about that?” I asked, pushing away from the topic of our “are we or aren’t we” relationship status.
“Yes. She specifically asked me before I signed my lease if I was going to have any male guests stay over.”
“Really? I think that’s against the law.”
She nodded. “Yeah, well just don’t say anything that will upset her. I don’t want to be homeless.”
I held my hands up, defenseless. “I solemnly swear that I won’t get you kicked out of your apartment.”
When we arrived on the top floor of the building, Jo knocked on her landlady’s door and then offered me a gentle smile.
“Thanks for coming with me,” she said, reaching over to squeeze my hand.
Before I could reply, the wooden door swung out in front of us and I came face to face with a very drunk, very sweaty old man.
“Newbies! Welcome!” he said with a grin as his gaze swept over us.
Josephine hesitated before offering him the platter of cupcakes she’d made earlier.
“Barney, don’t scare them! Let me answer, let me answer.” An older woman rushed forward and smiled wide when she caught sight of Jo on the other side of the doorway.
“My little Josephine!” the woman squealed, enveloping Jo in a hug that at once tipped Jo off balance and allowed the woman to drag her full force into the apartment.
I stepped in after her, trying to stay close. Why was that guy so sweaty? And where was he going with those cupcakes?
“Oh! You brought a friend?” the woman asked with an arched brow. She had red lipstick on that was crusted in the corners of her mouth. Her cotton dress was short, with a halter top that tied behind her neck. It would have looked good on a twenty-two-year-old. On Jo’s landlord, I felt like I needed to avert my eyes. There was too much wrinkly, tanned skin on display.
Jo smiled. “Yep. This is Julian. He’s just a friend.”
I reached out for her hand, but she stepped forward and wrapped me in an awkward hug. Clearly, this woman was the touchy feely type.
“I’m Holly, Josephine’s landlady,” she said with a wide smile.
“Nice to meet you,” I said, stepping back out of her grasp.
Her apartment was much bigger than Jo’s. It took up most of the top floor of the building, which meant there was plenty of room for a party, though I hadn’t seen anyone besides Barney and Holly. Barney disappeared down the hall, and Holly led us past the entryway into an empty kitchen. An entire bar’s worth of alcohol was set out across the island and it looked like a few people had already dipped into it.
Where are they then?
“Grab a drink and then meet me in the living room. It’s just down the hall,” Holly said, smiling and shimmying her shoulders with excitement.
Barney stepped into the doorway behind her and wrapped his arms around Holly’s waist, then pinched her. She squealed and pretended to fight him off, all the while allowing him to pull her from the room.
“C’mon. Gerald wants to play,” Barney said, with a hint of something more in his voice.
What the hell does that mean?
I glanced over at Jo to see if she was getting the same weird vibe that I was.
“This is definitely not what I was expecting,” I said, stepping toward the alcohol.
Jo shrugged. “It’s a little different, but they’re nice people, I’m sure.”
No, she didn’t get it. There was definitely something off about this party.
“I think we should head out,” I said. My gut was screaming at me to get out while I still could.
Josephine frowned. “What? Seriously? We just got here, and I don’t want to offend Holly.”
I nodded and tried to tell my instincts to shut up. Sure, Barney and Holly were a little off, but maybe they were just weird old people. New York City is full of those.
“Okay, yeah. We’ll stay for a little bit,” I relented.
Josephine held up a bottle of Jack Daniels. “Look! They even have your favorite alcohol. It can’t be all that bad.”
We filled our cups with Jack and Cokes and then clinked them together.
“Cheers,” Jo said, smiling up at me.
“Cheers.”
“Come on you two! We’re about to get started,” Holly called from the other room.
I reluctantly followed Josephine down the hall, bracing myself for a night of awkward Monopoly games. If I had to sit by sweaty Barney, I wasn’t going to last five minutes.
“What do you think they’re playing in there?” Josephine asked just as we stepped into the doorway of