Page 4 of Tapped By My Roommate
I laughed. “Maybe.”
Keri wiped the tears forming at the corners of her eyes from laughing so hard. I waved my wad of cash. “You can laugh at me all the way to the bank.”
She shook her head. “I’m not really laughing at you. It’s just…all those women.” She snorted. “They fall for that when you’re not even—”
She stopped abruptly.
“What?”
“Not…looking for a date,” she said carefully.
I raised an eyebrow. I didn’t announce my sexuality, but I didn’t hide it. Clearly, Keri had seen it. I suspected Simon, our other bartender, had noticed as well.
Keri looked flustered as she returned to mopping, turning her eyes to the floor.
“It’s fine, Keri. You’re right.”
When she glanced up warily, I said, “I don’t date.”
Her lips twitched. I could see she was dying to ask me, but I didn’t indulge her curiosity. I closed out the register and took the cash and receipts to the owner’s office. Old Hal would check it first thing in the morning. If it was off by more than a few bucks, we’d all get a tongue lashing, but that hadn’t happened more than once since I’d started working at Tracks last summer.
Before then, I’d worked as a waiter, so I wasn’t new to working for tips. But I preferred bartending. At least the kitchen couldn’t fuck it up for me. I had to flirt more, but I also had to spend less time making small talk. I’d take bartending any day.
My phone buzzed in my back pocket. It was near two a.m., so I wasn’t sure who’d be texting. When I checked, I was surprised to see Cary’s name on the screen.
Hey bro, I need to borrow some money. Can you help me out?
What are you doing up? It’s a school night.
Gee, Dad, I was studying. Promise!
The smartass.
I hit the call button as I walked out of the bar and headed for my old Honda in the parking lot. It wasn’t much to look at, but it got me from Point A to Point B reliably. Which was good, because paying a mechanic for repairs wasn’t at the top of my budget priorities. Hell, it wasn’t in the budget at all. I scraped by only with the help of a roommate to split the bills.
“Being a little asshole isn’t gonna get you a loan,” I said as soon as he picked up.
Cary knew I was all bark and no bite. He laughed. “Oops, my bad.”
“What’s going on?”
“They got these pay-to-play fees at school for athletics. Mom says she can’t do it before the deadline.”
“What about Keith?” Our mom’s boyfriend had a steady job, but I also knew he was often stingy with his money. He was oddly insistent about keeping their money separate, none of thatwhat’s mine is yourscrap for good old Keith, though he was more than happy to sleep under Mom’s roof and eat her food. I’d never understand their relationship. She said he made her happy, though.
“You know Keith. He says I should get a job and pay for it. But I can’t make enough money in time!” A thread of anxiety wove into his voice. “And if I do get a job, I won’t have time to play baseball and keep up with school.”
Jesus, just the idea of my baby brother taking a job made me feel old. And he was right, most jobs would interfere with a sports schedule.
“Okay, so how much are these fees, and will you need any other equipment?”
I unlocked the Honda and got in while my brother listed off what he needed. The fees alone approached one hundred bucks—and that was before adding in the new pair of cleats he’d need. Damn. I’d have to flirt my ass off for tips to come up with a spare three hundred dollars.
“Okay, I’ll cover you.”
“Really?” My brother sounded so fucking relieved it made my heart ache.
Cary had loved baseball ever since he was a kid. He’d done a lot of rec teams growing up, but as money became tighter, his opportunities grew slimmer. Mom couldn’t afford to put him on teams that required travel expenses. He’d been waiting for his chance to play in high school—and now this? Keith was an asshole for shortchanging him and Audrey. I knew they weren’t his kids, but damn.
