Page 36 of Downpour

“Right. You’ll be….”

“At the Griffith Brothers Ranch.” I let out a proud sigh. “This is just what I’ve been waiting for.”

Nick pointed to the calendar I had tacked to the wall. I hadn’t slashed out today since I had been at Ray’s this morning.

“What’s that?”

“What? My calendar? Oh, I’m just counting down the days until I turn twenty-five.”

“Why?”

“Because then I’ll have access to my trust fund, and my life will begin. I think I might go back to college. Maybe I’ll get a dog. I’m definitely getting a new car. Maybe a convertible, so I can drive with the top down. I mark off every day and smile because I’m one day closer to getting out of here.”

“Right,” he said listlessly as his eyes glazed over again. “Don’t forget that you owe us for the trash service. It’s fifty bucks.”

From the looks of the interior of the house, no one had bothered to take the trash bags to the bins outside.

Or put the trash from the floor into the trash bags.

I winced. “I don’t have it on me right now. Can I pay you this weekend? I didn’t know it was my month to cover it. I thought it was Chandler’s.”

Nick stroked his chin. “It’s $115 with the late fee.”

I sighed. “I get paid every Friday now. I’ll have it to you then.”

He shrugged and lumbered back down the stairs. “Your choice.”

I crammed the rest of my things into my bags and waddled out to my car with my hands full and my pillows stuffed under my arms. I could sleep almost anywhere, but I had to have my own pillows.

Well, except last night when I fell asleep on Ray.

Between the panic of rushing out of Ray’s house this morning, to showing up at the office thinking I was getting fired, to getting a better gig and packing my things, I hadn’t given myself time to reconcile what had happened.

I fell asleep on Ray Griffith yesterday. And he didn’t push me away.

Apart from the fact that he was arguably the hottest man I had ever seen and my boss, I felt safe with him.

Maybe I shouldn’t have. He clearly had some anger he needed to work through.

But I did. I felt safe with him.

The ranch was peaceful and quiet. At his house, surrounded by the trees, it felt like we were the only two people on earth.

His arms had felt so safe.

I never slept well with my roommates up at all hours of the night. It had been so long since I’d had a full night of uninterrupted sleep.

I still had a wicked headache. My face looked like I had lost a fight with a mountain lion. But I didn’t think Ray minded.

I felt so stupid for crying in front of him yesterday, but the feel of his hand on my cheek as he wiped away my tears was branded into my memory.

The gates of the ranch were a welcome sight. As I drove along the path to Ray’s house, it was like watching a migration. Horses, trucks, ATVs, and people on foot headed to Claire and Silas’s house.

I waved to everyone I passed as I made my way to Ray’s grove of trees.

The house was quiet and dark, but I could see the glow from the TV as I let myself in.

“Hey,” I said as I pack-muled my things inside.

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