Page 10 of Beautiful Envy

By the time I’d scoped out the room and the rest of the house, it was already noon. I felt a little bad snooping through the guy's belongings, but if I was going to be staying here, I justified my need to be safe. Not that any of them had much stuff to peruse, but I learned a few things.

For instance, Grayson liked his hair care and moisturizer, with more bottles on his dresser than I’d ever owned. His room was clean, and everything had its place. I spent a few minutes switching out a couple of his drawers just to mess with him. I almost wished I could be there to see his face when he went to reach for his socks and found his jeans instead.

As his road name suggested, he was a pretty boy, making my toes curl just from a look. But something else about him made me want to keep talking to him, to find out more. Searching his room might have been unorthodox, but I felt safer around him now.

As for Bubba, there wasn’t much to find in his room. He had a big bed with overstuffed pillows, a closet full of the same clothing, and a few pairs of boots at the bottom of the closet. There weren’t any personal items on display. He had his own bathroom, which was as tidy and sparse as his room. His shower made me jealous, though, and I was already devising a plan to get him to allow me to use it.

The other room in their hallway was locked, along with Brooks’. I’d have to search through them later when I remembered how to pick a lock. It hadn’t been part of the MCD program, but Maddox had shown me once. It was a vague memory, but with a refresher on YouTube, once I had a phone, I’d have those doors open in no time.

My stomach growling had me relenting in my search for the time being so I could head into town. Food and a phone were first on my list.

Sorting through my boxes, I changed into an oversized shirt and a pair of jeans. As much as I liked my cowgirl look, I didn’t want to draw attention when I was alone. My room looked like a tornado had hit it, but I didn’t have time to deal with it now. I’d unpack later once the monster in my belly was fed.

Baseball cap pulled down low, I pulled myself into the truck. It was so high I practically needed a stepladder. The truck was an older one, and I had to move the seat in order to reach the pedals. My pulse skyrocketed as I turned the engine over. Anxiety coursed through me at driving a stick, but I reminded myself that if I could drive a bike, I could also do this.

It wasn’t my best lie, but it was all I had at the moment as I backed out of the drive.

The truck was smoother than I expected, only slightly sticking, as Bubba had said, in second. Once I was out of the subdivision, I headed into town, focusing on the road, my hands at ten and two.

A strip mall came into view within a few minutes, and I sighed in relief. My whole body vibrated when I parked in the lot, a million miles away from any other cars. I’d probably regret it later when I was returning to it, but not having anyone around to park next to felt safer.

Keeping my head low, I searched the stores, finding a pawnshop, a Chinese restaurant, a sandwich shop, a jewelry store, a beauty shop, and an electronics store on the end.

Heading to the electronics store first, I sighed in relief when it was a girl on the floor. I was hoping she’d be less likely to remember me and more sympathetic to my cause than a man.

She smiled as I neared, and I shoved my hands into my pockets to keep myself from fidgeting.

“How can I help ya?” she asked, smiling politely.

“I need to get a prepaid phone. Do you have those?” I asked, keeping my voice low.

“Sure do. One sec, I’ll bring up the models.”

She smiled again before she walked to the back of the store. It didn’t take her long before she was returning with two plastic-encased phones. She went over the different features, but I stopped her, already knowing which one I wanted.

“This one will be perfect. Do you have any resell tablets as well?”

“Sorry, hun. We don’t carry anything like that. You might try the pawnshop on the other end. They tend to have a few.”

I paid for the phone, thanking her for the help. My stomach rumbled again, so I walked to the Chinese restaurant, deciding to order and then pop into the pawnshop while my food was being made.

“This all for you?” the lady asked, eyeing me up and down after I ordered four meals.

“Yup. I want to try it all,” I said, giving her a grin as I nodded.

She chuckled, giving me a big smile. “Alright, I’ll throw in some chow mein, too. You’ll like it. Be twenty minutes.”

“Perfect. I’m going to pop over to the pawnshop. I’ll be right back.”

Her face tightened, and she nodded, her eyes narrowing a little. “Be quick,” she said, and I wondered if she wanted to say more but wasn’t sure how. It didn’t sound like she was saying to hurry so she wouldn’t be waiting on me; more like she didn’t want me in there long.

Taking her words at face value, I nodded and headed to the shop; my mission to find a tablet and get out was playing on repeat in my head.

Stepping into the crowded space, I instantly felt eyes on me. It was probably a familiar feeling in a place like this where they watched everyone like a hawk, afraid they might steal something. When I came around a stack of fax machines and old computer parts, I found the clerk leaning against the counter, his eyes fixed on me.

“You looking for anything, sweetheart?” he asked. He had a toothpick in the corner of his mouth, which he pulled out to lick his lips before placing it back in.

Holding in my disgust, I walked forward a little. “I’m looking for a tablet. Do you have anything?”

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