Chapter 67

Opening my door so I can listen for Jake’s arrival, I haul a pile of clothes from the top of my dresser and dump it on my floor, followed by subsequent piles around my room.

Jesus, that’s a lot of clothes!

The resulting pile is almost half as tall as I am. I need to clamp down on this excessive buying of Donna’s; it is abusing the company assets, spending so much on stuff I don’t need. I haven’t even worn half of the things she sends my way. I’m like her human-sized dress-up doll.

I put my iPad in the docking station and turn on some music: a random mix of popular songs that I like and the ones Jake has sent me over the months, our weird form of communication. I smile at some of the titles, lifting my mood again as I scroll through, able to pinpoint the memory or the reason he sent each one.

I don’t hear Jake arrive, but Marcus lets him in, and then he’s standing in my bedroom doorway, looking muscular in a red T-shirt and jeans over sneakers. His presence, a