Page 9 of Off Limits

Zander was one of my closest friends, and I trusted him more than almost anyone on the planet, but I hadn’t been completely honest when I asked if I could keep my books at his place for a while.

I said it was because my landlord was doing some repairs to my apartment, and I was worried something would happen to them. He was a reader like me, so I wasn’t surprised when he readily agreed.

The part I hadn’t told him was that those repairs were happening after I was evicted in four days, and my books weren’t the only things that needed a place to stay.

“Are you sure everything is okay?” Luka, our coworker and Zander’s boyfriend, asked from where he leaned against the door frame.

“Yeah, peachy.” I shot him a lazy smile.

“You know you can tell us if something is going on,” Zander said quietly.

“I know,” I said around the lump that felt like it had made a permanent home in my throat this past week. “But everything is fine. I just want to make sure my books don’t get messed up.”

I hadn’t told anyone at work about my housing situation. Jesse lived alone and didn’t have a spare room. I knew he’d happily offer me his couch if he knew I was on the verge of being homeless, but I didn’t want to intrude on his life or make things weird for his boyfriend by always being around.

I had no doubt Isaac and Jamie would offer to put me up too, but they were still in the honeymoon phase of their relationship, and I wasn’t sure any of us would survive if I was constantly surrounded by their endless energy and love of pranks and bets. They were the epitome of what people meant when they said someone had golden retriever energy, while I was an introvert with a low tolerance for social situations and recluse tendencies.

Zander had his own house and a spare room, but he and Luka were together now, and after accidentally overhearing several rather graphic conversations they’d had about their sex life, it was better for everyone if only my books crashed with him.

I had nothing against their brand of sexy times. I just didn’t think accidentally getting an eyeful of my coworkers while they were getting it on was something any of us wanted.

Devon and Nate, our bosses and the brothers who owned the shop, also weren’t a possibility. Devon lived in a one-bedroom, and Nate had twin five-year-olds and an older daughter at home. I also didn’t like the idea of putting them on the spot by asking. They might be my friends, and they’d really stepped up and been there for me over the past three years, but that didn’t mean it was appropriate for me to stay with them and blur the lines of our friendships.

I had one ace up my sleeve, but I’d been holding out until the last possible second in hopes that I’d be able to find a room to sublet or even a bed to crash on in some shared accommodations until I found something more permanent.

With four days left on my deadline and no leads in sight, I was going to have to contact my dad later tonight and see if I could stay with him until I found a place.

That was a conversation I wasn’t looking forward to.

My dad and I weren’t close, and we hadn’t been for years. Things hadn’t been bad when I was a kid, but we drifted apart as I grew up. We were very different people, and instead of trying to find some common ground, he’d washed his hands of me shortly after he met and married my stepmother and decided to play dad to her four kids.

I hadn’t asked him for anything since I turned eighteen. Hopefully he remembered that when I talked to him later.

Luka and Zander exchanged a look. I didn’t like lying to them, especially not to Zander, but I couldn’t tell them the truth.

For one, it was embarrassing as hell to be in this position when I had a good job, but more than that, it made me feel like a failure.

I’d been on my own since I was eighteen, and I’d managed to keep my head above water until now. I hated that after everything I’d been through, all the sacrifices and stress of trying to make it in the world with zero help from my well-off parents, and it was all falling down around me now when things were supposed to be easier.

“Is the rest of your stuff going to be okay?” Luka asked, changing the subject. “While they’re renovating or whatever?”

“It should be,” I said evasively.

Most of what I owned was crap anyway. And my landlord was getting a surprise when he checked my apartment to find all of itminus my clothes, the few personal effects I had, and my books still in there.

If they were going to kick my ass out on the street, then they could deal with hauling away my shit and paying the dump fees.

“Feel free to read any of them,” I said, noticing that Zander was checking out the spines and titles.

He looked up, a sheepish smile on his handsome face. “You don’t mind?”

“Of course not, that’s what books are for.” I glanced at Luka. “Are you a reader?”

He smiled at Zander, who was reading the book spines again. “I wasn’t, but I’m starting to get more into it.”

“You’re welcome to read them too if you see anything you like.”

“Holy shit,” Zander exclaimed, pulling a leather-bound volume from the box. “Is this a first edition?” he asked, flipping it open to check the copyright page.

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