Page 54 of Brooklynaire

By the time I get out the mop to tackle the bathroom floor, Missy is ready to stage an intervention. “I’m worried,” she says from the doorway, staying out of harm’s way. “I mean, stress-cleaning is something I’ve always valued about your personality. But this is a littleextreme.”

My response is a grumble. Missy and my mother depended on my stress-cleaning habits to kick in every semester at exam time. Less work forthem.

“Did you lose your job? It’s okay, you can tell me. We’ll be allright.”

“No.” But the idea makes me wince. Because it’s occurred to me that with a different boss, losing my job wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility. Nate’s a good guy. He’s not going to fire me out of embarrassment, or make a big deal aboutit.

“But you might?” my sisterpries.

“I probably should.” I know I’m being overly dramatic. But everything seems up in the air. It doesn’t help that I haven’t been to my desk inweeks.

“What did youdo?”

“I slept with my boss.”Yikes. It sounds worse out loud than it does in myhead.

Missy wrinkles up her nose. “Really? You slept with Hugh Major? He’sold.”

Like I’ve said before, my sister is a few peas short of a casserole. “Bite your tongue. He’s old andmarried. I would never sleep with HughMajor.”

Missywaits.

“I slept with…” I almost can’t say it. “Nate.” And I immediately experience a little shiver. His name doesn’t feel the same in my mouth anymore. For the rest of my life I’m going to be able to picture naked, panting Nate, his sculpted pecs moving above me, his long fingers pressing mine down on thebed…

“Whooooa.” Missy’s mouth makes a perfect O shape. “So he finally got up the nerve to admit he has a thing foryou?”

“Missy!” I squeak. “Don’t saythat.”

“Please.” She rolls her eyes in that way sisters have, and it makes you want to punch them. “Exhibit A.” She points at a giant basket of very dead flowers I’ve set beside the door. I’m hoping Renny will notice them and take them down to the garbagecompactor.

“They’re just flowers,” Igrumble.

“Was it good?” sheasks.

“Hmm?” I’m scrubbing the tiles as if there will be an inspectionlater.

“The sex. Was itgood?”

I feel a flush on my chest, just hearing thequestion.

“Did someone have sex without me?” Renny asks, emerging from the bedroom, Matthew in hisarms.

“Rebecca did!” Missy announces. “With herboss.”

“Oh, sh…innicock,” he says. Apparently we’re working on cutting out the curse words this week. “You made the beast with two backs with Hugh Major? Isn’t he a little old foryou?”

“Not. Him,” I grit out. “I’m going for a walk.” It’s a spur-of-the-moment decision, but I need to get some freshair.

“Before you go…there’s two pieces of mail you need to look at.” My sister deigns to rise from the sofa just far enough to sift through the mail on the coffee table. It’s mostly catalogues, but she locates two envelopes—one thick, one thin. “This says it’s from a real estate company, so I thought it might be important. And the other is a health insurancething.”

Oh, shit. Double shit. The thicker envelope is from DUMBO Holdings. “This is our new lease.” I’d been waiting for this. My two-year lease is up, and by law they can raise me a significant amount. I slit the envelope and slide the folded papers out. My eye scans the first page until I find what I’m lookingfor.

Two-year rate increase:0.00%.

I read it three more times just because I can’t quite believe it. Then I flip to the second page to make sure the numbers match the ones on the firstpage.

Theydo.

“Wow,” I breathe. “This is the best news I’ve heard inweeks.”