Page 16 of The Reality of Us
What is wrong with my voice?
He cleared his throat and picked up his pen. “Right. Shall we dive right in? I’ve got your bank statements and contracts, but there’s no lease or mortgage or title deed. Where were you living?”
A hint of colour appeared on Alice’s cheeks as her spine straightened before she hurriedly explained that they’d been living rent-free in one of her parents’ apartments.
They spent the next thirty minutes working through her financial and employment situation in greater detail. Everything was tied up together—bank accounts, promotional contracts they’d now defaulted on or had been cancelled, a loan for a car Phoenix had written off six months ago. He was thumbing through one of her contracts when she cursed quietly and tossed her phone into the handbag on her lap.
“Everything okay?” he asked. This time it wasn’t the blueness of her eyes that took him by surprise. It was how glassy they were. All of Alice’s bravado was gone.
“I need to find somewhere to live. There was a place on Peach Street I was going to inspect this morning, but that didn’t happen and now it’s gone.”
Guilt made Owen shift in his seat. That must have been where she was going when he saw her with her manager. Inadvertently his gaze drifted to the apartment over their heads. Teddy’s warning rang in his ears.
“The real estate lady said rentals can be hard to come by.” Alice buried her face in her phone, one neon green fingernail scrolling so quickly he knew she needed a second to herself.
Sod Teddy’s opinion.
“I might have a solution for you,” Owen said.
“The access is at the back.”
Alice watched Owen pull a set of keys from his pocket. When he opened the heavy door at the back of his storeroom, sunlight spilt through, and she recognised his white Jeep. There was also an old grey hatchback and a battered silver ute with a missing side mirror.
He poked his head out before ushering her up the single set of stairs with chipped white railings. A gentle breeze ruffled Alice’s hair, and she tucked it behind her ears. The jasmine flowers growing along the fence gave off a rich, sweet smell.
Owen knocked twice before inserting the key into the lock. “Ted? You home?”
When there was no reply, he opened the door. The sound of running water and muffled heavy metal emanated from somewhere in the apartment. Alice focused on her breathing, trying to calm the nerves twisting around the base of her spine. A roommate wasn’t ideal, but sharing the cost of a place would help her conserve her money for as long as possible.
Please be okay. Please be nice.
Her sneakers squeaked on the linoleum floor, her grip tightening around her cross-body bag.
The apartment was cosy, with large arch-shaped windows on either side of the front balcony. A navy and white striped hammock stretched from one end to the other. The interior was neat and mostly clean, with a few takeaway pizza boxes stacked next to the bin. Dark green subway tiles, probably from the first time they were fashionable, made up the splashback and matched the pale green paint. The oven looked like it was from the last century and the range hood over the cooktop had seen better days. A new-ish-looking fridge had been placed at the end of the counter. Two magnetic bulldog clips held a roster and footy fixture.
Owen scratched the back of his neck, then turned to face her. “It’s not much, but everything works. Teddy will be at uni or work most of the time.”
Alice spun in a slow circle. It was kitschy, kind of cute. Most importantly, it was cheap, and Owen had said she could pay the bond and the first two months when the rest of her money cleared.
She put her handbag on the small wooden table with four dining chairs that sat on top of a braided grey rug. Instead of a couch, there was a denim-covered futon with sports-themed cushions. A flat-screen TV was mounted on the opposite wall, and the entertainment unit was covered in gaming consoles. The three empty beer bottles next to the Xbox made her pause.
“Spare room’s this way,” Owen said, leading her down the hall past another arched window.
She looked around his shoulder, pleasantly surprised by the size of the room. A queen bed would fit, but a double would be better. It was empty except for a mattress propped against the far wall and an old wooden wardrobe. The doors had mirrors attached, reflecting the light streaming through the big window. The curtains matched the beige-coloured carpet; vacuum cleaner tracks were still visible in it.
It was nothing like her old apartment.
Which was perfect, really.
And with a few small touches like an ivy plant in a cute pot on the window and maybe some new curtains, if she could be bothered, it’d be nice and homey. She’d set up her ring lights, camera gear and computer in the far corner. Storing her clothes would be a challenge, but that wasn’t a new problem. It was time for another wardrobe cull, anyway, and she could donate the profits to the children’s hospital again.
Alice walked to the window. The blue water of the Wattle Junction community pool peeked out from behind the small hall. She was only a few blocks away from her room at the pub, but everything seemed different from here. Quieter. Nicer.
The mountains she’d run through this morning glowed in the afternoon sunshine. Now everyone knew where she was, she couldn’t wait to use them in promo shoots. And there’d be a lot of those in her future now she had to support herself. It wasn’t like she had any other marketable skills. If she could convince brands to give her another chance. She promised herself this time it would be different, though; she’d only work with companies she really trusted. It still stung that everyone had dropped her.
Alice looked over her shoulder when Owen spoke. “I’ll go make sure Teddy knows we’re here.”
She slid down the wall until her fingers were twisted in the soft carpet and looked at the blank canvas in front of her.
