Page 2 of Their Little House Boston (Five Little Roommates #3)

Elliot

“Hey, Elliot, before you leave for work, I need to talk to you.”

My stomach dropped. I hated when people needed to talk to me. Mostly, I loved people. They were quirky and weird, every single one of them. Especially the ones who were trying so hard to be what they thought was normal.

But, from my parents, I’d learned that necessary conversations were usually about something I’d done wrong.

I hoped that wasn’t the case with Monroe. I liked living here at this sanctuary he’d made for us littles.

“Of course.” I took a few calming breaths.

“It’s okay.” Monroe clapped me on my shoulder. “I didn’t get your rent this month. You’re always so punctual, I wanted to check in on you.”

I cocked my head to the side, confused. “I paid the rent, Monroe.”

His thick eyebrows bunched above his nose. He was attractive, but I saw him as only a good friend. “Oh.”

Then I remembered. I hadn’t given him cash like I usually did. “Remember you said paying through the app is better for you? That way you don’t have to go to the bank.”

His dark eyes flicked to mine. A smile slowly formed. “I forgot I asked you to start that this month. I thought I was losing my marbles.”

“Go on and check before I leave, just in case there was an issue. I sent the test deposit a few weeks ago, and you said you received it, but let’s make sure.”

Monroe pulled out his phone and clicked on the app. “There it is. Right on the first.”

“I gotta run.”

He smiled. “Go. Have a great day.”

I waved to him on my way out.

As I pulled into the parking lot of our local library, my heart lifted. A lot of people in this world drudged to work every day. Dragging their feet. Grumbling all the way.

I wasn’t one of those people. Sure, I reshelved books and watched over the study rooms. Every once in a while, there would be someone grumpy or someone who thought getting louder was the answer, but I loved being around books.

They didn’t disappoint you or treat you badly.

They were there for comfort and information and to stimulate the mind and soul.

Being a librarian was the absolute best.

Since it was the heat of summer, there were more patrons than usual. More people typing on their laptops in air-conditioned private rooms. More kids coming in and out with parents. More books to shelve. I would sometimes open the door to the children’s room to listen to story time from my desk.

I loved every second of it.

My shift ended at nine. We used to be open until ten but, with cuts in funding, we had to close earlier. The resulting dip in pay made me spend a little less on extras.

I took pride in being a good steward of my earnings.

At home, a few of my roommates were still awake, watching a movie in the living room.

Showered and changed into shorts, I made my way to the kitchen. The last thing I wanted to do was heat up the house even more than it was. We kept the air conditioner on a reasonable temperature right between being able to afford the bill and roasting.

I decided on leftover spaghetti, since it could be heated up in the microwave. I really wanted some mini corn dogs as well, but we were out.

Those were my favorite.

As I ate, my good friend Scottie came into the kitchen to fill his sippy cup with juice. “Do you want to play later?” he asked.

I glanced at the clock on the wall. “It’s getting late, so maybe tomorrow? It’s my day off.”

Scottie nodded. We’d had several late-night talks about life and love. He was a good listener as well. “That sounds good, but I work in the morning. We have movie night tomorrow as well. All of us.”

“Are you making your crazy movie popcorn for all of us?”

Scottie threw in gummy worms and Oreo crumbles. Everything he could get his hands on. He called it popcorn salad, but there wasn’t a fresh thing in sight.

“Of course. It wouldn’t be a movie night without it. See you then.”

I had a mini ice cream cone before going to bed. While I brushed my teeth, I leaned against the counter and tried not to let the nighttime loneliness in. It already began to creep into my thoughts.

What I wanted to do was crawl into bed with a daddy who would wrap me up in his arms. Stroke my hair. Pull the blanket up over my ears like I liked it.

Someone to take care of me.

That was what I really wanted.

I hopped into bed and opened up my latest romantasy obsession.

I could only read a few chapters at a time before getting tired at night, so this one book lasted over a month.

Most people thought that librarians sat and read books all day long and got paid.

Sure, I got to read sometimes but mostly, there was work to be done.

I sighed happily. Tomorrow was my day off and I intended to play my little heart out.

My days off were recharges for me.

My eyes began to close and I put my book on the side table and shut off the lamp. Going to bed would be a lot better with someone to cuddle with.

A whole lot better.