We hang up, and I jog down the steps of the gazebo toward Blanca. She stops in front of a store, putting down the big box and blowing out a breath.
“Need some help?” I ask.
She smiles. I saw the difference between Blanca and Sierra the minute I was introduced. Blanca is much more easygoing.
“Of course a prince comes to the rescue.”
“I’m no longer a prince. At least not for two months.” I pick up the box and see from the label on the outside that it’s a bookcase. “Furniture in a box?”
She giggles as we head toward the apartments. “Yeah, that’s what us poor folk do.”
“I’m poor now too.”
“You’re temporarily poor.”
I shrug. She’s right, I suppose. Maybe Rowan is right, and I should get a job and take advantage of this opportunity.
We pass a storefront with a Help Wanted sign on the door. Stopping, I place the box next to the door and my hand moves to the handle.
“Are you hungry?” she asks, and I look up to see it says the Bagel Place. “Because Seth—”
I open the door and walk into the small cafe-type restaurant. A few tables are filled with families and couples.
A woman with dark hair comes out and wipes her floured hands on her apron. “How can I help you? We’re mostly out of everything, but I’m making some more if you’d like to wait.”
“Adrian,” Blanca says from behind me.
“Hey, Blanca,” the woman who works here says. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”
Blanca’s cheeks pinken. “Oh, I’ve been swamped and haven’t had time to stop for a bagel.”
“I get you. I’ve been living off bagels for the last week. We had two people leave us this week. I’m desperate.”
Desperate is good. “I’d like to apply for the job,” I say.
Her gaze falls over my body. Maybe I should’ve stayed in my I Heart New York shirt. She looks skeptical.
“Evan, this is Adrian. He just moved in down the hall from me.”
The woman puts out her hand. “Do you have any work experience?”
“None.”
She looks at Blanca at my side, and the two appear to have some sort of conversation without words. “You’re hired.”
Chapter Eleven
Sierra
“Blue Bloods night!” Dylan walks into our apartment unannounced with a pizza in hand.
Before the door closes, I hear Adrian’s voice in the hallway.
“Was that Adrian?” I ask him.
“Yeah, he and Blanca were just coming in.”
I stand. Rian’s face tells me to let it go, it’s nothing, but unease washes over me. “I’m going to see if they want to join us.”
“You know Blanca still has to catch up,” Rian says.
Blanca hasn’t joined us to watch Blue Bloods because she keeps saying she wants to catch up from the beginning. But there’s nothing wrong with a friendly visit to ask her if she wants to join us though, right?
Blanca and Ethan’s door is open when I reach their apartment. Inside, Ethan’s talking to Adrian, so I stop to listen for a minute.
“Babe, why didn’t you call me?” Ethan asks Blanca.
“Because I had it,” she says.
“She’s too proud to ever ask for help,” Ethan says.
Both men laugh.
“Happy to help,” Adrian says.
“Adrian found a job,” Blanca says from somewhere deep in the apartment.
A job? I hadn’t thought of what he would do, but for some reason, a job never occurred to me.
“That’s great. Where at?” Ethan asks.
“The Bagel Place.”
Shit.
“Oh shit. Babe? The Bagel Place?”
Ethan’s worried tone is right on the mark. Why would Blanca allow him to get a job at Seth’s family’s archnemesis?
“I figure it’s only two months, and Evan was desperate for help.”
“You’re on a first-name basis with her?” Ethan asks.
Yeah, how did I miss that one too?
“I thought we talked about this,” Ethan says.
Now I’m too curious to just eavesdrop. I have questions to ask and answers to find out, so I step out of the hallway into the doorway of their apartment.
Ethan does a double-take. “Hey, Sierra.”
“Did I hear you got a job?” I pose my question to Adrian.
Ethan laughs, probably knowing I was eavesdropping and heads into their small galley kitchen. “Beer?”
“Sure,” Adrian answers.
“Nah. Blue Bloods is starting,” I tell Ethan.
“I promised to wait for Blanca to catch up before I watch any more.”
Ugh. Of course he did.
“What about you, Adrian? Want to watch Blue Bloods?” I ask.
“Is that a show?” He accepts a beer from Ethan, quickly taking a sip.
“Yeah, we watch every Sunday,” I say.
“Donnie Wahlberg is in it,” Ethan says as though that should be clear enough.
“The boy band guy?” Adrian asks.
“That’s the one.” Ethan tips back his own beer to draw a sip.
“I think I’ll pass.”
“Blanca and I are heading up to the roof tonight. You’re welcome to join us.”
Adrian shakes his head. “I wouldn’t want to impose on your date night.”
Ethan laughs. “You’re not imposing. We work together, man. Which means we commute together and now we live together.” His eyes widen with the admission as though it’s too much time together.
I punch him in the shoulder.
“Ow. What the hell?” Ethan gives me a dirty look.
“Don’t disrespect my girl like that,” I say.
Adrian turns his head in surprise. “That was all bullshit?”
“Yeah, sorry. I was just trying to make you not feel like the third wheel because you’re new here and they’re all going to watch a television show that’s in its seventh season.”
“Oh.” My cheeks redden that my overprotectiveness shined through in front of Adrian.
Adrian laughs. “Let me buy the pizza.”
Ethan nods. “Sure.”
“No. We have it.” Blanca comes out of the closet she’s been in this whole time. “You’re like a guest.”
“He moved in, so not a guest,” Ethan says, the cheapskate he is.
“Please, it’d be my pleasure.” Adrian smiles.
“See, babe, we can’t deny the man his pleasure.” Ethan puts his arm around her.
Blanca’s eyes fall to me with a heavily implied smirk and I have no time to stop her before she says, “I think he got a lot of pleasure last night. Right, Sierra?”
Ethan’s eyebrows raise and a flush heats Adrian’s face. I give her my best evil stare.
“Let’s go to the roof, man.” Ethan heads to the fridge and takes out a few more beers.
Adrian smiles at me, so I’m guessing he’s not mad. Which, why do I care? It’s not like we’re a secret or anything.
“I guess I’ll be on the rooftop,” Adrian tells me.