Accidental Tryst (Charleston #1)(38)

"Son-of-a-bitch," I hissed out loud, straightening up as I saw my bank balance. Never mind a hotel and a show, I could take a week-long Caribbean vacation for the amount of money deposited in my account.

As soon as the shock passed, I felt the rise of immense irritation. God. I already felt in debt to him, and now it was worse. He was throwing his money around. Either he didn't value money, or I was his charity case. Both scenarios made my stomach turn.

A text popped across the top of the screen. Armand letting me know Trystan had arrived to rent my place, and I had to remind myself that while he may be overpaying, he was in fact renting my place. That part wasn't charity. Rescuing David, maybe, but I could explain away the rest of it.

"You okay out here?" D'Andre's voice made me jump. "Oops sorry, didn't mean to freak you out."

I smiled up at him, and he joined me on the top step. "Sorry. In my own world. What a day."

"What a day, indeed. So how'd you get the limo hookup?"

"Well." I blew out a breath and held up the cell phone. "That was cell phone dude's doing. Life works in mysterious ways. The most annoyingly inconvenient thing that's ever happened to me led me to "not meeting" this . . . guy, who ended up being the one to pretty much save David."

D'Andre's eyes were wide, his eyebrow cocked is disbelief.

"Believe it," I said. "David called Trystan Montgomery on my number, and Trystan somehow convinced David to stay where he was, have something to eat, and then get in a limousine to come here." I shook my head. "I honestly don't know how I'll ever repay that debt."

"Maybe it's not meant to be paid," D'Andre said thoughtfully. "I mean sometimes things have a value beyond, you know? Maybe you just pay it forward."

"I guess."

"Sounds like a good guy though. Maybe you two should actually plan to meet for real."

"Ha." I let out a nervous cackle. "One minute he's soooo . . . everything. And the next he acts like a prick. I don't know who I'm going to get. And I can already tell from all these many, many dating apps," I brandish the phone out in front of me, "that this one runs a mile from intimacy and commitment. Two things I value above everything else."

"Everything else?" D'Andre teased.

"You laugh," I said seriously, "but I'd settle for bad sex as long as I had intimacy and commitment."

"Girl, you must have dated some assholes."

"Probably," I agreed. "But mostly no one whose character's been worth settling everything else for."

"Now, I don't call myself a dating expert," D'Andre said, his voice taking on a higher pitched preaching tone. "But I'd say what that dude did for you today showed his character."

I squinted. "Don't," I complained. "I'm already crushing hard on the dude. Please don't give me more reasons to. I need less reasons."

"Well, he keeps doing shit like today? Girl, you in trouble."

The setting sun chose that moment to streak rays between the buildings. I raised my hand to shield my eyes.

"Are you clocking out?" I asked, noticing he was out of his scrubs and wearing designer-looking jeans and a lightweight jacket.

"Sure am. I'm headed into the city to see Logic." He shook his head side to side, his bright smile contagious.

"Your idol."

"You know it. I got a friend with a hookup at the club he's playing. I may get to meet him after, you know?"

My eyes widened. "That's awesome."

"You wanna go? I could get you in. I'm going with a crew. It's real. You'll love it."

I laughed. "I was thinking earlier I'd love to go to a show, but I was thinking more along the lines of Bruce Springsteen. You probably don't even know who that is."

D'Andre reeled away from me, his hand on his heart. "Baby girl. Stop it. You hurtin' me. I grew up in Jersey, yo. And that guy? Those are some lyrics right there. He may not be street, but he's talking the same shit."

"Never thought of it that way. David was a fan. Is a fan. I don't know. Anyway, I grew up knowing all his music."

"Well it's not Springsteen, but you'll have a good time. You in?"

"D'Andre, be serious." I laugh and look down at myself, straightening my jean clad legs out in front of me. "I'm not dressed for a club."

"Look. I ain't hittin' on you. But you hot. Just, like, put some makeup on or some shit."

"Stop it. Tell me about your YouTube thing."

He leaned back on his elbows. "Been rappin' and posting my lyrics. On Instagram too. I have followers, not many, but it's been cool. I just like need a big break, you know? Like if I get mentioned or picked up by another YouTuber it'd go big you know?"

I thought about my little phone hacker friend and his YouTube channel, though I didn't know much about what he actually did. While I thought about it, I dug out his card. "This guy." I showed it to D'Andre. "Know of this guy?"

"Xanderr? Shit, yeah. He's a gamer but, like, he's pretty famous."

"Is he?" He had seemed pretty cocky, but then I wasn't around a lot of the current crop of teenagers. And not famous enough not to be stuffed into economy class next to me. Then again, that was probably his parents doing.