Haze - By Andrea Wolfe Page 0,107

didn't seem to notice.

"Well, he surprised me too. Said he had good reason for it. Family inheritance that he wanted to share or something. I don't give a damn one way or another. Money's all money to me."

I heard some tapping on the door behind Edwin and he leaned back and opened it. Terri ran out of the room, bounding in my direction and hopping on my leg. I wholeheartedly welcomed the whimsical distraction.

"You old fool!" Edwin called. "Leave the customers alone. Get in your bed." Terri didn't listen.

"It's okay," I said, smiling and petting the dog's soft fur. "She's fun." I guess the landlord was the only one allowed to have pets in this building. The dog seemed just as excited as I was. It softened me a lot. Terri oozed unconditional love, her tail wagging back and forth with a frenetic energy that I could never match.

"It's less fun when you deal with her every day and night. She never tires out."

"I can imagine." I grabbed the stray check on the desk and neatly ripped it into quarters before shoving the pieces into my pocket. Edwin seemed to be focusing on his computer screen again, so I decided to make my exit. "I'm gonna sneak out," I said. "Thanks again, Edwin."

"Don't thank me," he said. "Thank your buddy, Jack."

"I'll try."

Edwin tried to regain control of Terri and succeeded this time. The dog settled into the oversized plush bed and suddenly looked comically small next to the huge doggie furniture, which added to the already overwhelming cuteness.

I stepped into the hall and made my way back up the stairs, feeling like every step I reached was another accomplishment independent of the one that came before it. Honestly, I felt somewhat euphoric but also uncertain. Something told me there was some condition attached to Jack's gesture, something that I hadn't uncovered just yet.

After walking back in the apartment—I had left it unlocked, assuming that I wouldn't be long; probably not the best idea, but whatever—I sat down at the table and poured myself a totally rotten cup of coffee. It tasted like shit, but hey, why did I care? My day tasted better already.

I realized I needed to get in contact with Jack. He had done this without my input, and while I was a little disappointed to rely on his charity—defending my honor still felt like a real thing whether it was stupid or not—this brought a ton of relief. I had some time to get my shit together, some time to reflect on the bullshit that had taken place. Sam had been literally vicious, like a rabies-stricken dog. Had I stuck around, he probably would have ripped my throat out until my blood soaked the carpet in the office.

I wasn't ready to die.

Fueled by some fresh caffeine, I went head-to-head with my broken phone. My patience was freshly renewed after the surprise downstairs, so I figured now was the time to make a move. I sat down on my bed, staring through the broken glass, trying my hardest to navigate my contacts.

I got Jack centered on the screen, but every time I pressed his name, it chose the contact directly above or below.

"Dammit." I was clenching my teeth. The very simple act was feeling quite arduous, as I predicted it would.

I kept my cool, but yeah, this was tough. Finally, I got his number centered on the screen and slowly brought my finger against the green call button. I delicately tapped against it, hoping not to accidentally trigger some other part of the screen.

Bam! I got it. The call began. I fell onto my bed and stared up at the ceiling.

"Hello?" Jack's voice carried a hint of sarcasm, like he knew exactly why I was calling him before I said anything.

"Hi, Jack. Do you have something you'd like to say to me?"

I heard what sounded like some papers shuffling around. "I miss you."

Was he going to play dumb? Maybe he didn't think I would have noticed.

"Jack, I think there's something else you need to tell me." I held my ground.

He quietly laughed. "Maybe you need to tell me something. Like thanks."

"Jack, you asshole! I didn't ask for anything." I wasn't sure if I was actually perturbed about his random act of kindness or not.

His quiet laughing became a guffaw, and I couldn't help but join in. "I'm going to stay at my suite tonight. Where we first met. I want you to come stay with me."

"We first met