her shoulder. Especially because I knew with her talent for styling, she could help me shop for new clothes that would actually fit me (my boobs in particular) and look good. And clothes were one of many things my life was suddenly void of.
I yanked out my phone and scrolled to Lisa’s number. The split second before I could hit the “Dial” button, I shook my head and cursed the heavens. Shit. Of course, not even an hour ago, Lisa had told me she’d be jet-setting off on some fabulous mini-vacay with her boyfriend Chad and wouldn’t be home for a couple of weeks.
I scrolled to my dad’s number, but the mere thought of how he would react to this news was too daunting to face. He’d always been overprotective and would go into a full-blown panic attack over something like this. My childhood home was a last resort, but if I could delay telling my dad about the fire until I had a chance to process it myself—we’d both be better off. There was my sweet grandma Thelma, but she lived too far away in Upstate New York. Dammit. My crazy aunt Lois—nope. I stopped that thought before it even gained traction. That would be worse than being homeless. I’d rather sleep under a freaking bridge. That woman was certifiably batshit, and she hated my mother for unknown reasons, and still did to this day, even though Mom had died years ago in a car accident. Hard. Nope.
And, of course, there was Lizzie, another friend I’d met years ago. She was an exotic dancer who’d just moved in with her new roommate and worked two jobs. I didn’t want to bother her. Lizzie had enough on her plate as it was. I’d helped her move and knew how tiny her apartment was. There wasn’t even room for a spare couch, much less another woman and her baggage. The only other option I could possibly think of would be a couple of my neighbors, but they were facing the same dilemma as me. Hell, I couldn’t afford to stay in a long-term hotel until I found another apartment, either, or if they decided to renovate mine. Double damn. I was up shit creek without a paddle.
Burying my face in my hands, while also kicking myself for not having more friends, I began reliving everything that had happened. It was as if I needed to relive each moment of it, just to believe it was real. Mr. Cruz’s words ran through my mind on repeat over and over, seeming less believable each and every time.
I pushed those thoughts aside and racked my brain for somebody else I could call.
Okay, yes… There was another friend. Oliver. But dammit… Calling my lifelong, drop-dead gorgeous crush in a time of crisis wasn’t exactly ideal, but he was the only person left I could turn to. Especially at that hour. I started looking around, digging through the clutter on my desk, frantically trying to find my phone. The empty takeout box fell to the floor around me, and it wasn’t until I lifted an oncology reference book that I saw the damn thing right there in my hand—where it had been the whole time.
Oh. My. God. I needed to get my shit together. For. Real.
My hand was shaking as I lifted the phone back to my ear and held my breath through the ringtone. If Oliver didn’t pick up, I was screwed.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
Why the hell isn’t he picking up?
Ring. Ring.
Pick up. Pick up.
Rin—
“Yeah?” He finally huffed, sounding out of breath. “This is…pretty bad timing…”
Oh, thank you, Jesus.
I closed my eyes and said a brief silent prayer of gratitude before yelling everything out in a burst of speed even I didn’t know I was capable of. He was my only lifeline, and I felt the urgent need to get everything out all at once.
“Oliver? Don’t hang up! You’re not going to believe this…but something crazy happened. My apartment. There’s this cute little white fluffy dog, Princess Bubbles, on my floor, and apparently, she knocked over this big candle and sent it crashing into these rayon curtains…Oh, do you have rayon curtains by the way? Because they’re apparently super flammable. Like combustible-level flammable. And—”
“Laney?” Oliver cut me off. He seemed like he’d been so focused on placing who I was that he hadn’t heard a word I’d said. There was a tension in his voice that made it sound like he was straining. Was he working