Cons include loss of independence and pride. I’ll probably kick myself repeatedly for my weakness.
Lifting my head, I look at Flynn. “Are you sure we aren’t imposing?”
“I’m positive. Stay... relax. It’s not a big deal.”
I don’t like being beholden to anyone and accepting help is foreign to me. But again, something is telling me to trust Flynn. “I actually have a little bit of money stashed away that I can pay you with, especially if you can front me a little for clothes. I can get a few things at Goodwill or something.”
He regards me for a moment and then nods his head. I know he wants to refuse my offer to pay, but I think he knows me well enough to know I won’t accept charity.
“I’ll also handle cleaning your apartment and cooking while I’m here but I’ll immediately start looking for a job.”
“Did you work before...?” His words trail off steeply and his eyes look sad for me.
“Before you found me chained to a bed?”
He nods and I give a very small smile. Not a huge one, but a tiny, tiny one, and it feels weird. “Yeah... I had a job at a bar before Juice put the shackles on me. I bet I could still work there but that’s not really an option. That will be one of the first places Juice will look for me.”
Again, he nods and doesn’t push me for any further details past what I’ve given. “Sounds like we have a deal.”
Reaching my hand across the table, I say, “So... want to shake on it? Temporary roommates?”
His hand engulfs mine and my skin actually tingles from the contact. His hand is dry and I can feel calluses rubbing against my skin. He holds my hand for just a bit and we stare at each other. I don’t know what I’m seeing reflected in his eyes, but whatever it is, it doesn’t make me feel bad. It makes me feel warm... safe... secure. The feeling is alien to me but it’s nice.
Flynn releases my hand and grabs his whiskey. He looks at mine, indicating I should pick it up. I do and he holds his glass out. “To being roommates.”
“To being roommates,” I murmur.
We knock our glasses together and shoot the amber liquid back.
6
The next morning, I’m up just as dawn is breaking because there’s a lot of shit to take care of to get my new roomie settled in. The first thing I do is shoot a text off to Tim and tell him I can’t hang today to watch the game. I don’t tell him why, only that something important came up and I’d fill him in later.
Peeking in on Rowan, I see she’s still sound asleep with Capone lying over her legs at the bottom of the bed. I’m betting she’ll be out for another few hours, which should give me plenty of time to run my errands and get back.
I hate to admit, but part of me is afraid she’ll bolt once I’m gone. She clearly has a hard time trusting, and an even harder time accepting help. I also have no clue why it’s so f**king important to me to help her out. She’s a stranger to me, and the only bond we share is that of savior and victim. In my line of work, that does not make for a lasting bond. I save someone, I go home, and I forget about them.
But there’s no forgetting Rowan Page.
What I’ll go ahead and admit is that I’m lying to myself just a bit when I act ignorant of my reasons for getting involved. Ever since Marney died, I’m obsessed with saving people. Clearly, it’s the reason I became a firefighter and it’s the reason I take some unnecessary risks that have landed me in hot water with my Chief and crew. But it extends beyond just pulling people from the flames. I also get involved where it’s probably not my business, and try to make situations better.
Case in point... Rowan Page.
Clearly none of my business, and yet I want to make things better for her.
I think about this vexing woman the entire trip over to Nix’s house. She’s an enigma and I’m probably a bit obsessed with finding out more about her. How does someone that is clearly intelligent with a good dose of street smarts get involved with a drug dealer? Is she involved in the drug trade? I also wonder why she left her boyfriend, and I wonder if he’s coming back for her to finish the job.
All of these thoughts have me on edge, and I know I can’t solve all of her problems today. But I am intent on helping her solve them if she’ll let me.
I pull into Nix’s driveway and jog up to his front porch, knocking on the door rapidly. It opens up and Nix eyes me up and down.
“What’s up, loser?”
“Not much, bonehead. Is Emily around?”
Nix’s eyebrows rise in surprise but he nods, stepping aside to let me in.
“Are you having an illicit affair with my fiancée?” he asks with a grin.
I chuckle but then deadpan, “Yes, we are illicitly having an affair... right here... in front of you. In fact, I made sure you were here before I came knocking on the door.”
Nix responds with a boisterous laugh and it warms my heart. My cousin didn’t have a lot to laugh about in the not-to-distant past. Struggling to overcome physical and emotional injuries from his time spent in the Afghanistan war, he became a recluse and the once close bond I shared with him growing up had eroded to almost nothing.
That was until he met Emily Burnham. That’s when my boy became a new man.
Right on cue, Emily comes skipping down the stairs. “Flynn,” she says in surprised delight. “What brings you out here?”
Emily throws her arms around me in a hug and I grin over her shoulder at Nix, waggling my eyebrows. “See... we’re very illicit.”