Page 138 of Boom
But hey, I'd play along if it would take the edge off. I asked, "So, where'd you get the money?"
"That's none of your business," she said. "But trust me, I've got it."
It didn't sound like a bluff. And now I took a moment to think.Had she come into a decent chunk of money?It seemed unlikely, but hey, stranger things had happened. When I returned home, I'd get to the bottom of it. Until then, we were just spinning our wheels.
I said, "We'll talk when I get back, alright?"
"And when will that be?"
"A week, maybe sooner."
"Terrific." She sighed. "And when you get here, whereexactlywill you be staying?"
"At the crew house. Where else?"
"But don't you have your own condo?"
"Yeah, so?"
"So why don't you stay there instead?"
If I wanted to be a dick about it – which I didn't – I might've told her that Iownedthe crew house, which meant that I could stay there any time I wanted.
But this was Arden, and she meant something to me. And hey, if the situation were reversed – ifshe'dtaken off with no warning – I'd be pissed, too.
With an effort, I softened my tone. "Becauseyou'renot at the condo."
"That's right," she said. "And I never was. Why is that?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean," she said, "why is it that I never – not even once – saw the place that you call home?"
It was a good question, one I should've been asking myself. The truth was, the condo didn'tfeellike home.It never had.
But the crew house, it felt different, almost like a real home, even if I'd been living out of a duffle.
Giving it some thought, I suddenly realizedwhyit felt different.It was because of Arden.She made the crew house – as unimpressive as it was – feel like something I'd never had.
Come to think of it, it was the same way with the house we were fixing up. Andthatplace wasn't even livable.
Holy shit.
Home was whereshewas.
It was the only thing that made sense.
The realization was a kick to the gut, and I wasn't ready for it.
I got another nice kick when Arden informed me that if I was planning to return to the crew house, she'd be finding a different place to stay.
This wasn't what I wanted to hear.
Still, I tried to keep my cool. "Listen, I don't want you to go."
With a humorless laugh, she said, "Oh, I just bet."
The more she talked, the less I liked what she was saying. ButIwas the one who'd messed up, and I didn't want to make it worse.
