Page 5 of Daddy's Pretty Baby

CHAPTER THREE

Melissa

“Um yeah, this is all my stuff,” I said as nicely I could manage. Goodwill had come and hauled away my furniture, and now I had nothing but a suitcase and a purse on my shoulder. It hadn’t been hard to say goodbye to my things because honestly, I’d bought most of it from Goodwill to begin with, so the cycle was merely continuing.

“Are you sure?” asked Catherine, eyeing me suspiciously. “How did you find a place so fast? God, the apartments I’ve seen have all been shit,” she muttered, narrow jaw locking.

I shrugged.

“Guess I just got lucky,” I said, reaching for the doorknob. “Take care of yourself okay? Oh, and I almost forgot. Here’s last month’s rent that I owe you, plus a little extra for the groceries that I ate. Thanks so much Catherine, I really appreciate your help when I was in a tight spot,” I said sincerely, pressing the money into her hand.

She took the cash, fingers closing numbly around the bills.

“But where did you find your new apartment?” she asked again, plaintive this time. “I swear, I went and saw twenty places yesterday and they were all snapped up by the time I got home. How in the world did you find something?”

I sighed. Man, this woman was insulting without even trying. It was like I was the bottom of the barrel, any landlord would be crazy to rent to me.

“I found a housesitting gig in New Jersey,” I explained slowly. “It’s for a rich guy who travels a lot, so he needs someone to keep an eye on things for the next three months. It’s awesome,” I added with a small smirk, unable to help myself. “There’s a pool, Jacuzzi, and sauna, it’s like living at a hotel.”

A gleam of desperation entered Catherine’s eye then.

“Well if it’s so big, could I come with you then?” she wheedled. “I don’t have anywhere to go, and besides, you said the owner’s never there, so no one would know. You owe me, Melissa,” she added petulantly, crossing her arms across her chest. “You’re the one who got us kicked out.”

I sighed again, shaking my head.

“No Catherine, I didn’t get us kicked out, we got evicted because the owner’s son wants to move in, which is totally legit under NYC rental law. That has nothing to do with me personally, or you personally, we just hit a bump in the road that knocked us loose. So I don’t owe you anything.”

But Catherine has never heard of catching bees with honey. Instead, she became even more aggressive, like a pit bull.

“You owe me,” she reiterated through gritted teeth, bottom lip jutting out angrily. “You’re such a bitch Melissa. How many times did I save your ass, covering your half of the rent when you didn’t have the money, letting you stay here because you were so down and out? You’re such an ungrateful little ho.”

And I shook my head. The blonde was only making her case worse. Why would I bring her with me to Jersey now? Why would I tow along someone who was nasty to the core, with a bad personality and an even worse attitude? Obviously, there was no way someone like Catherine could fit in anywhere, unless it was with a nest of vipers.

“No, I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “Thank you for helping when I was down, I totally appreciate it, and I’ve paid you back,” I said pointedly. “But I can’t just bring a friend, that’s not how rental contracts work. So thanks again, and take care of yourself, okay?” I said before starting down the stairs.

But Catherine trailed me outside onto the landing, bending over the railing angrily, giving me the stink eye. And holy shit, but I heard a huge “raawrfff” and a warm loogie plummeted out of the sky, narrowly missing my head and landing with a loud plop on the stairwell.

“Take that!” she screamed. “You deserve it, asshole!”

I shook my head and rushed down the stairs as fast as I could. Holy cow, this girl was unhinged, how in the world had we ever been friends? She’d just tried to spit in my hair! How had I even managed to put up with Catherine for the past six months? It was crazy how people change when they’re desperate and angry.

So with immense relief, I threw myself into the black car at the curb, Humphrey at the wheel again.

“Miss Melissa!” he said jovially. “So glad to see you again, I understand you’re joining us at Valley Pine?”

I nodded, still a little shaken from the nasty encounter.

“Yeah, I’m really lucky,” I said, my voice unsteady. “I didn’t have any place to go, so this was kind of my only option,” I confessed. “I’m sure there were many applicants, it’s such an amazing house.”

And Humphrey nodded.

“There were a lot of applicants, but as soon as I saw your shoes last time, I knew you’d get it,” the old man winked. “You’re perfect for the job.”

I was confused. I’d worn Mary Janes yesterday, and there was nothing special about them. If anything, they were really unfashionable, an unhip throwback to childhood. But I couldn’t expect an old man to be up with current trends, Humphrey had to be at least seventy. So I nodded, leaning back onto the seat, trying to unwind during the drive into Central Jersey.

And when we got there, just like last time, Angela greeted me at the door.

“Hi Melissa,” she said warmly. “Welcome to your new home.”

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