“Nah, I’m good. I’ll bring Evan over to my place tomorrow, and change then.”
The couple at the doorstep nodded. After a quick “it was nice seeing you,” they were gone.
I hated small talk, and the awkwardness of meeting new people, and pointless conversations.
Of course, I could have a pointless conversation with Evan all day long. It wore me out, but he loved it. And it helped him learn, so it wasn’t pointless. Not like awkward greetings and conversations about the weather were.
But then again, I’d never been one to avoid the truth or beat around the bush.
“You can sit out here, if you want,” Char offered, gesturing to the living room. She was watching her favorite medical drama on TV, even though she’d probably already seen every episode a couple of times at that point. It was always either medical dramas or cop shows for her; she claimed she loved the adrenaline. She and I were still getting used to each other; I was an open book, but I didn’t trust or adapt easily, and everything about sharing a house with her was still relatively new.
“I’m not sure how Lizzy will feel about me leaving Evan asleep in there alone,” Elliot explained, still scratching my wolf’s head. She was loving the head-scratches, as far as I could tell.
“She usually sits out here and has dinner, showers, and works on her computer until she’s ready for bed. I don’t think she’d have a problem with you doing the same.”
Elliot frowned. “I thought she taught fitness classes and worked food delivery on the side.”
“She does,” Char agreed.
“Then she shouldn’t have to work at night, too.” His forehead wrinkled. “Doesn’t she ever relax?”
That would be a no.
Charly shook her head. “I’ve never seen that girl even consider sitting her ass on the couch to do nothing, so I’d say no.”
I sighed silently.
Thanks, Char.
Elliot was still frowning as he walked into the kitchen and took a seat at the table.
I wasn’t stuffy and boring, like she made me sound. There just wasn’t enough time to make the kind of money I needed while doing something I even slightly enjoyed without the side jobs. Teaching Zumba was as close as I could get to the dancing I wanted to do while still giving Evan the life he deserved.
Even doing it the way I was, things were tight. Really tight.
Pediatric shakes were really damn expensive. So was insurance. So was… everything.
But I was surviving just fine.
I sure as hell didn’t need a mate to waltz in and try to save the day.