Page 105 of Off Limits

“Hey,” I said, poking my head into the room. “You wanted to see me?”

“Come in.” He waved me inside.

“Am I in trouble?” I asked, closing the door behind me.

“Did you do something that would warrant you being in trouble?” He asked pointedly.

“Nope. Nothing at all.” I gave him my most innocent smile.

He chuckled and waved to the chair in front of his giant wooden desk. “Have a seat. I thought we could have a quick chat while it’s dead.”

I settled in the chair. “Yeah, okay.”

He leaned back in his chair, his expression serious. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. Fine,” I lied. “Why?”

“Because you don’t seem like everything is fine.” He smiled in that older brother way that always put me at ease. “It’s been months since you came to the shop to chat. That either means things are great, or they’re not. I’m worried they’re not.”

I winced. Of course he noticed I stopped coming by.

Dev might be my boss, but he was also my friend.

He was actually the one who hired me, and I’d spent two and a half years working with him as his apprentice. We’d grown close over that time, and he’d become sort of like a big brother to me and not just a boss or mentor.

Dev was one of the few people I felt comfortable talking about personal things with, and he was the only one who knew the extent of my money issues.

He also knew I lived alone and didn’t really have anyone outside the shop, and he’d told me to come by if I was struggling and needed some company. He’d never once turned me away in all the times I’d taken him up on that offer. Which I’d done a lot over the years.

Sometimes we talked, but other times I organize files or did other mundane office tasks while he worked because I was lonely but didn’t have anything specific I needed to hash out or get advice on.

I hadn’t stopped by once since I found that eviction letter taped to my door.

“Things were really bad for a while, but they’re not as bad now,” I started, not sure how I could even begin to explain everything that had happened in the last few months.

“Not as bad, but not good?” he asked gently.

I shook my head.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“It’ll take a while if I do. Are you sure you don’t need me on the floor?”

“You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to, but they’ll be fine out there without you for as long as it takes.”

“Okay, if you’re sure.”

“I’m sure.” He pushed a little dish of soft butterscotch candies toward me. He always kept some sort of sweets on his desk, and those were my favorites.

I took one and unwrapped it, then popped it in my mouth, grateful for the chance to organize my thoughts while I chewed.

“Okay, buckle up, because here it goes,” I said when the candy was done.

Dev listened while I told him about being evicted and how I’d ended up having to ask Dex if I could stay with him when I couldn’t find a new place.

“Are you still staying with him?” he asked when that part of the story was over.

“Yeah.” I ran my finger over a wrinkle in the leg of my coveralls distractedly.

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