“One minute!” I said through the door.
I stared around at my dogs and my apartment, wondering what lecture I’d get this time around. I gathered them all up and put them in the bedroom so they wouldn’t jump on my landlord, and then I opened the door. “Hello, Mr. Jansen.”
“You’re now more than two months late, Jaime. What’s going on?” he asked bluntly, sounding none too thrilled or patient.
My stomach sank and I nodded in earnest. “I know. I’m trying. I just don’t have a regular job yet, so—”
“I can’t tolerate any more excuses. There aren’t a lot of places to rent in this town, and I’ve got a waiting list of would-be tenants who won’t cheat me outta rent. I’m sorry, but here,” he said, handing me a pink slip of paper with “Eviction Notice” stamped on it in bright red ink, like blood from a bullet wound.
“Please don’t do this to me,” I begged. “If you’ll just give me a little more time, I—”
“You pretty girls think you can get out of anything, but I’m no sucker for a low-cut top! Hell, I don’t even like girls. Besides, you have too many dogs. The lease allows two, not four! Learn to count, and then maybe you’ll find yourself a real damn job!” With that, he briskly walked away.
I walked into my bedroom and pulled all my pets into a hug as my tears dripped down my cheeks and into their fur. “What am I gonna do, kids?” I said. “I’ve got no job, no place to live, and no money. Plus, even if I did find another place, nobody’s gonna rent to a woman with four dogs.”
I didn’t have the money to put down on a house of my own, which was what I’d been trying to save up for until my first career went down the shitter. I considered moving back in with my parents, but that would also mean having to give up my pets, and I wasn’t about to do that. I also felt far too old to put up with stupid rules and curfews, and I knew Mom and Dad would treat me like a teenager, and not a few years away from thirty. They meant well, they did, but they still treated me like a child at times.
Max barked up at me and planted a pink-tongued doggie kiss on my cheek, wiping one of my tears away.
“It’ll be okay, boy. I’ll figure something out,” I promised him, though I had no idea how I was going to keep such a promise. I blew a stray strand of hair out of my eyes and sniffled. “There has to be a way out, that didn’t end with me winding up in Charlie’s arms,” I muttered. “I can’t let us all become strays!”
AFTER THE DAY I HAD, I thought it might be best to cancel my plans to attend the Whiskers & Tails Charity Ball, an annual event hosted by the Blue Ridge County Humane Society. The benefit always raised a lot of money to help cats, dogs, and other unfortunate animals who found themselves without homes. This year, it would be held in a historical castle about an hour away, and 300 guests had promised to show up and give their support. All proceeds would be divided between the nonprofit shelters around the area. Knowing it was a cause that was near and dear to my heart, my mother had bought the ticket for me a month earlier, and I knew and had worked with a lot of the attendees, since I volunteered at several shelters in Blue Ridge and the surrounding areas. As I thought about that, I was reminded just how much those furry friends meant to me, and I couldn’t let my bad situation keep me from going. Wallowing in self-pity won’t do me a single bit of good, I told myself. Besides, if the lights go out here, at least they’ll have lights at the ball!
Tammy called later that afternoon to see how my last few days had gone, though I already knew she was prying about Charlie. I’m sure it’d gotten around town by now that we’d been seen out and about together a few times. Before she could ask though, I told her everything that happened about my job and the eviction notice. She told me to hang in there about the job and offered to house me for a while, but I knew she was allergic to dogs and politely, and regrettably, turned her down.
“At least you have the ball to look forward to,” she said. “You got to have a date! Call Charlie.”
“So he can ensnarl me in his fake wedding scheme. Especially when he finds out I’m down on my luck,” I mumbled and shook my head. “No way in hell. That’s only going to make matters worse and after what happened...” My mind drifted to the kiss we shared only yesterday and every nerve in my body flared to life with a sudden heat. “Nope, not gonna do it.”
“Okay, but you still need a date.”
“Who would I ask?”
“I don’t know, but you sure as hell can’t take Max.”
“Why not? He’s cuter and smells better than most of the men in this town.”
She laughed. “Yeah, and he probably doesn’t try to hump the neighbors as often either.”
“Ha ha.”
“You should really call Charlie,” she said. “You know he’ll go with you.”
“Right. Talk about a dog humping all the neighbors,” I said.
“Just call him, Jaime. It’s just one date. Anyway, you don’t have to tell him you got booted from your job or that the sleazy landlord gave you a pink slip. If you’re so worried about it, just keep it casual and don’t get into anything personal. I won’t tell if you don’t.”
“Thanks, girl. You’re a pal.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty awesome,” she said.
“If you’re so awesome, why don’t you marry him? It’d get him off my back, and then Charlie and I can return to what we do best.”
“Which is?”
“Being friends.”
“I think there’s more going on... As for me and Charlie, we don’t have a chance in hell. You know what a romantic I really am,” she said on a dreamy sigh and I rolled my eyes. “I’ll only marry for love, not money or sex or anything else. I want a man to fall madly in love with me, then vow to spend the rest of his life with me. I know I won’t get that with Charlie. I know the perfect guy will come along and ride off into the sunset with me.”