Power Drilled (Roommates, #8)(8)

“Me, too.” It was just that my temper was set lower than Lila’s, which was a good thing. Usually.

“Anyway, I’ve got to run, but why don’t you come out to the inn this weekend? It’ll give you a chance to clear your head before all the fun and games next week.”

That wasn’t a bad idea. It was always pleasant to be out in the countryside. But there was one big problem with that. “My car’s in the shop.” The mechanic had called this morning and said that it was basically on life support. He couldn’t even give me an estimate yet, but I didn’t think it was going to be cheap. I had no idea how I was going to pay that bill.

“Take the train,” Lila urged. She was a big fan of Chicago’s public transportation, but it didn’t do me a lot of good in the suburbs.

“Maybe,” I said, and I suspected she knew me well enough to know that it wasn’t likely to happen. My job search, my car problems, and the general mess that was my life weren’t going to be solved by lazing around all weekend while Lila’s boyfriends cooked for us and pampered us. Though it sure as hell sounded tempting.

“Hang in there.” Lila’s voice was soft and sympathetic, which wasn’t her usual mode. That was how I knew she meant it.

After we hung up, I scoured my little studio apartment looking for any more traces of Jeff, but I didn’t find any. We hadn’t lived together—thank goodness—but he’d been here a lot. At least when he wasn’t cheating on me with Tanya.

The phone rang again. Didn’t people know that my generation didn’t like phone calls? I curled up on the sofa, staring at the screen that showed it was my mom. I answered on the last ring.

She only made it through thirty seconds of small talk before she dove into why she’d really called. “What are you going to do, sweetie?”

“I don’t even have an estimate yet. I guess if it’s too much, I might as well just sell it for scrap.”

There was a pause, and then my mom sounded confused. “Sell what for scrap?”

“My car,” I said, stifling a sigh. “I texted you, remember? It broke down the other night.”

“Again?”

“Yeah.”

“Sorry, Penny, I forgot. I’ve just been so preoccupied with the wedding.”

Great, we’d arrived at the one subject that was even more depressing than auto-repair bills.

“There’s just so much to do,” my mom continued, but I could tell she was choosing her words carefully. “Denise asked me to redo the centerpieces for the reception, and the hotel is saying they won’t have time to cater the rehearsal dinner until after nine, and... she’s my sister, Penny, and she wants to make everything perfect for Claire. I have to help her.”

“Of course,” I said, for possibly the thousandth time in the last few weeks. My mom had five siblings, but she was closest to Denise. And Claire, the bride-to-be, was my mom’s goddaughter. Of course my mom wanted to help. And I wanted her to. Claire was my favorite cousin and we’d been extremely close as kids. She deserved a lovely wedding.

My mom’s voice was full of concern when she spoke again. “I know it’ll be hard for you, but they’re family. All of them.”

I scowled as I hugged my knees to my chest. Aunt Denise was family. Cousin Claire was family—and her fiancé soon would be. But considering that Claire’s younger sister, Tanya, was currently shacking up with my ex, the wedding was a very painful subject for me. Plus, Tanya and I were both bridesmaids, so yeah, next week should be fun. Not that I blamed Claire. It wasn’t her fault her sister and my ex were complete scum.

My mom seemed to follow my thoughts. “At least you won’t have to face them alone.” Excitement filled her voice. “Tell me more about your new boyfriend. You’ve been so mysterious about him.”

I shifted my position on the couch and gave a fake cough to stall for time. “He’s… he’s a private person, Mom, and you know, it’s a new relationship.”

“I get it, honey. But I’m so glad that you met him. Can you imagine how awkward it would be to go to the dance, the brunch, and the rehearsal dinner without him?”

Big families had big weddings, and there were already a half-dozen activities planned for next week leading up to Claire and Matthew’s nuptials. “I can’t imagine going to those things alone, no.” It made me completely uncomfortable even to think about it. There was no way I’d make it more than thirty minutes if I had to watch Tanya and Jeff making doe eyes at each other or dancing and holding hands.

“Good thing you found someone so soon after that jerk left,” my mom said. “Not that I’m surprised. You’re such a pretty girl.”

I barely heard that last part, because I was still stuck on her former words. Yes, it would’ve been very good if I’d found someone so soon after Jeff. But I hadn’t. All I’d done was cry my eyes out. There was no new man. Nor any man in my life. I’d only told my family I was seeing someone to save face. To seem less pathetic. Because really, who wants to be the woman at the wedding whose boyfriend left her for her cousin?

But the truth was, I had no job. No car. And no boyfriend.

And I had a feeling I was going to need all three to make it through next week.

Tears formed as I set down my phone after our call ended. How was I going to make it through the week surrounded by my entire family? It wasn’t just that Jeff had dumped me—it was that I’d been with someone like him in the first place. What did that say about me?