Page 33 of Lucky Mother Pucker

I almost laugh. “I’ve been doing it for almost a year. I’ll survive.”

He looks horrified. His lips form a hard, straight line, and his jaw bulges. Worry flickers in his eyes.

“That’s not…” He swallows hard. “Stay at my place tonight.”

Chapter 13

Leo

Lucy is looking at me like I’ve sprouted another head.

I don’t care. She can think I’ve lost my mind. There’s no way I’m letting her sleep in her car.

I can’t believe she’s been doing this for a year. Living in her car. Barely getting by.

I want to ask her a million questions. Why isn’t she living with her parents? Where are her friends? Why aren’t they offering to help her? Does she have siblings? How did her dog end up in a shelter? How did she become homeless?

She looks like she’s around my age, and she’s dealing with a level of stress and worry that I can’t even imagine.

I don’t ask her any of that though. I don’t want to overwhelm her any more than I already have.

By her expression, she’s freaked out at me insisting that she stay at my place tonight. And as much as I want to find out more about her, I need to make sure she’s safe first.

“You want me to stay with you tonight?” she says.

“Yes.”

Her mouth turns down, like she’s disgusted. It takes an extra second for my brain to process how creepy that comes off.

I shake my head and hold up my hands at her, like I’m surrendering. “No, that’s not…I didn’t mean anything weird or creepy. I just…I want to help you. I’m the reason you lost your job. I owe it to you.”

That’s all true. But it’s more than that. There’s no way I could live with myself if I let this girl sleep in her car knowing that I could do something to help her. That’s not how I was raised.

My mom taught my sister and me to always help others in need. My grandpa was like that too. He would have our family volunteer at shelters and do toy drives during the holidays. He donated a ton of money to charity too.

Lucy studies me for a long moment, like she’s not quite sure if she can trust me.

“I live in a house on the edge of the Hollis U campus with a bunch of roommates. The guys you saw at the diner with me earlier tonight,” I say. “We have plenty of room for you to stay.”

She raises an eyebrow at me, like she’s suspicious. “You want me to stay in a house full of guys I don’t know?”

Jesus, I’m fucking this up.

“Sorry, no. I mean, I know how messed up that sounds, but that’s not how I meant it at all. I swear. I just wanted to explain my situation. All my roommates are gonna be gone tonight. They’re all staying at their girlfriend’s places. I have plenty of space for you so you can get a proper night’s sleep instead of staying in your car.”

Her expression eases. She actually seems like she’s considering it.

“You said yourself you’re exhausted,” I say. “I think it would help a lot if you got a decent night’s sleep in a bed.”

She’s quiet as she thinks about it. “This night’s been so weird.”

I crack a small smile. “Yeah.”

A long silence stretches between us. Her sapphire eyes are big and bright when she looks at me. “Okay. I’ll stay with you. Just for tonight though.”

* * *

I unlock the front door of the house and hold it open for Lucy.