Page 12 of The Fallacy of True Love
If only Eric had the courage to admit his feelings to Nikki.
While waiting for them to return, I snuck in a look at my freelancing app. Some of the projects I’d bid for were still pending; the others were declined. The common denominator for not being picked? Pricing.
Pricing low would give me a better shot at landing clients, but I couldn’t stomach putting in that much time and effort into a project and barely earning enough to cover my expenses. Sometimes I wondered if pride would get the best of me, but I knew what my work was worth—and it was more than these bargain rates.
Holding my breath, I took a peek at my bank account. The payment from my last client still hadn’t cleared, and my balance was teetering way too close to red alert territory.
Shit. I needed new projects ASAP.
“No.”
My head snapped up at Nikki’s voice, and I shoved my phone in my pocket.
“I know that face. We said no looking at work,” she chided me.
“Who says I was looking at work? Maybe I was looking for a date.”
Nikki huffed as she sat beside me on the sofa. “You, look for a date?”
Chuckling, Eric handed me a beer and plopped on the chair opposite Nikki.
“Fine. A hookup then.” I had no problem admitting the truth. “Also, it’s funny you should say it like that when you haven’t dated in years.”
“I’m busy with Jo and the café,” Nikki repeated, giving me the same answer she had the first time I asked her.
“If you wanted to, you would,” I said. “You know I’m ready to babysit. Just say the word.”
Shaking her head, she took a swill of her beer. Meanwhile, Eric was avoiding my gaze, as though that would save him from my attention.
“I can dog sit too, by the way. Or even do both at the same time.” I stopped short of adding so you two can just go date each other. Even I had some semblance of subtlety, though I couldn’t promise how much longer I’d be able to hold back from meddling in my friends’ affairs.
Eric pressed his lips together, his eyes warning me off the topic. For someone who spoke at conferences and dealt with businessmen for a living, the guy was a total wuss when it came to relationship talk. “Good to know,” he said. “So what were you frowning about earlier?”
A deflection, as usual. I went with it because it was Christmas and I needed to get things off my chest. “I applied for a bunch of projects, but nothing.” I ended my announcement with a long pull of my beer.
“Aww, Cam,” Nikki said. “Maybe people are on vacation. It is Christmas.”
“Two of the gigs I bid for went to someone else.”
Eric winced. “I’m sorry.”
At least I still had two recurring clients. They’d been my staples for over a year now, keeping me afloat through the leaner times. But those contracts had fixed rates and wouldn’t be enough to sustain me, especially with inflation.
Why was living so freaking expensive?
“Do you need cash?” Eric said. “I can?—”
I shook my head. “I’m okay for now, but thanks. I’m just worried because Inang’s stressing over the bills and I think something else might be wrong.” She was seventy-three, so she could have a health issue. Like me, she had no family. No one to depend on but me and her friends.
“She still hasn’t found another renter?” Nikki asked.
“Nope.” Most locals already had their own homes, while tourists preferred to stay at the boutique hotels or popular hostels. “I need more clients.”
“What about a full-time job?” Eric suggested. “Are you open to that?”
I’d considered that multiple times and ended up rejecting it for the flexibility of freelancing. Now, though… “I am, if I can continue to work from here.”
“I’d hire you as our tech person if we had the budget,” Eric said.
