Chapter 1The Nine Dollar Tenant

It was midnight when a text from my coworker, Jenna, lit up my phone.

“Hey, I know the spare bedroom in your apartment is empty. Any chance I could rent it?”

I fought back a wave of sleep to type a one-word reply.

“No.”

I figured that would be the end of it.

But my phone immediately started buzzing again. A stream of texts.

“I can pay $9.99 a month. How does that sound?”

“I mean, it’s just sitting empty. This way, you could at least make a little something to cover utilities. It’s a win-win.”

I switched my phone to silent, done with her. But a moment later, the screen lit up with her name. She was calling. I ignored it. She called again. Fine.

“Audrey, don’t just ignore me. I think this is a great idea. Think about it—you’re all alone in that big place, it must get lonely. If I move in, I can keep you company, help out with chores. And $9.99 isn’t nothing. You can’t even get that much for a new user bonus on most apps these days.”

* * *

Click.

I hung up, tossed the phone onto my nightstand, and pulled the covers over my head.

The world went blessedly silent.

The next morning at the office, the elevator doors opened to reveal Jenna, blocking the entrance. She was beaming, a cardboard tray with two coffees in her hands.

“Audrey, good morning! I brought you a latte.”

She tried to press one of the cups into my hand.

I sidestepped her. “Thanks, but I’m not a fan.”

Her hand froze in mid-air, the smile faltering for a fraction of a second. A few of our colleagues glanced over.

She recovered quickly, placing the coffee on the corner of my desk. She kept her voice just loud enough for others to hear.

“Audrey, listen, I’m sorry if I called too late last night and woke you up. Don’t be mad, I’m just getting really desperate. My lease is up the day after tomorrow, and I still haven’t found a place.”

She lowered her gaze, her whole body slumping into a portrait of pitiable despair. A few of her work friends immediately flocked to her side.

“Jenna, what’s wrong? You don’t have a place to live?”

“Oh my god, where are you going to stay?”

Jenna sniffled, her eyes welling up. “I don’t know. Worst case, I guess I’ll have to crash at a 24-hour Starbucks or something.”

As she spoke, she shot a quick glance at me from under her eyelashes.

“Doesn’t Audrey have a spare room? Maybe she could put you up for a few days,” one of them suggested.

Another one chimed in instantly. “Yeah, you’re colleagues! You should help each other out. And Audrey, you live in that huge apartment all by yourself. It’d be nice to have some company.”

Jenna looked at me, her eyes shining with anticipation, though the calculation within them was impossible to miss.

“Audrey, please? Just for a few days. I promise I’ll be out of your hair as soon as I find something.”

I powered on my computer and logged into the system.

“It’s not convenient for me.”

My refusal was blunt, final, leaving no room for argument.

The color drained from Jenna’s face. The air around my desk grew still.

She clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white.

“Audrey, what is your problem? You have a huge apartment with an empty room. What’s the big deal about letting me stay for a few days? You just can’t stand to see anyone else catch a break, can you?” Her voice grew shrill.

I didn’t look up, my eyes fixed on the screen. “My apartment. My decision.”

“You—!” She was trembling with rage. “Don’t think you’re so special just because you have money! Living in some fancy high-rise, driving that expensive car… you don’t have a shred of compassion! People like you deserve to be alone forever!”

The rest of the office was watching us now, whispering amongst themselves.

I finally lifted my eyes to meet hers, my expression calm.

“Are you finished? If so, you should probably get to work.”

She seemed completely thrown by my lack of reaction, just standing there, frozen.

I ignored her and started going through my emails.

During my lunch break, I went to the kitchenette to make some coffee. As I approached, I could hear Jenna’s voice.

“You should have seen the look on her face. Like she’s some kind of queen. So what if she has a little money? It doesn’t make her better than anyone else.”

“Totally. She seems so put-together, but I guess she’s just cold-hearted.”

“Jenna, don’t let it get to you. People like that are just selfish. We’ll just stay away from her from now on.”

I walked in, holding my mug.

The conversation stopped cold.

They all looked away, a mixture of guilt and embarrassment on their faces. All except Jenna. She stared right at me, her eyes filled with pure hatred.

I acted as if I’d heard nothing, walking over to the coffee machine and pressing the button. Hot water streamed into my mug, steam clouding the air.

I turned around, meeting her glare.

“Talking about people behind their backs isn’t a good look.”

Jenna scoffed. “I said it. So what? What are you going to do about it? Let me tell you, Audrey, this isn’t over.”