Page 8 of End Game

“We did.” Nico nods, that captivating smile still on his face. He really needs to stop looking at me like that. I might start believing he cares or something. “We’d like to make you an offer.”

“Okay.” I draw the word out slowly, my gaze going to the other two, who both have unreadable expressions on their faces. Which is totally disconcerting. “What’s the offer?”

“Nine hundred a month for the room, plus three meals a week,” he says.

“Dinners,” Dollar adds.

I do quick calculations in my head. That’s close enough to the previous rent I was going to pay, and for one hundred dollars more, I get my own room, which is even better. Making three dinners a week for three giant starving men is a daunting task, but I’m pretty sure I can make this work.

“With a five-hundred-dollar deposit to put down before you move in. Plus the first month’s rent,” Cooper adds. “As a sign of good faith.”

Ouch. I hate to just hand over five hundred bucks for it to sit there and do nothing but pad their bank accounts, but I get it. I’m a stranger to them, and for all they know, I could be a complete nightmare.

I’m not. Well, I don’t think I am. I’m not that outwardly social, and I prefer keeping to myself.

“Is that a problem?” Nico asks when I still haven’t responded.

My gaze locks with his, and I fall into it for a moment, mentally reminding myself I need to withstand his natural charm if I want to make rational decisions about my future.

I need this room. I can’t worry if I can make it work financially or not. I’ll figure something out.

“I can do that,” I say without hesitation, not wanting them to think I’m unsure. “I’ll take it.”

“Can you grocery shop for us too?” Dollar asks hopefully.

“Maybe.” I have no idea how my schedule is going to be once I add a job to it. “I’m going to find a job as soon as possible, so I’m sure I’ll be busy.”

“Too busy to cook us dinners?” The devastation on Dollar’s face is obvious.

“No, not at all. If I’m agreeing to that, then I’ll do it.” This boy must be fixated on his appetite at all times. “Are we good then? Is the room mine?”

“What about the bathroom situation?” Cooper rubs his chin, contemplating me. “You sure you want to share a bathroom with me and Dollar Bills?”

No. I’m not sure about it at all. In fact, I’m fairly certain it’s going to be a disgusting experience and I’ll be scrubbing the bathroom at least three times a week. Maybe more. But I’ll do what I have to do to ensure I have somewhere to live. “I can—”

Nico’s deep voice interrupts my answer. “She can share my bathroom.”

Dollar appears surprised. Cooper covers his mouth with his fist and coughs into it. Did he utter something into that cough?

If he did, I couldn’t quite understand what he said.

“You don’t mind?” I ask, chewing on my lower lip. This means I have to go into his bedroom—his personal space—to use the bathroom, and that’s kind of ... weird.

Right?

“I won’t be home much, anyway. I get up extra early for practice and sometimes don’t come home at all. I don’t think we’ll get in each other’s way,” he says.

Why doesn’t he come home at all? Maybe he’s staying the night with his girlfriend?

Oh God. I didn’t even think of that. Do these guys have girlfriends? And if they do, will those girlfriends have a problem with me living with them? If one of them was my boyfriend, I don’t think I’d love it if they were living with a woman they didn’t know.

“Are any of you ... steadily dating anyone at the moment?” I ask tentatively.

They all share a look once more, just before they erupt into sharp laughter.

I stand there watching them, hoping I’m not the butt of the joke.

“No,” Cooper is the first to say. “I prefer to remain single. Dollar can’t get a steady girl to save his life, and Nico doesn’t believe in monogamy.”

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