Parvati joined me on the opposite side as she shook her head. “Look, my friend thought it was exciting too, but soon she realized it was nothing more than a job. A degrading job at times too. What happens when he wants sex, and you don’t?”
“I don’t know.”
“What if he demands you stay the night? Or the weekend?”
“It wouldn’t be that bad.”
Parvati sighed. “It’ll feel bad when you realize how little the relationship part of it all means to him.”
“I know. He’s already with Leandro. I can’t expect to be his girlfriend, that’d be dumb.”
“Right.” She leaned over and took my arms in her hands and gave them a squeeze. “The sooner you accept that this is a job, the sooner you can get paid. And then the summer will be over, and you’ll be set.”
Getting paid sure sounded nice then. I glanced around at the room. The kitchen was full of woodwork and worn-out furnishings. My dad needed a good pay-off, and I had the perfect opportunity to make it happen. Besides, who better to lose my virginity to than Matt?
“So…” Parvati gleamed. She leaned up on her palms and put her elbows on the table. “What’s the house like?”
“Huge.” I let out a laugh. “The entry is as big as this room.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. Leandro is like a billionaire or something. He runs a charity company, or a charity service.” I shrugged. “I’m not exactly sure. He helps a lot of people though.”
“At least he’s doing good stuff with all that wealth.”
“Yeah, he’s going to the Appalachia Mountains for something else soon, I think. It has something to do with healthcare. In those places where small towns are cut off from good hospitals, I guess it’ll do a lot of good.”
“Jourdanne, they do sound great. Both of them, really. But don’t let yourself get too close. You still have the letter from Yale coming this summer. That’s a real possibility now that you’ll have the tuition funds.”
I nodded. She was right. I couldn’t let myself get carried away. I had a future planned out, and I intended on sticking with it.
“How’s your friend?” I got up from the table and started the coffee pot. I added the grinds and filled the water as Parvati told me all about Lucy.
“And she paid off her car and her student loans just like that.”
“Just like that,” I muttered back.
I leaned on the kitchen counter as the smell of coffee filled the room.
“You said they offered you more?”
“Leandro did.” I wrapped my arms around my body and let out a sigh. “He doubled the amount.”
“Damn!”
“That’s what I mean. Matt wouldn’t just throw money at me for sex. It felt so real with him. Then Leandro showed up and everything went cold.”
“Jourdanne, come on.” Parvati’s brow lowered. “Focus on the endgame. I don’t want to see your feelings get hurt. Lucy hasn’t gotten a single call from her sugar daddy since the contract ended.”
It was shocking to think that two people could be so intimate for months on end just to walk away with no feelings at all. She was right again, though. It was a job, nothing more.
The door opened with a loud clang and my dad came in with his hands full.
“Oh, let me,” Parvati jumped up and helped him through. Together, she and my dad brought a mess of books to the table. Parvati went over, closed the door, then re-joined us. “What’s all this?”
“This, my dear girls, is how we fix a leaking roof.” My dad spread his hands out over the books with a boastful smile.
“Dad, you’re going to fix the leak yourself?”
“Of course!” He waved me off, then took a seat and flipped a book open. “Don’t doubt your old dad, beetle. I can handle this.”
“Dad, really?” I laughed and sat down. He had checked out at least fifteen books from the library. They were all renovation and decorating books, and a few were for heavy repairs, like a roof. “Usually there’s a team of people who handle these things. Roofing is like a huge deal. You can’t seriously be thinking about doing it alone.”
“I have to do something,” he spoke softly. “I can’t hire the contractors, Beetle. Besides, it’s just a little leak. It needs to be cleaned up and tarred, but that’s all. I can handle this.”
I glanced over at Parvati, then took a breath. “Listen, before you do all this, give me a week to see what I can do.”
My dad raised a brow.
“I… I met someone.”
“Really?” His face lit up. “Do I know him?”
“No, Dad.” I smiled at him. “But he’s really nice and he’s offered to help me out a little this summer.”
“Oh, Beetle, that’s great!”
“It is. And I might be able to help with the roof. Just promise me you won’t get up there just yet.”