But hell if I didn’t follow him out of that apartment anyway. I justified it by telling myself only a fool would let his pride keep him trapped in that filthy place, but deep down, I knew better.
The truth was, I liked Derek. I liked the way he took control of a situation. I liked the sharp edges of his gravelly voice. I liked the look in his eye when he wanted something done his way, the one that said don’t fuck with me. And when I looked at his life, I saw someone who had done things right. He’d decided what he wanted, and he’d gone after it. I knew I could learn from him.
He was just outside the stairwell door when I caught up with him. “Hey,” I said. “You don’t have to do this.”
“I know I don’t.” He slipped his sunglasses on again. “What did you pay for that piece of shit mattress?”
“Four hundred dollars.”
“Get it back. For half that, I’ll rent you my guest room for two weeks.” He started walking toward the parking lot, and I followed.
“I’ll pay the full four hundred.” Accepting his generosity was one thing, but I wanted to do my part. My pride demanded it.
“You can’t afford it right now, Max. Trust me. I know what decent apartments cost here.”
“Then I’ll pay it back eventually,” I argued, only slightly distracted that he’d shortened my name. It suggested familiarity, closeness even. I liked it.
We reached the car and got in. “How much is in your savings?” he asked.
“About two thousand dollars.”
He looked at me. Blinked. “We need to find you a job.”
“Of course. I was planning on it.”
“You didn’t say that when I asked about a plan before.” His brow furrowed.
“Because if I did,” I admitted, “I might cause it not to happen.”
His expression grew even more puzzled, and then suspicious. “Is this a Russian thing?”
I almost smiled. “Yes.”
Exhaling, he turned on the engine. “At the risk of causing you bad juju or whatever, I’ll see if I can help you find something. Ellen might even have some work for you at the bar.”
“I’d love to work for Ellen. And I have some experience working at a bar.”
“Great,” he said, pulling into traffic. “Although you know how Ellen is. She claims to hire people based on their auras, not their resumes. How’s your aura?”
I laughed. “Pretty good, I think? Although I’m not really sure what an aura is, exactly.”
“Me neither.” He shook his head. “But somehow it’s worked out for her so far. The bar does well.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“It is. I’m happy for her. For a while, I was worried she’d never figure her life out. Name a profession and she’s probably wanted to be that at one point—astronaut, circus performer, veterinarian, ballerina, flight attendant. She’s always been all over the place. Totally opposite of me.”
“But you get along so well.”
“We do,” he mused. “It’s funny because our brother, David, is sort of the opposite of both of us. He never wanted to work for the family business because he wants nothing to do with corporate culture. Says he doesn’t have the stomach for negotiation. But he was always really focused on studying marine biology and becoming a professor.”
“A professor. That’s awesome.”
Derek shrugged. “He seems happy, especially now that he’s married and has a baby. I wish they lived closer, although he’s probably glad for the distance from my parents. He doesn’t get along with my dad very well.”
I didn’t know what to say. Curiosity burned in me, but I’d never ask. Luckily, he went on.
“It’s nothing big, they’re just really different. And my dad was hard on us growing up. Very religious, very demanding. But also very proud of us when we met his expectations. I was better at handling the pressure than David was.”