Page 91 of Tapped By My Roommate
“You did good,” Rhett said.
His certainty went a long way to soothing any guilt I felt. Zilla had calmed, and soon she’d be in an enclosure that would meet her needs. She’d get a health checkup, and I’d get time to set up a proper living space for her before I took her home. I knew now that’s what I wanted. I didn’t want to rehome Zilla; I wanted her safe with me.
But I had to get on solid ground with Rhett—and make sure he wanted something real with me—before talking him into taking on another roommate.
24
RHETT
If I did have a hero complex, forces were conspiring to open my eyes. One day after being relegated to the backseat while Ethan confronted Tess and rescued his lizard—all without my help—I realized that if anyone was going to need a rescue in the near future, it was me.
The auto shop called just after I clocked in at Tracks for the evening. I signaled to Simon to cover while I answered my phone. I was anxious for news, but the estimate shocked me.
“Six-hundred-and-what?”
I’d been saving what I could all week—but I wasn’t even halfway to six hundred dollars. After paying my bills, I had very little extra to put into any kind of savings fund. The extra I did have usually went into gas money for driving Audrey and Cary around, or into take-out when I didn’t have the time or energy to cook—or simply couldn’t stomach another package of cheap noodles.
Should have eaten more cheap noodles.
“Six hundred and seventy,” the mechanic repeated. “I know it’s probably not what you want to hear. But replacing the alternator is five hundred all on its own. You’ve also got bad spark plugs and your brake pads are worn. Going to need a replacement later, if not now, and I can’t guarantee that’ll happen before an accident does.”
Fuck. Fuck-fuck-fuck. What was I going to do? There was no way I could afford that many repairs.
“What would it take just to get the car running. Bare minimum?”
“Five-twenty,” he said without missing a beat.
I had three hundred dollars to my name as of today, and my cell phone coming due in a week. Even if I flirted as I’d never flirted before, I couldn’t generate two hundred and fifty bucks in tips before the car insurance—irony of ironies—also came out of my account.
“I’ll have to get back to you.”
“All right, man. Just don’t leave it too long. We’ve got a full schedule.”
He hung up, and I pocketed my phone and tried hard not to react. Of course, I didn’t succeed. Simon sidled over. “You okay?”
“Yeah, just my car.” I grimaced. “I can’t afford to get it fixed.”
“Ah, shit, man. That sucks.”
I nodded.
“Maybe you could get an advance from Hal?”
I shook my head. Even if Hal wanted to advance me the pay, I’d be up shit creek when my next round of bills came due and I’d spent all my money on the car. No, I had to be realistic about this. Hayworth wasn’t that big. I could walk for a few weeks, even a few months if need be. Save up until I could pay for repairs without creating a snowball effect of more problems.
I didn’t relish the thought of walking home at two a.m. five nights a week, though. Or of my inability to finish driving lessons with Audrey or pick Cary up from baseball practice when he needed a ride. Keith had never been much for volunteering to drive them around. “They’ve got legs,” he’d say. “They can walk.”
He’d probably say the same to me if I were to ask him for help now.
He was good with cars though. He might help me just to show off, to rub my nose in how ill-prepared I was to be a real adult, a realman.
The question was: Did I want to subject myself to that just to get my car back a little sooner?
Easily answered when I went out to the parking lot after my shift and got into Ethan’s Mini Cooper. He’d insisted on lending it to me to drive to work the past two days. And he’d probably continue to insist on inconveniencing himself to help me.
Since the lizard rescue, he’d been more assertive with me. We’d barely spent any time together, with our conflicting schedules, but he’d been leaving me leftovers in the fridge to eat. Offering me rides or loaning me his car when he could. He’d even gotten Linh to drive me to school in the morning.
It was humbling. And so sweet of him to show he cared.
