Page 49

I nod. “He just told me he’s got maintenance coming out this weekend. I can be back in the apartment next week.”

“And because he’s fixing it, he won’t let you out of the lease,” Lucas concludes. “Damn.”

He’s speechless for so long that guilt starts to seep into my chest.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the whole truth,” I mumble, looking down at my hands clasped in my lap. “I just needed to get out of there—needed to get Milton out of there—and I wasn’t thinking past last night. But I’m sorry I lied.”

“Charli.” Lucas’s voice is softer than I’ve ever heard it, and when I look up to meet his eyes, I can see the sincerity in them. “You don’t need to apologize for that. Ever. I get it. And I’m glad I could help.”

My shoulders sag with relief. I doubt Lucas’s answer last night would’ve been any different with the truth, but even still, I’m glad it’s all out in the open.

And now…onto the next issue.

I straighten and look down at my laptop, my mind already spinning. “Anyway. I guess now my only solution is to go back to the apartment. Since I can’t really afford to be out three months of rent.” I rub at my temples again, exhausted. “I guess I can just time when I’m outside of my building. The apartment itself is decent—and dead bolted—so that’s not really an issue. I can probably⁠—”

“Charli.”

“—limit my trips to the office, and run my errands in⁠—”

“Charli.”

My attention jerks to Lucas. “What?”

He doesn’t have to say a word. I already know what he’s thinking.

Stay here.

A breath shudders out of me. “Lucas, I can’t.”

“Why not?” It’s a genuine question. He doesn’t act like I’m being stupid; he just puts it out in the open.

My voice, on the other hand, takes on a desperate edge. “Because we’re strangers. And we work together. And we’re talking about months. And I have a cat!”

Lucas sends Milton a suspicious look. “We’re…amicable.”

I snort. “Fine. Half a point down, three and a half remain.”

Sighing, Lucas leans against the doorway. “Charli. I already shot these points down on Friday.”

“Yes, b-but…” I scramble for that distance I swore I needed this morning. “But it’s for more than two months! We didn’t talk about that on Friday.”

He shrugs. “So? It’s short-term. Your case with me is also short-term. Some would say this is kismet.”

I aim a glare at him. “I refuse to call a drug deal kismet.”

His eyes go wide at my confession.

And it takes him shaking his head to move past it.

“Oh, come on,” he says instead, walking over to where Milton is perched. Hesitantly, he reaches out one hand to let him sniff it. When no biting occurs, he brushes his hand once, lightly, over Milton’s head.

Milton doesn’t look thrilled, but again, no biting occurs.

Lucas looks delighted. “See? We’re already BFFs. I’m telling you. Kismet.”

I look at my cat, and then at Lucas.

He’s right, damn him. The timing does feel suspiciously close to fated.