When We Fall (Take the Fall, #2)(8)

I find an empty spot and park my car, then head inside. There’s a line to check in, but since I have an appointment, I sit and wait for my name to be called.

A harried-looking man with messy dark hair calls out, “Piper Ross.”

“Right here,” I say cheerfully as I stand.

“Frank Crestman.” He gives me a bland smile. “Follow me.”

We walk to the back of the building, down a long hall of closed doors until we get to his. Once inside, I sit across from his desk while he pulls up my records on his desktop.

“Will you be paying with a check or credit card today, Ms. Ross?”

I feel my face heat. “Neither.”

“Then I’m not sure why you’re here today,” he says.

“Because I need help paying for school.” I pause, then look him in the eye. I refuse to be shamed by my situation. “I don’t have enough money to pay for school.”

With a slightly annoyed expression, he reaches behind him and pulls out a folder. “Here is the hard-copy form to fill out for a student loan. You’ll need to get your parents to cosign.”

My eyes widened. “But—but they won’t sign.” I can only imagine the look on my mother’s face if I were to show up with this paperwork.

“I’m afraid you have no other options. You don’t qualify for aid and you’re still considered a dependent, so your only choices are to pay in full, with a payment plan, or get a loan, but that window is about to close. You’ll have to act fast.”

“Payment plan? How much would that be a month?” I ask, grasping at straws.

Frank gives me a number, and only years of my mother’s training to sit still and not make a scene enable me to remain calm—outwardly, anyway.

“I’m unable to do that at this time, either.” I swallow. “Is there any other way to pay for my classes?” There has to be a way. I can’t do anything with my bachelor’s degree. No one will hire a social worker without a master’s degree on her résumé.

Frank gives me a sad smile. “I’m sorry, Ms. Ross. Your only alternative is to cancel your classes and defer until you can pay or get a student loan in place for the following semester. You have less than a month to notify us of your decision.”

Crap. Now I have no other choice but to actually talk to my parents.





Jase


I spend the rest of the day inking clients. While Piper is on my mind, I don’t let that interfere with my work. Customers come first. If I screw up because my head’s not in the game, they won’t come back and neither will their friends.

There’s a thirty-minute break between clients, so I start gathering everything Piper will need to get our books in order.

“When’s your girl coming in?” Emmett asks as he steps inside the office we share.

My girl. Yeah, that will never happen. “Not sure. She’s just moved in today.”

“Your sister gave me the link to a program we could download. She offered to teach Piper how to use it, but I told her that I’d take care of that.”

The f*ck he will. Emmett is a cool guy, but he’s more of a manwhore than I’ll ever be—his random hookups make me cringe and that’s saying something. I’m not judgmental about what he does with his body, but he should at least be on a first-name basis with the chicks he bangs. If he sets his sights on Piper, then I will be forced to beat the ever-loving shit out of him.

No way in hell will I allow his dick within ten feet of her—my girl or not.

“I got it covered, but thanks.”

Emmett leans against the wall. “What’s the deal with the two of you?”

I glance up at him. “Me and who?”

“You and Piper.”

“She’s my roommate and that’s it.”

“How long do you think that will last?” he asks with a shit-eating grin.

My jaw clenches. “Piper is welcome to rent a room from me for as long as she needs to.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about and you know it.” He pushes away from the wall. “I saw y’all at Rowan and Seth’s party. Could barely fit a piece of paper between the two of you. Not to mention you watch her like a hawk,” he points out.

“So.”

“Hate to break it to you, brother, but this white-knight-to-the-rescue shit ain’t going to last. Once it gets around Forrestville who she’s living with, her daddy will be down here with a Special Forces team to f*ck you up.”

My buddy is probably right, but I’m not breaking any laws. I’m not sleeping with his daughter. I’ve barely touched her. “Piper’s a grown woman. Where she lives is her business and since we’re not together, I don’t see how her daddy will have a problem.”

“Uh-huh,” Emmett says. “Which brings me back to my original question: How long do you think it will be before the two of you are…together?”

“Can’t I be nice to a woman without you questioning my motives?”

“Ninety-nine point ninety-nine percent of the time, I would say yes, but this is a f*cking anomaly since you have no motive.”

I glare at him. “Piper’s a nice girl. A girl down on her luck who needed some help. Yeah, I’d be lying if I said that I don’t get a bit of an ego stroke by rescuing her, but other than that, my conscience is clear. I’m not f*cking around with her. She’s not the type anyway.”