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“What is it?”
“The city sewer backed up in my house, and twenty inches of sewage later, I’m stranded. The hotels are all booked because of the—”
“Comic Con Convention,” she said more to herself. “Most of the traffic at the blood drive was from out-of-towners.”
“I’d go to my grandpa’s house, but he lives an hour away. I literally don’t know anyone else to ask.”
“It’s okay,” she said, holding the phone with her chin and shoving things into her cart haphazardly. “I’ll text you my address, and you can come over.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. Come to my house, and we’ll figure something out. If nothing else, I’m pretty sure I can clean my spare room in time for you to sleep.”
He gave a nervous chuckle. “I don’t want to put you out or anything.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll text you the address and will be there soon.”
Her art cart was a mess, but she didn’t care. She threw the last of her paint in and wheeled it to her car, all the while making a mental list of everything she had to do. She needed to clean out that room and maybe wash the bedding. She slapped her forehead. Oh, why did she live in a mess? Hopefully, it didn’t send the poor man running.
She sent him a text and then headed home.
As she turned down her street, she slowed her car to a crawl. “It’s so dark,” she mumbled. “What a terrible situ—”
A lone figure stood on her doorstep. His car was parked on the street, directly in front. Her heart did a little jump to see Jason.
She parked in the driveway and hurried out. “Hey, sorry it took so long to get here. The traffic has been a nightmare all day.” When she reached her top step, she looked at the multiple bags at his feet. “I’m glad your things aren’t damaged.”
Jason frowned. “Well, not the things hung in the closet or stored in the upper drawers. And luckily the townhouse on the other side didn’t have any issues. I’m the only lucky one.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Everything’s a mess.”
“How bad is it?”
“Since a lot of the backup happened in the garage and main living areas, the bedrooms were basically untouched. But the smell.” He gagged and slapped a hand over his mouth.
“It’s okay, I get it,” she said, coming to his side. Without thinking, she patted his shoulder.
Instantly, he batted her away.
His eyes grew wide as she took back her injured hand and rested it by her side. “I’m so sorry.” He reached for her hand, but stopped himself. “I just—I’m sorry for snapping,” he said, softer. “It’s been a long night.”
Swallowing down the disappointment, she nodded. “I should’ve known. It’s fine.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I really want—I’m a mess right now, and I need a shower.”
“Jason, it’s okay. I’ll be more careful. And, yes, you can take a shower.” She shook her keys nervously. Hopefully, her bathroom was clean enough.
“Have you lived here long?”
She looked around. “Yeah. Ever since graduating college. I got it before the prices went up.”
“Me too.”
She reached for one of his bags and then stopped. “You live here too.”
He pointed to the last townhouse at the end of the street. “When I got your text, I was a little shocked. I haven’t seen you in the neighborhood once. Not that I would. I stick to myself most days—”
“And park in your garage. My neighbors talk about the recluse at the end of the street all the time.”
He raised a brow. “Well, guess a stinky house will give them something new to talk about. Now, can we go in? I really need to get this smell out of my nose.”
