Page 17 of Rhodes

In my own room I turn off the light, sit on the edge of the bed and pull my shirt over my head before sliding in. The house settles around me, and I still can't quite sink into it. I had this wrong.

I volunteered because it seemed easy: give Coop peace of mind, loan out the spare room, be a body in the building. Nothing hard happened today, no crisis, no trouble.

And I'm lying here clocking one closed door down the hall like it's the only thing in a house I've known for three years.

It was easy on paper. That much I got right.

Living with Tallulah Maybank is going to be more of an adjustment than I had bargained for.

SIX

Tilly

Minimal Intervention: The governing principle of the trade is the least action that will actually do the job. It asks a great deal of restraint from people whose whole instinct is to fix things.

The water runs cold over my fingers while the bottle fills. I pin the phone between my ear and shoulder.

"So?" Jo's voice comes through tinny. "You've had almost a week. I need an update. Any better?"

I twist the cap on and set the bottle by the door, next to the spare key on his key hook in the shape of a dirt bike. He took off all of the other spare keys except one hook, making room for mine.

"That’s the problem." I lean against the counter. “He’s being weirdly nice.”

"So does that mean he's better than living at the brothel with Ericka?"

"Oh, my God. Living in a box in the Quarter would be better than living there. I love Ericka, as you know. But I couldn't get out of there quick enough. I swear she had at least ten different bros sleeping over in the six months I lived there."

“Still can’t believe you got somebody to take your half of that lease. That girl has no idea what she’s in for.”

“Neither can I.”

“Ericka probably scared her into signing before she could change her mind.”

“Don’t ruin this for me.”

Jo laughs. “Whatever. Fall is going to be so much better.”

"Wish we could have made this spring work, but I know, I know."

"Same. But back to your current sitch. He's practically your brother, so this works, right? Easy, peasy.”

"Yeah, it's good. We're getting into our grooves and staying out of each other's way."

Across the room, the coffee table's actually clear. His greasy dirt-bike parts that were all over the room are neatly in a bin that sits under it now. "He's kind of awkward around me now. He used to give me shit the same way Cooper does.”

“Is that a bad thing that he doesn’t constantly give you shit?”

I pull my hair back and loop it up. “I don’t know. It’s just off, like he’s walking on eggshells. I don’t know. It’s just off, like he’s walking on eggshells. He leaves the kitchen when I come in and knocks before he comes down the hall. I mean, this is his house.”

Jo laughs. "The horror. It might just be because y’all are ten and twelve. I think that’s normal, adult behavior when you’re living with someone.”

“I don’t like it. I think I’d rather he be a dick so I can hate him. I don’t like nice Rhodes.”

"Tilly." She draws my name out slow. "Do you hear yourself?"

"What?"

“You walked into his house swinging, ready for a fight.”