“That’s awfully optimistic, since you told me you yourself had given up on dating.”
“We’re not talking about me,” he said. “We’re talking about you, and it’s a totally different situation.”
“Uh huh.”
He ignored that and told me, “Even though the guy from last night ended up being a terrible person, I’m still proud of you for putting yourself out there and giving it a shot.”
“He wasn’t a terrible person. At least I don’t think he was. I definitely have some questions for him, though. Mostly, I need to know if he came home and slept with me while fully intending to rip me off afterwards. Or was it that he saw the watch and made an impulsive decision? I can maybe understand the second one. But if robbing me was premeditated, then god help this guy once I find him.”
“You wouldn’t really hurt him, would you?”
I’d almost forgotten who I was talking to, until I looked at the screen and saw my kid brother’s worried expression. He tried so hard to believe I was a good person, despite all evidence to the contrary.
Of course, I’d normally beat the hell out of anyone who screwed me over the way Jack had, just as a matter of principle. But I meant it when I said, “I don’t know what I’ll do once I find him. It depends on his answers to my questions.”
“Maybe it really was an impulsive decision. Or maybe he desperately needed some money,” Romy said. “I’m not condoning theft, obviously, but there may be extenuating circumstances that you should consider.”
A waitress arrived with my brother’s breakfast just then, and I poured myself a cup of coffee and kept chatting with him while he ate. At the end of the meal, we promised to do it again the following weekend. Then I disconnected the video call and went to get dressed.
I had a thief to find.
4
Jack
I liked to think of myself as a pretty self-sufficient guy, someone who really didn’t need a lot of people in my life. There was my mom, and my best friend Wyatt, who I’d known since high school, and that had always been enough for me.
But after spending nearly a week in the pink Victorian with this amazing group of people, I started to think that maybe my life was a little lonely. It would probably wear off once I was back in my world, but for now it was weighing on me.
Not that the self-proclaimed Pink Victorian Crew excluded me or anything. Just the opposite. Since I’d taken up temporary residence on their couch, they’d let me be a part of their game and movie nights, cocktail hours, late-night conversations, and family dinners—because that was what they were, a family.
A couple of them were actually related, but mostly they were a family by choice. In all, seven people lived in the Victorian. Another couple and their young son were part of the family, too. They lived in the house directly behind this one, shared the big back yard, and joined the Crew for dinner several nights a week. It was sweet, the way they all cared about and supported one another.
At the same time though, it made me feel like maybe my life was a little empty, especially since the two people I cared about most were back home in Kansas.
I’d told Hal, the newest member of this household, that it was going to feel strange going back to my empty apartment after being around so many people. “I know what you mean,” he said. “I’ve only been here a couple of months, but I can’t imagine ever going back to living alone after this. You’re going to stay in touch though, right? We’re friends now, and the door’s always open.”
I really liked Hal, even though he was obscenely young at twenty-three and far too pretty, with his perfect dark hair and flawless skin. I’d assured him I planned to stay in touch, but it didn’t seem all that likely. I had little in common with Hal, or with any of them, really. They were all normal people leading normal lives. Meanwhile, I’d lived on the fringes of society for so long that I barely knew how to behave in polite company.
I had some truly atrocious habits, like the fact that I automatically cased every room I entered. Even though I had absolutely no intention of robbing these people, I had a running inventory in the back of my mind of every valuable thing they owned—which wasn’t much.
Aside from a minor antique here and a so-so collectible there, the only things of real value could be found in JoJo’s little studio at the back of the house. She was a jewelry designer and kept a small selection of precious and semi-precious gems and metals on her workbench. In all, it was probably worth fifteen-hundred dollars. I hated myself for mentally totaling it up while I’d sat in her studio and chatted with her one sunny afternoon.
It made me feel like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and like I wasn’t worthy of their friendship. Especially not JoJo’s, even though I adored her. She was lovely and stylish and smart, and she’d treated me with so much kindness from the moment we’d met.
Case in point, here she came with two cups of tea and a plate of cookies. It was around four p.m. on Friday, and she was taking her usual mid-afternoon break. Everybody else was either at work or out living their lives, so she was left with me for company.
I set aside the ebook I’d been reading on my phone and shifted around so my wrapped foot was on the coffee table instead of on a stack of pillows. After I thanked JoJo for the refreshments, I told her, “I’ve decided to head home this afternoon. You and your family have been wonderful, but I can’t keep taking advantage of your hospitality.”
It had felt good to be here and to pretend I was part of a family. But my ankle had ended up being more of a twist than a sprain and was feeling a lot better, so I didn’t really have an excuse to keep hanging around.
“Are you sure? You’re still limping, and I don’t know about attempting the three flights of stairs in your apartment building.”
“I can take it slowly,” I said, “and once I get to my apartment I’ll plan on staying put for a while.”
“It’s up to you, but just know you’re welcome to stay here as long as you’d like.”
“I appreciate that.” After a pause, I met her gaze and added, “I want to say something, just because I really like you, JoJo. Please don’t take this as an insult, but I think you’re too trusting. You allowed me into your home even though I was a complete stranger, but not everyone is kind and well-intentioned, the way you are.”