Maybe you should swing by Je
“Oh,” she whispered, looking away from him. Why did he insist on complicating things?
“To see Hadley,” he added.
“Maybe,” she said. “I’m kind of busy looking for a job, so I don’t know when I’ll have a lot of time.”
“You’re looking for a job? You’re staying?” he asked.
She clearly continued to shock him every time she opened her mouth.
“Oh, yeah, I’m staying through the summer.”
She could see the question on his face. He wasn’t on guard like he normally was. He seemed to want to know why she hadn’t come to see him since their last encounter. Still, he should know why. She had given him reason enough when she had broken the kiss in his apartment.
Instead, he said, “Come with me.” Then, he turned on his heel and walked away from her.
Devon stared after his retreating back. What the fuck is he thinking? But he wasn’t waiting for her, and she had to jog to keep up with him. She didn’t even know why she was following him. She knew it wasn’t a good idea to be around him. That had become blatantly obvious after he had kissed her.