together, but everything is perfectly balanced kind-of-way. Six cocktail tables were spread out between the crates, making me wonder what Jurnee would think about this coffee shop.
“I take it she knows you were going to cover the rent.” Eric pulled his phone out of his inside pocket.
“Understatement. She accused me of being controlling. Manipulative. There were lots of words.”
“Who is this girl?” He looked up from his phone.
“Right.”
“What am I missing? You were going to set her up in a kick-ass apartment with a year lease.”
“At least.”
Eric slid his phone back into his suit jacket and raised his hands in disbelief. “And she went around your back to see how much the places cost and got upset.”
“Pissed.”
“So, she’s pissed.” I closed my eyes and nodded for a good fifteen seconds.
A barista yelled out, placing a coffee cup with two others clustered on the end of the counter.
He looked at me when his name was called. “Like I want them to have to write Anderson on the side.”
Eric nodded and picked up two of the cups.
“Anyway, get this, she’s trying to be her normal Midwest polite, but she’s angry. She’s not paying attention, and she steps off the sidewalk, twisting her ankle.”
He stopped short on the sidewalk. “Is she alright?”
“She won’t let me take her to the ER because she’s out-of-network. She can’t afford the medical bills.”
He gives me the same look I’m sure I had at the time. Like, what the hell? I couldn’t wrap my head around it.
“What did you do?” Eric knocked on the driver’s window.
“I took her to my place.” His eyebrows shot up. “Then I called you to come help me pack a bag for her to use while she recovers at my house.”
Markus nodded thanks when Eric handed him the macchiato with extra syrup.
“Wow, that’s twice.”
“My house.” I said into my coffee.
“You took her to your fuck pad?”
“My fuck pad?” All four of us had shamelessly used my house as a no strings attached sex den since I moved out four years ago.
“Your name is on the deed.” He had a point.
Eric looked back at me when he was able to push the door open. The hallway was dark, and he pointed to the burned-out lightbulbs as if we were on mind-meld.
A clean hallway with a better lit stairwell made him relax. Overall, this was not a bad building. Eric stepped aside so I could punch in the code to Jurnee’s sublet. The door swung open and hit the back wall and returned to hit me in the face, sending me backward.
“This day just keeps getting better.” Eric said, walking past me into the apartment.
The word ‘apartment’ was beyond a stretch. It was like calling the two people we passed in the park earlier playing instruments an orchestra. Eric and I filled the space.
“Are you kidding me? She’s living here?”
I didn’t have any words. I knew I came from a wealthy family. Over the years, I’d spent time with people that didn’t have a lot of money, but I’d never been in a place like this. “She can’t stay here.”
“I’m going to ask you something, and I need for you to know that it’s coming from a place of friendship.” Eric took a slow 360-degree turn around the apartment.
I knew what he was going to ask. Saying I hadn’t thought about would be a lie. Every opportunity Jurnee had to take some money or benefit from being with me, she had refused.
“Eric, man, every time I’ve tried to give her money or pay for something for her, she refuses. She didn’t Google me. Soraya finally told her who I am. She cashed in all of her frequent flyer miles to pay for me to fly to Michigan for that football game. Your apartments. She didn’t even go look at them. I don’t know what to do. I want to pack her stuff in a suitcase and take it to my place and tell her to just stay there.”
Eric’s mouth dropped open. He tapped his phone on, “Call Otis.”
“You are such a 12-year-old. He’s scouting locations.”
“Oh shit. That’s right. Call Bryan.”
“What’d the pussy do now?” Bryan asked with no greeting whatsoever.
“There is so much to unpack here that I don’t know where to start.” I ignored them and started putting Jurnee’s stuff into a bag.
“I’m having a shit day, so this better be good,” Bryan grumbled.
“You guys are assholes,” I shouted to ensure Bryan heard me through Eric’s speakerphone.
“So, Jurnee.” Eric shrugged at Bryan’s guess, which