Page 3 of Catastrophe Magnet

Belle’s eyes light up. “Ohhh, juicy.” She makes grabby hands at Meg, who hands over the file. Belle skims it. “Ah yeah, I remember this one. Little ol’ Neil had a bit of an episode.”

Meg snorts. “If that’s what you want to call it.”

Belle picks up Neil’s mug shot, and a salacious grin curves her blood-red stained lips. “He’s cute though, right?” She turns the picture for Meg and me to see.

I’m relieved I’m not the only one who thinks so. When Belle’s eyes meet mine, I nod and match her smile. “Totally bangable.”

Meg snatches the photo out of Belle’s hand and drops it back into the folder. “Could you at least try to keep it professional?” she snaps.

“We’re betting on whom the dean boned to set Neil off, but you think calling him cute is the unprofessional part of this conversation? Sometimes I wonder about your moral compass,” Belle says, eyeing Meg.

“I’m not trying to get in his pants,” Meg retorts, glaring at Belle.

Meg and Belle are the oldest at thirty and twenty-eight respectively. They bicker like an old married couple about absolutely everything. Especially when it comes to me. If Meg had her way, I’d be celibate and living in a convent, whereas Belle is more liberal in her views. Sometimes I think she says things just to get under Meg’s skin, but then I’ve seen the men Belle dates.

They’re still going back and forth when I move to get up and Meg drops a hand to my knee. “Hey, where are you going?”

“Somewhere quieter, I need to figure out where I should start my search for Neil.”

“You want any help?” she asks.

I shake my head. “I want to do this on my own. I’m just as capable of tracking down a skipper as any of you are, and I want to prove it.”

“That’a girl,” Belle says, pulling me into a bone-crushing hug. “Let me know if you need an update on his credit card activity. And put me down for fifty on the girlfriendandthe mom.”

I shudder as I pull out of her hold. “Eww. That’s nasty!”

She shrugs. “It had to be something big for a calm dude like Neil to lose his shit so epically. So, I’m going with both.”

Ariel and Snow trot in through the breakroom doorway on the tail end of Belle’s explanation. They bust out in matching grins, and Ariel asks, “What are we betting on?”

ChapterTwo

“Thanks, man,”I say, slipping the head delivery guy a fifty before closing the door behind him.

Alone in my brand-new apartment and beyond exhausted after helping the movers, I flop down on the couch and stare out the floor-to-ceiling windows. It’s not quite five and the sun is sitting heavy on the horizon, coating the park across the street in a brilliant orange and pink glow.

It’s Friday afternoon, and I’ve got all weekend to settle in and unpack my shit before starting at the Shiloh Springs Community Center on Monday. I lay my head back and it sinks into the plush cushion as I close my eyes. I’ll just have a little power nap, then I’ll unload a few boxes.

When I peel my eyes open, it’s pitch-black outside. I groan and rub my eyes. There’s just enough moonlight streaming in that I can make out where I’m going without tripping. I dig my cell from my pocket and turn on the flashlight so I can find the light switches, then I flip them on and survey my new digs.

It doesn’t feel very homey yet, but it’ll get there. I figure I should do my bedroom first, so I head in there and grab the first box I come across. Time seems to slip through my fingers as I move from one to the next, and then I’m making my bed with the new sheets my stepmom, Kinsley, and I got last week.

She insisted a new place needs new sheets, and I didn’t argue. Kins and I started buying up stuff for the apartment a few weeks back, and I had it all stowed at a storage facility until moving day. I didn’t want to move in with nothing, and the place I had throughout college was already furnished when I’d leased it.

I had the size specs for my place here already, so I had a good idea of what would and wouldn’t fit, which made shopping for furniture a breeze. I had to special order the hunter green corner lounge suite that now takes up a good chunk of the open space in the living area. I love the contrast between the dark couch and the whitewashed walls and tiles. I’ve always had a knack for this kind of thing, putting colors and shit together, but doing it for myself has come with an unexpected sense of satisfaction.

I love raw-edged timber, so the dining table is a long eight-person piece with benches on either side for when my boys or family visit. And I got matching barstools for the floating kitchen island, too. Even my bedroom suite is timber—sleek and smooth with black wrought iron accents. I fucking love it.

Grabbing my cell again, I take a picture of my completed room then shoot it to Kins. That’s when I notice the time is past midnight.Shit!I’ve got no idea how long I slept for this afternoon or how long I’ve been in here, but the time does explain why my stomach is growling like a feral beast.

If I was still in Manhattan, ordering food at this hour wouldn’t be an issue. But here, in this tiny town, I strongly doubt anywhere does twenty-four-hour delivery. I scrub my hands over my face and trudge to the kitchen, hoping like hell I have a bag of chips or something in there to munch on until I can get my hands on some real food.

* * *

Slowly blinkingas bright sunlight streams through a massive glass wall, it takes a moment to orientate myself. I rub at my sore eyes as I shuffle to sit up against the headboard, then glance around the room.Myroom. Inmynew place.

Waking up here feels good, right, until I check my cell and see it’s ridiculously early for the ungodly amount of light pouring in. I can’t have been asleep for more than a couple of hours. I’ll need to get something for that window today. No way am I getting up with the sun every morning.

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