Page 35 of No Good Deed

“Just let me pay. It’s not like we do this every day. This might be the only time. Come on, let’s go in.”

The restaurant isn’t anything fancy. It’s a step above the average sit-down burger place. We each order a cheeseburger and fries. I can see the worry on Tara’s face as she calculates in her head what this will cost. I get it. I’m the same way. But I don’t mind paying for her lunch. It’s worth it to spend time withher. And I’ve always found it easier to spend money on someone I care about than on myself. Dean’s the same way. He’d rather spend his money on me or Brook than on himself.

“Have you heard from her?” Tara asks as we’re waiting for our food.

“Heard from who?”

“Your ex,” Tara says with a laugh. “I guess it’s a good sign if you weren’t thinking about her when I asked.”

“I’m trying not to. I’m trying to stay busy so my mind doesn’t go there.”

“Is that why you wanted to come over today?”

“No, I came over because I wanted to see you.”

She smiles. “I wanted to see you too.”

The way she said it and the way she’s looking at me almost makes me think she’s flirting with me, but I’m sure she’s not. She wouldn’t cheat on Troy, even though I’m sure he cheats on her.

“This is more than I can eat,” Tara says when our food arrives. The burger is huge and the fries take up half the plate.

“Just eat what you can and take the rest home.”

If I said that to Haley or her friends, they’d think I was joking. They had enough money that they wouldn’t even consider taking food home, and if they did, they’d never eat it. But Tara and I know what it’s like to go hungry. You take whatever food you can get and never throw it out. Growing up, I can’t remember us ever having food go to waste.

As we have lunch, Tara tells me about her job at the pizza place where she’s been working for a year.

“I’m thinking of quitting and working somewhere else,” she says. “Some place where the tips are better. There’s a diner about a mile from here that’s hiring. I know a girl who works there and she said the tips are way more than I’m making now.”

“Are you going to apply?”

“I haven’t decided. I don’t want to take a job in this part of town if I’m moving.”

“You’re moving?”

“I’ll have to if my aunt decides not to stay here. If she gets promoted, she’ll be moving to Florida for good. I can’t afford her apartment. I’ll have to get one in a cheaper part of town.” Tara takes a drink of her soda. “Troy would like it if I moved. He hates that I live so far away. He’s never even been to my apartment. He says it takes too long to get there.”

“But it takes you the same amount of time to get to him.”

She shrugs. “He doesn’t care about that because he’s not the one who has to do it.”

I set my burger down. “Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“I know I said this before, but I didn’t really get an answer. About Troy. Why are you dating him?”

“Because he likes me. Isn’t that why people date? Because they like each other?” She stuffs a fry in her mouth.

“Yeah, but it’s usually more than that. I mean, you’ve been dating him for months now and he won’t even come see you. Don’t you think he should?”

“No. He’s busy. He has to work.”

“So do you, and you take three buses to see him.”

“And he does stuff for me. It all evens out.”

“What does he do for you?”

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