Haze, Andrea Wolfe [english novels for beginners txt] 📗

the extension or not. "I can take those," he said, clearing up my confusion immediately. I leaned forward and breathed slowly as I handed him the checks.

"Listen, Edwin," I said, swallowing a lump in my throat. "Is it possible to wait a couple of days to cash my check? The money should be in my account by tomorrow or the day after."

He laughed. "I can always tell when someone's nervous about something." Edwin didn't say anything after that, but clicked away at his computer again.

I stood in an awkward silence, waiting for something to happen. I fake laughed. "Yeah, I just hate inconveniencing people. I always feel bad even when people say it's no problem."

"Let me check the records." A concerned look broke out across his face, further contributing to my growing horror. I felt wobbly and disoriented, so I discreetly—and calmly—sat down in the chair next to me. He eyed the checks carefully, looking over the antiquated frames of his glasses as he attempted to identify some apparently minute detail.

"Is everything all right?" I asked, my voice hoarse, barely above a whisper. I suddenly doubted my ability to pay rent at all. Had I forgotten to pay for the last few months or something?

"I can't accept this, miss," he said, sliding my check back toward me.

A whole macabre chorus of alarms went off inside of me. I didn't know what this was, but it sounded fucking scary as hell.

"What's the matter?" I stammered. "Is everything okay?"

Edwin seemed to freeze up as if confused. "There's no trouble. Your account is in the black. For the rest of the year. I'm not going to keep taking money. It'd make me a greedy landlord." He smirked.

I took in a huge gulp of air, as my mind struggled to come to terms with this development. In a way, it felt like I was at some awards ceremony, receiving something that literally made no sense for me to receive. "I don't understand." I said it at the exact moment I thought it.

"Your, uh, brother, came by yesterday. Paid me cash. Real nice fella."

"My brother?" Had I stumbled into a sci-fi movie by mistake? Was this identity theft or something? My eyes stared at the floor. "I'm an only child."

"Miss, that's between you and God. Or whatever you subscribe to. Money's there, nothing you can do about now. Jack convinced me to take it. And he said he was your brother."

That sneaky little fucker! A devious smile broke out across my lips when I heard him say it, but I fought it, trying not to be too obvious about it. God, and what a creep. My brother?

Just play along, even if it's gross.

"Wow!" I said. "What a surprise. I can't believe it." It sounded like I had read it off a teleprompter. Edwin didn't seem to notice.

"Well, he surprised me too. Said he had good reason for it. Family inheritance that he wanted to share or something. I don't give a damn one way or another. Money's all money to me."

I heard some tapping on the door behind Edwin and he leaned back and opened it. Terri ran out of the room, bounding in my direction and hopping on my leg. I wholeheartedly welcomed the whimsical distraction.

"You old fool!" Edwin called. "Leave the customers alone. Get in your bed." Terri didn't listen.

"It's okay," I said, smiling and petting the dog's soft fur. "She's fun." I guess the landlord was the only one allowed to have pets in this building. The dog seemed just as excited as I was. It softened me a lot. Terri oozed unconditional love, her tail wagging back and forth with a frenetic energy that I could never match.

"It's less fun when you deal with her every day and night. She never tires out."

"I can imagine." I grabbed the stray check on the desk and neatly ripped it into quarters before shoving the pieces into my pocket. Edwin seemed to be focusing on his computer screen again, so I decided to make my exit. "I'm gonna sneak out," I said. "Thanks again, Edwin."

"Don't thank me," he said. "Thank your buddy, Jack."

"I'll try."

Edwin tried to regain control of Terri and succeeded this time. The dog settled into the oversized plush bed and suddenly looked comically small next to the huge doggie furniture, which added to the already overwhelming cuteness.

I stepped into the hall and made my way back up the stairs, feeling like every step I reached was another accomplishment independent of the one that came before it. Honestly, I felt somewhat euphoric but also uncertain. Something told me there was some condition attached to Jack's gesture, something that I hadn't uncovered just yet.

After walking back in the apartment—I had left it unlocked, assuming that I wouldn't be long; probably not the best idea, but whatever—I sat down at the table and poured myself a totally rotten cup of coffee. It tasted like shit, but hey, why did I care? My day tasted better already.

I realized I needed to get in contact with Jack. He had done this without my input, and while I was a little disappointed to rely on his charity—defending my honor still felt like a real thing whether it was stupid or not—this brought a ton of relief. I had some time to get my shit together, some time to reflect on the bullshit that had taken place. Sam had been literally vicious, like a rabies-stricken dog. Had I stuck around, he probably would have ripped my throat out until my blood soaked the carpet in the office.

I wasn't ready to die.

Fueled by some fresh caffeine, I went head-to-head with my broken phone. My patience was freshly renewed after the surprise downstairs, so I figured now was the time to make a move. I sat down on my bed, staring through the broken glass, trying my hardest to navigate my contacts.

I got Jack centered on the screen, but every time I pressed his name, it chose the contact directly