Page 22 of Falling for Them

Ella

I wake up at noon, hunger pinching my stomach.I don’t have a shift at the pub today.Sucks, because I could wolf down an entire dinner plate of fries right now.

A text is waiting on my phone, from my boss at Maids in Heaven.

Ella, can you come in early today?1.5x pay.The San Esteban Motel needs an extra housekeeper.You’re probably still asleep after your late shift at Tyler Analytics, and this shift starts at 1.

Extra pay?I’m in.I quickly text back that I’ll be there.This is lucky, although it means I’m going to be dead on my feet by the end of my shift at Tyler Analytics.

Still, I’d rather start rebuilding my emergency cash stash, and putting extra toward paying off debts.

When I leave my bedroom, I can see the apartment is empty.Tommy already left.Huh.I was pretty sure he’d still be sleeping.

I make my way past the rumpled couch and to the kitchen to fix some toast with peanut butter.

Crap, Tommy ate the last piece of bread.I mutter curses under my breath.Now I have to go to the store, and I really don’t have time for this today.

I rush through my shower, slap on some mascara and lip balm, and hurry out of the apartment to the corner store.Again I’m lucky—there’s older bread on sale.I grab two loaves, planning to freeze one, and bring them to the cash register.

The woman at the counter rings me up and gives me the total.

I open my wallet to reach for some cash.It’s empty.

“I’m sorry,” I say to the cashier.“I thought I had cash, but I don’t.”

“Don’t you have a credit card?”she asks.

I shake my head.Nobody will give me credit, not with my current standing, after Dad’s hospital bills.

“I’m sorry,” I say.

I leave the bread at the counter and leave the store, blinking back tears.

Once I’m out on the sidewalk, I take a great, heaving breath and wipe my hands over my eyes.Pulling my phone from my bag, I bring up Tommy’s number and jab angrily at the screen.

“Hey, sis, what’s up?”

“Where’s my money, Tommy?”

He’s quiet.

“Tommy, tell me you still have it.”

A distinctive beeping sound fills the background on his end of the call, along with cheers as someone experiences the kind of good luck Tommy never seems to get.He’s at the underground gambling hall.

“I was going to double it for you,” he says.“It wasn’t much.But don’t worry, I’ll get it back.”

I hang up on him, too angry to speak.

I will never see that fifteen dollars again.And it might not be a lot to some people, but it was a lot to me.

Worse, the person who took it from me was one of the last people in this world I thought I could trust.

Kingston

Joel’s working tonight, and so is Ella.I want to snap my fingers and call her in here again, have her finish dusting the lower shelves so she has to bend over in front of me.

I’m a sick bastard.