Page 24 of Beat around the Bush
I wasn’t sure what was going on in Oakley’s life, but I was now determined to find out.
11
Oakley
My eyes squeezed shut as the water sprayed my face, doing little to wash away my headache. I’d been buzzed enough to lose my filter, but not enough to forget about last night. Images of Lennon with his hat backwards at the bar, taking his jacket off for me outside, and him standing in my living room flashed through my mind.
Lennon had been in my house.
Panic seized me as I practically punched the knob to turn the shower off, then grabbed a towel and burst out of my room. I took in the empty space, finally taking a breath. Thank God he hadn’t spent the night.
My eyes caught on something sitting on my kitchen counter as I went to go back into my room, making me pause.Holding the towel closed around me, I walked over to the items, seeing there was a sticky note and cash laying there.
I read what he’d scribbled down, then rubbed my eyes, reading again:
For the heater and breakfast. Keep the coat. - L
“Keep the coat?” I said out loud. Was he mad at me? This was why I hated texting, you could never tell someone’s tone of voice. I now learned that I hated notes, too.
Not bothering to count the cash, I pocketed the wad of bills. There was no way I’d be accepting his money. I’d give it back to him today, even though I wasn’t scheduled to work. That didn’t mean I couldn’t go to the store and give it to him.
Maybe I could bring him a coffee, too. To thank him for driving me home last night. Of course, it’d be coming out of the money he gave me, but it wasn’t essentially wrong, given it was his money, his coffee. I was just the errand runner at that point.
Heading for the thermostat, my finger punched the “off” button. The heater was nice after a cold night, but now I’d have to figure out how to pay the gas bill and be able to afford groceries, chains for my car, and most likely a new set of tires.
I couldn’t be mad at him for turning the heater on. He probably felt guilty leaving me in a house that was almost the same freezing temperature as outside, and it wasn’t his fault he didn’t know the extent of my money situation right now.
This was only temporary. I’d be back up on my feet in no time.
No guy had ever been so sweet as to drive me home from the bar, walk me inside, and make sure I got into bed. I didn’t remember anything past the couch, so he had to have carried me to the bed, unless I sleep-walked and tucked myself in on my own, which was extremely unlikely. I slept like the dead.
Speaking of him driving me home…
If my car wasn’t here, I had no way of going to get it. I ran to the front window, looking out to see if my car was there.
I found it sitting in my driveway.
Did he bring it home for me?
He must’ve taken my keys and had one of his brothers help him drop it off. But why would he do that?
Ignoring his offer on the note to buy myself breakfast with the money, I opened the upper cabinet to pull out yet another cheap cup of ramen. I’d lost track of how many I’d consumed at this rate. I was surprised my body wasn’t shutting down from the amount of sodium in these things.
Filling a pot with water, I set it on the tiny two-burner stove and turned the heat to high. They tasted a little bit better if I used the stove instead of the microwave. Or at least that’s what I told myself.
While I waited for it to boil, my eyes scanned the note Lennon had left on my counter. My mind drifted back to him writing notes during our interview, wondering if whatever he’d scribbled down was positive or some time frame of how long he’d give me a shot for until he decided to fire me.
My phone rang from where I must have left it last night on the small table next to the couch. Walking over, I picked it up, seeing my mom was calling.
At least it wasn’t my dad again.
To my surprise, he’d stopped calling after I’d asked him to. He was worried about me, but he was going about it the wrong way. My mom wasn’t as overbearing as my dad, so I answered the call, setting the phone on speaker. I’d assure her I was fine, then bring Lennon his money back. Then I could come home, crawl under the blankets to ward off the already-cooling house, and nap all day.
“Hey, Mom,” I answered.
“Oakley, your father told me you left home.” Okay, maybe shewasgoing to be as overbearing as my dad.
Setting the phone on the kitchen counter, I braced my hands against the cool ledge. “I couldn’t stay in Denver.”
