Page 27 of The Incredible Kindness of Paper
“?‘The rent on unit 2C will increase by five hundred dollars per month, effective in two weeks.’?” Panicked, she looked up at Becca. “He can’t do that, can he?”
“We signed a shitty lease. I reread it. Hecanraise rent with fourteen days’ notice, and he did.”
Oh god.Chloe’s hands shook and she had to set the landlord’s letter down. She could barely pay her half of the rent even when she had a job. Walking dogs for Thelma wasn’t going to be enough to supplement, if Chloe was now responsible for an additional $250 every month…
“Why don’t you ask Zac to help?” Becca said. “If I had a rich boyfriend, that’s what I’d do.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Chloe said.
“But he’s rich, right?”
“I thought you didn’t want me getting closer to him.”
“I mean, I’m not saying keep him around forever, but while he is—”
The intercom from the front of the building rang. Chloe frowned. “Are you expecting anyone?”
Becca shook her head.
Chloe pressed the speaker button on the intercom. “Hello?”
“Surprise,” Zac said, his accent immediately announcing who he was without even needing to utter his name. “I brought you something. Can I come up?”
As Chloe buzzed him in, Becca smirked. “Rich guy enters the scene, right on cue.”
Chloe didn’t even bother to respond.
“Hullo,” he said, kissing her as soon as she opened the door.
“Hi… It’s nice to see you, but what are you doing here?”
“I can’t swing by just because?”
“Sure. But it’s not exactly on your way to anywhere. Besides, you usually spend most of the weekend at the office.”
Zac chuckled as he stepped inside. “I’m heading back there soon. But I saw this as I walked by Tiffany’s today, and I thought of you.”
He handed over a robin’s-egg-blue box. Chloe’s jaw dropped.
“Open it.”
Still standing awkwardly by the front door, she lifted the lid. Inside, on a velvet cushion, sat a gold brooch shaped like an origami crane.
Out of the corner of Chloe’s eye, she saw Becca mouthing,Love bomber.
Itwasa hugely expensive gift for someone Chloe had known for a matter of weeks. Or, like, ever.
“Do you like it?” Zac asked.
“It’s beautiful… Really, it is. But, Zac. It’s too much.” Even as she said this, though, she thought about how, if she returned this bauble to Tiffany’s, it would pay for her rent several times over.
“Try it on.” Zac reached into the box, picked up the brooch, and pinned it on the collar of the sunflower-print blouse she’d gotten on super discount at T.J.Maxx, not seeming to care about the contrast of the expensive jewelry and her cheap shirt.
“God, it looks perfect on you,” he said.
“Um, let’s look in the mirror.” Chloe grabbed his hand and pulled him to her bedroom, mostly to get away from Becca’s hovering.
When they were in her room with the door firmly shut, Chloe made sure to admire the brooch in the mirror. But then she took it off and put it back in the Tiffany’s box.
