The Price of Inertia (The Seven Sins #4) - Lily Zante Page 0,3
and stick my hand into it.
“And there will be no more of that.” Rob nods at my chip packet, then picks up and shakes each of the four empty Coke cans that are lying on the coffee table. “I’ve got you a personal trainer and I’m still looking into getting you a—”
“A what?”
“A personal trainer, and I’m still looking into getting you a housekeeper.”
I draw in a slow and steady breath. “I don’t need people. I’m a fucking writer.”
“Then write, for goodness sake, write.”
“I’ll take Freya,” I throw back. The only problem is that she’d have to live with me, and I don’t want anyone living with me. In fact, the best part of having Freya as my housekeeper is that she goes home every day.
“I’ve already asked her and she doesn’t want to go. She doesn’t want to leave New Orleans.”
The wily little fox. Rob’s been making plans behind my back. “I don’t need a personal trainer.”
“You’ve turned into a sloth. You’re out of shape. Your face is puffy. When did you last shave?”
I raise a hand to my beard. It’s thick and prickly but there is no need for me to shave. Or get a haircut.
“When was the last time you got a haircut?” I knew that would be his next question.
“A couple of months back.”
“Try to look presentable. You don’t want to scare the new people away.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary. I can work out on my own.”
Rob crushes the cans between his hands. “You look like you’ve been working real hard,” he snorts. “You leave next week, and by that time, I’ll have found you a housekeeper.
“A housekeeper? I don’t need a housekeeper.”
“I beg to differ.” Rob looks around the room in disgust.
“What I need is a box of donuts,” I tell him. I’m being serious, too.
Rob snorts. “You’re going to end up looking like a donut if this continues.”
“I’m processing things.”
“It’s been months, Ward. Months. Is this going to be like the last time?”
I close my eyes. The last time I went into freefall, I couldn’t write a word for months. I open my eyes and glare at him.
“That’s what I thought.” He walks towards the door. “Chicago will jolt you into action.”
He has no idea. Chicago is full of bad memories.
“Get a haircut. Try to look decent.”
Chapter 2
MARI
I’ve lost everything, in the space of a week.
Sitting on a park bench with Jamie, listening to the happy cries of children playing, I wish I could be as carefree and as happy as they are.
“It’s a lifeline,” I say, staring at the sheet of paper with the description of the only job I could find that needed someone urgently. I’m going for an interview tomorrow. “This is so beneath my current pay grade and position,” I wail.
“It was,” Jamie reminds me. “It’s only temporary.” He accompanied me to the recruitment agency which was my first stop this morning, after he’d helped me move stuff out of my apartment.
“Only temporary,” I repeat, feeling the need to reassure myself. Being a housekeeper is not the career move I had in mind, but then, Jamie and I never expected to get laid off when we went to work a few days ago.
“Hey,” Jamie nudges me gently. “Think of it like a new start, from everything.”
“For you, too.” I say, nudging him right back. I’m so grateful for a friend like Jamie. My life has gone to shit in the space of a week. We worked at a small family run hotel. I was the front desk manager, and Jamie worked behind the scenes, overseeing the hotel’s amenities. We had no idea that our boss was taking part in shady money laundering activities. The hotel shut down immediately and all the staff had their contracts terminated.
And, not only did I lose my job, and a very well paid and satisfying job at that, but I found out that Dale, my boyfriend of two years, had been secretly seeing someone else and had gotten her pregnant. I made the mistake of stupidly forgiving him after I found him cheating on me the first time.
Jamie was lucky. He found a job almost the next day, working in the local gym. It’s nothing like what he had at the hotel, but at least it’s something.
“This will cheer you up.” From his backpack, he pulls out a bar of my favorite chocolate. This guy knows all about the small things which make me happy, and right now, I’ll grab any slip of happiness that