there’s a hidden key under the welcome mat, but I’m out of luck. I reach up and feel along the door frame, but I come back empty-handed. Not wanting to wait in the hallway for him to wake up, I remember Deven mentioning getting a job at Destiny’s boutique. I grab my bag and pull it up on my shoulder before heading back down the stairs and to my truck.
The boutique is in the center of town, smack-dab in the middle of Main Street. It belongs to my brother, Wyatt, and his new wife, Destiny. I haven’t been there yet, but I’ve heard Drake and Celeste talk about it. I park the truck and head for the door. Pulling open the glass door causes the bell above it to jingle.
“Welcome to Destiny’s,” a woman says from somewhere in the store. I look around at various items, running my finger over them as I walk down the aisle and toward the counter, finding Deven.
When she looks up, her eyes widen with surprise. “I can’t right now, Hudson. I’m working,” she teases.
“Haha,” I deadpan. “I’m supposed to be moving in today, but the door is locked and your brother must be asleep. You got a key I can use?”
She laughs “When he’s asleep, you could have a freaking Metallica concert in the next room and he’d never know it.” She pulls her bag out from under the counter and places it on top as she digs through it. “Looks like we’re going to be roomies for a while,” she says, pulling out a set of keys and smiling up at me as she works it off the loop.
I force a fake smile onto my face. “Can’t wait.”
“You know, there’s no need to be afraid of me, right?” She holds the key up.
Instead of taking it from her, I hold out my hand, not wanting to touch her. “I’m not afraid of you.”
She drops it into my palm. “Yeah, right. You have fear and guilt written all over your face. It was just a thing that happened. No sense in dwelling on it…well, not unless you want to do it again. I’m down.” Her dark eyes sparkle with mischief as she offers up a grin.
I shake my head. “Forget about it.”
She sticks out her bottom lip in a playful pout. “You can’t tell me you didn’t have fun. I know you had fun.” She leans on the counter, giving me a peek down her shirt. Two big, beautiful breasts greet me, sending a shock right to my dick. It twitches, but I mentally talk it down.
“I had fun jumping off a 250-foot cliff, but I’d never do that again. I like fun, but I don’t have a death wish.” I take the key and turn on my heel for the door.
“Oh, come on! Brad isn’t that bad,” she shouts at me, but I ignore her and walk out, heading back to my truck and back to the new apartment I have to share with my one-night stand and her overly protective big brother. How I get myself into this shit is beyond me.
I let myself into the apartment and take my bag back to the room that Brad showed me yesterday. Luckily for me, there is already a bed, dresser, and nightstand, so unpacking is a breeze. After everything is put away, I sit down at the kitchen table and write him out a check for the first month’s rent. I tear it out and leave it on the table, next to his lunch box, so I know he’ll see it. Then I take the key and head out to get a copy made and to stock up on some needed items.
There’s a blonde girl working the counter at the hardware store, and she smiles and flirts with me as she uses the key-copying machine. I’m tempted to ask her out in an attempt to get Deven out of my head, but I don’t want to be forward. Instead, I just talk pleasantly with her and flirt back, priming her up for the next time I see her. She introduces herself as Ashley, and I tell her my name before paying for my key and leaving for the next stop, the grocery store.
Inside, I stock up on bathroom essentials: soap, shampoo, body wash, a new toothbrush, and razors. Then, I decide to go ahead and stock up the fridge. I know Brad could really use the help, and I have more than enough