Audrey — Chapter 7: Rent

I wake up and Evans is knocked out beside me. He looks all peaceful and adorable, which is annoying because I’m supposed to be mad that he hogged the blanket all night. I could stay like this forever, honestly, but nope. Real life says hi. Work’s calling and bills don’t pay themselves.

It’s been almost two months since that weekend trip. The “magical night.” Yeah, the one that turned into a lot more nights just like it. Magical, messy, and very naked. I laugh under my breath, and right on cue, Evans’s arm slides around me, his hand landing exactly where it shouldn’t. Typical.

“Nice try,” I mutter, prying him off me and slipping out of bed.

The room looks like a clothing apocalypse. Shirts on chairs, jeans under the bed, a bra hanging from the doorknob like it pays rent. Ever since I moved in with him, this place’s been chaos. And trust me, no one’s more shocked about that move-in decision than me.

He begged. For days. Every damn morning, texts, calls, “you basically live here already.” I finally gave in just to shut him up. We found a cute little house not far from Miller’s, close enough that I can still run to work when I oversleep. My truck even has a proper parking spot now, which I’m proud of, even if Evans keeps saying his BMW “looks depressed” next to it. Boo-hoo. My truck’s paid off. His car’s basically sponsored by his dad’s money.

Rent here’s steep, but manageable. Speaking of that, it’s due tomorrow. And with Evans, “manageable” really just means “he’ll probably pay it before I can.” Which, by the way, drives me insane.

I pull on my clothes, half-ranting in my head, half-smiling like an idiot. Last night flashes back, him drunk again, me matching him shot for shot because apparently I like bad ideas. It always ends the same way: whiskey breath, laughter, wild sex, chaos. I keep telling myself it’s just passion. Easier than thinking too much.

My eyes flick to the door. Bra still there. Yep. Last night was definitely wild. Again. I blush, shake my head, and tell myself I’m totally fine. Wild’s fun. Wild’s good. I like wild.

I glance at him one more time, still asleep, still smug, and head to the kitchen. The coffee finishes brewing, and I pour myself a cup, inhaling that first glorious whiff. Heaven in liquid form.

“Morning, trouble,” Evans says from the doorway, voice still raspy with sleep.

“Morning, whiskey,” I say without looking up.

He grins, wandering over, shirtless and smug. “That a compliment or an insult?”

“Both,” I say. “You still smell like last night.”

He smirks. “Didn’t hear you complaining then.”

“Yeah, well, I was busy making bad life choices,” I say, sipping my coffee. “Again.”

He chuckles, kisses me slow, and yeah, the whiskey’s still there. I don’t stop him. I never do. “Mmm. That’s how every morning should start,” he says.

“Sure, if your definition of morning breath is forty percent alcohol,” I mumble into my mug. “Dreamy.”

He laughs, pours himself some coffee, and leans against the counter. “Heading out early today?”

“Yeah. Tara begged for help with something.”

“Not Miller’s?” he asks, raising a brow.

“I’ll swing by later. Try not to burn the place down while I’m gone.”

He grins. “No promises.”

I roll my eyes, but there’s a smile hiding behind the rim of my cup. The kitchen smells like coffee and faint whiskey. The house is a mess. My heart’s full.

And just like that, between the caffeine, the chaos, and his stupid grin, it hits me, I actually live here. God help me.

I finish my coffee, stretch, and start getting ready for a shower. Towel wrapped, dress in hand, mentally running through the day. Evans is still parked at the counter, sipping his coffee like a man who’s never heard of urgency.

“Evans,” I call out.

“Yeah, babe?” he says without looking up.

“Rent’s due tomorrow. I’ll transfer you my half tonight.”

He waves a hand. “Nah, don’t worry about it. My dad already sent it over.”

That makes me stop. “Your dad paid our rent?”

He glances up, finally noticing me, or maybe just the towel. His brain short-circuits. “Uh… yeah. He owed me, so…”

“Evans,” I say, crossing my arms. “We talked about this. We could’ve handled it. You didn’t have to call Daddy Finance.”

He laughs like I’m the one being dramatic. “It’s not a big deal, Audrey. It’s just family money.”

“Yeah, money from family,” I mutter. “See how that sounds?”

He stands, leaning against the counter with that smug grin. “Relax. One day it’ll all be mine anyway.”

“Oh wow. Spoken like a true future CEO of nepotism,” I shoot back.

He walks over, still smirking. “You’re cute when you’re pretending to be mad.”

“I’m not pretending.”

“Sure you aren’t.” He wraps an arm around my waist.

“Evans, I’m serious. You said you were gonna find a job.”

“I will.”

“When? Before or after retirement?”

He chuckles, pulling me closer. “Soon. Promise.”

I sigh, cheeks burning because he’s way too close. “Fine. But I’m still paying my half.”

“Sure,” he says, right before kissing me, effectively ending the argument. “You can keep your money, though.”

“Evans,” I mumble against his lips. “I’m gonna be late.”

“Five minutes won’t kill you,” he murmurs, sliding the towel loose.

I roll my eyes but can’t stop smiling. “You’re impossible.”

“Yeah,” he says, kissing me again. “But you love it.”

~

“Audrey! You’re late!” Tara yells the second I walk in.

I toss my bag onto the counter. “Yeah, traffic was a bitch.”

She narrows her eyes. “We live in the same town.”

“Then I guess it was emotional traffic,” I say, deadpan. “Long story.”

~

After a while, I helped Tara pick out a dress for her boss’s dinner thing. Apparently, she and her husband got invited last minute, and her closet was having an identity crisis.

“Thanks for helping, hun,” Tara said, holding up a dress against herself.

“No problem. You’d be lost without me anyway,” I said, grinning.

She laughed. “You’re not wrong. So, tonight? We still on?”

“Yeah. Me and Mindy will meet you at Miller’s. Try not to bail.”

“Please. I need alcohol after this week.” She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. Then, casual as ever: “You okay? You’ve been somewhere else all day.”

“I’m fine,” I said too quickly.

“Audrey.”

I sighed. “Seriously, I’m fine. If something’s wrong, I’ll say it.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Uh-huh. I know that tone. Spill.”

I groaned. “It’s nothing major. Just… Evans’s dad paid our rent.”

Her jaw dropped. “Wait. What?”

“Yeah. Apparently, Mr. Moneybags swooped in. I didn’t even know until this morning.”

Tara crossed her arms. “And you’re okay with that?”

“No. I mean, I told him not to, but he just brushed it off. Said it’s ‘family money.’” I air-quoted, complete with an eye roll.

“Wow. Classic rich-boy line. ‘Family money’ my ass.”

I snorted. “Perks of dating someone born with a trust fund, I guess.”

“Don’t defend him, Audrey. That’s not cute. He’s a grown man; he should be paying his own bills.”

“I know. I told him to get a job.”

“And?”

“He’s… looking.”

“Uh-huh. Meaning he’s not,” she said flatly.

I didn’t answer.

Tara sighed, softening. “Look, Evans seems like a good guy, okay? I’m not saying he’s awful. But I know you.” She met my eyes. “Don’t get too comfortable with someone taking care of everything. That’s how you lose yourself. Trust me, I’ve been there.”

“What are you talking about? You’re fine, Tara.”

She laughed, but it came out tired. “Am I? You see me now, married, stable, decent job, and you think I’ve got it together. But before Jay, I was different. I had plans. I wanted more. Then we moved too fast, and suddenly everything in my life had his name on it. Even my job? Jay pulled strings for that.”

“I thought you liked pharmaceuticals.”

“I do,” she said quietly. “But it’s not mine. None of it really is. We had a kid early, I panicked, and I just… settled.” She smiled, small and sad. “Don’t do that, Audrey. Don’t let someone make your life easy before you figure out who you are.”

For once, I didn’t have a comeback. Tara was right. She always used to talk about leaving Ashford, chasing something bigger. And now she just looked tired.

“I don’t regret Jay,” she said. “I love him. But I do miss the version of me that wanted more.”

I forced a smile. “So you don’t wanna leave Ashford anymore?”

She chuckled. “Nah. That’s your thing. I’ve made peace with this place. It’s quiet. Safe. Boring, but safe.”

“Fair,” I said, smirking.

She nudged me with her shoulder. “You’ll figure it out. Just… don’t let love turn into debt, okay?”

“Yeesh, Tara. That should be on a mug.”

She grinned. “If it was, you’d spill coffee on it.”

“Accurate.”

But her words stuck. Long after she left, I kept hearing them, don’t get too comfortable.

~

“So, how’s everything going?” Mindy asks, leaning on the counter like she’s interviewing me for a gossip column.

“So far, so good,” I say, wiping down the bar. “Same old Miller’s, same old drunk Charles trying to tip with coupons.”

She grins. “I meant the moving-in part, genius.”

I sigh. “Mindy, you ask me this every day.”

“Yeah, and you still haven’t told me what actually happened today.”

I give her a look. “Fine. You wanna know? Evans’s dad paid our rent.”

Mindy’s eyes widen for half a second before she breaks into a smile. “Okay… and? That’s awesome!”

I blink. “Awesome?”

“Yeah! You don’t have to worry about rent anymore. That’s like, dream material!”

“Mindy, I’m not gonna mooch off Evans. Or worse, off Evans’s dad.”

She waves me off. “Oh please, it’s family money. You think the Carters even notice that kind of amount?”

“Yeah, that’s the problem. He doesn’t notice.” I toss the rag onto the counter. “It’s not about the money. It’s about him not getting what it means to earn it.”

She rolls her eyes. “Audrey, come on. You’ve got a guy who clearly loves you and wants to take care of you. Not everyone gets that. Maybe don’t overthink it?”

I pause, staring at her. She’s not wrong. But she’s not right either.

“It’s just… it’s not even his money,” I mumble.

“It will be one day,” she says, shrugging. “And he did say he’s looking for a job. Maybe trust him a little?”

I sigh. “Yeah. Maybe.”

“Good girl,” she says, patting the counter before heading toward the kitchen.

Now it’s just me, a clean bar, and my brain doing its favorite thing, overthinking. Tara said one thing, Mindy said the opposite, and somewhere in between, I’m losing track of who’s actually right.

“You’ve always done what you think is right, Audrey,” a voice says behind me.

I nearly drop the glass I’m holding. “Jesus, Max, do you practice sneaking up on people or is it a hobby?”

He ignores that. “I’m serious. Everything you’ve done so far, you’ve done because you believed in it. Don’t compromise that for someone who doesn’t understand how hard you’ve worked to get here.”

I stare as he turns to walk away, muttering to himself like he’s in some old Western movie.

“Don’t stare,” he calls over his shoulder.

“Yes, sir,” I say, smiling to myself. Maybe he’s right. Maybe they all are. I just know I need to figure it out my way.

~

“Hey, you’re home,” Evans says when I walk in. He’s on the couch, PS5 controller in hand, whiskey on the table. Of course.

“Yep,” I say, kicking off my shoes.

He glances up. “You okay, babe? How was work?”

“Fine. Busy. Here.” I toss an envelope at him.

He pauses the game, Ghost of Something-I-Can’t-Pronounce flashing on the screen, and looks at it. “What’s this?”

“Rent.”

He frowns. “Audrey, I told you I’ve got it covered.”

“And I told you I’m paying my half. Use it, pay your dad back, build a fort out of it, I don’t care. But I’m paying it.”

He raises both hands. “Alright, alright. You win.”

“Damn right, I do,” I say, grinning.

He smirks, picks up the controller again, and goes back to playing. I watch him for a second, messy hair, focused face, whiskey within reach. Somehow, it still feels right.

I smile, even though a small voice in my head whispers it shouldn’t.

To Be Continued