Page 180 of One Bad Idea
"And you learned all of this, how?"
Cassidy went on to tell me that her favorite barista happened to recognize the address from Cassidy's new driver's license, and then had gone on to mention that her cousin used to live here.
Apparently, this cousin had moved out because the rent was more than she could afford.
I felt myself swallow. It was more thanwecould afford, too. Okay, maybeIcould've afforded it, given the fact that my job paid amazingly well. But even then, it would've been tight.
But that wasn't the thing bothering me now. It was the fact that all this time, Jaden had never mentioned it.
As I listened, Cassidy went on to tell me that she'd made some phone calls to double check. "But trust me," she concluded, "the information's good."
I blew out a long shaky breath. "Wow." And then, trying to process what all of this meant, I walked to the nearest chair and fell back into it. "Shit."
Cassidy claimed the chair opposite me. "Is that good or bad?"
I had no idea.
It was easy to see how all of this had started. Obviously, Jax had been worried about Cassidy and had already realized that she hated to accept help. So he'd sent us out with his own realtor, who'd shown us exactly one place,thisplace, which was owned by the two brothers.
This included the brother I was sleeping with – the brother I loved, the brother who hadn't mentioned a thing.
In reply to Cassidy's question on whether this was good or bad, all I could do was mumble, "I don't know."
She asked, "Should I say something? To Jax, I mean?"
"I don't know," I repeated.
She sighed. "I can't just pretend to not know."
I knew exactly how she felt. Already, I was doing the math. Since moving in, we'd underpaid our rent by thousands of dollars.
And counting.
Yes, I realized that all of this was pocket change to Jax and Jaden, but the arrangement still made me feel funny.
I worked for Jaden. And I lived in his property. Plus, aside from Cassidy, he was the only local person that I ever associated with.
Talk about having all of your eggs in one basket.
From the look on Cassidy's face, I wasn't the only one struggling to figure it out. She sank deeper into the chair. "Oh, my God."
"What?"
Now, she looked ready to be sick. "I'm turning into my mom."
Talk about ludicrous."No, you're not."
"Sure I am," she said. "He pays for everything, even my rent."
"That's not true," I said.
And I meant it with all my heart. Cassidy wasnothinglike her mom. Even the mention of such a thing set my teeth on edge. That woman reallyhaddone a number on her daughter.
But that was an argument for another day. With forced cheer, I said, "I mean, we paysomeof it."
Even as I tried to make Cassidy feel better,Iwas feeling worse. And it wasn't just about the apartment.
It was everything, especially my job.
