The Change Up Read online

  “Stay-cation, babe. Sorry.”

  “Ugh, I knew you were going to say that. If people only knew you the way I know you, they’d be shocked that you’re not the rebel bad boy with the tattoos they paint you as, but rather a snuggle cuddly bear who enjoys hot chocolate with thousands of marshmallows and staying at his apartment with a sketchbook in hand.”

  “Yeah, and if we can keep that under wraps, that would be awesome.”

  “Don’t worry, tough guy, I won’t ruin your image.”

  “It’s appreciated.” Heart-shaped lips where the corners automatically tilt up ever so slightly, as if she has a permanent smile on her face. It’s a little thing I’ve noticed over time about her lips—the corners are always aiming toward the sky, rather than the ground. It’s what makes her so special, ever optimistic. “What’s up with you? Any new boys I need to know about?”

  “Unless you’re speaking of the four-legged kind, then no.”

  Kinsley works for an animal shelter in our hometown. She’s always been the girl that takes in every animal that crosses her path. A Mother Earth type, healing, feeding, and saving one animal at a time ranging from caterpillars to stray cows she finds along the road.

  Yeah, a fucking cow. She brought the heifer to my house first, knowing her parents were going to be mad, but she wanted to save “Bessy” and give her a warm place for the night until she could figure out her action plan. It’s how I ended up sleeping in my parents’ shed one winter night, sharing a blanket with an odorous cow.

  “No one?”

  “Well, you know, I do get my womanly needs met by Stan down at the Feed and Seed occasionally.”

  I groan. “Jesus fuck, not Stan. Kin, have some standards.”

  “You’re failing to remember that I live in the middle of nowhere. There aren’t many options for bed partners around here. Or friends for that matter . . .” she mumbles, and I know it’s one of her grievances about living in the town we group up in. Everyone left, including me, leaving her with her mom as her only friend and . . . Stan apparently.

  “But Stan . . .”

  “Hey, I don’t judge your brothel of women you keep on hold, so don’t judge my need for release with Stan. Okay?”

  “Fair, but it’s not a brothel.”

  “Agree to disagree,” she says as I start to work on her hair, wishing I could portray the natural blonde hue of it, the way it shines under the sun, making it almost look white. “I do have some depressing news.”

  My pencil pauses as I look down at the phone. “Depressing? You never talk about depressing shit. You’re always a ball of positivity.”

  “Yeah, I tried to put a good spin on this but not sure I can. I’m having a hard time. Maybe you can help me.”

  “You know I’m the wrong person to try to spin something positively but I can give it a try. What’s up?”

  “Well, you know I’ve been trying to get out of Woodland for a while now but it’s been hard given my job and the pay.”

  “Yeah.” I draw the slope of her neck, trying to make my lines as smooth as possible to represent how soft it looks.

  “Well, I got a job offer in Chicago—”

  “What?” I pause my strokes. “Seriously?”

  “Yup, it’s with Finding Homes. They connect animals whose owners are terminally ill with a family who can take care of the animal.”

  “Shit, that’s depressing. I can see why you’re upset about it.”

  “No, that’s not why I’m upset. I really love their work. It’s why I applied. All I kept thinking about was all those people who were dying and wanted to make sure their pets were taken care of. It gives them peace of mind, you know?”

  Still depressing, but Kinsley has the most beautiful heart I’ve ever seen, so I can see why she’d want to work with an organization like that.

  “Okay, so what’s the problem? If you got the job, isn’t that exciting?”

  “Yeah, but then they told me the salary.” She sighs. “There’s no way I could afford to live in Chicago on that amount. At least not at first. They said they’re looking at a huge partnership with Barking Tails, the Organic Dog Food brand. If they can land the partnership it would change everything. More money, new facilities, more quality accommodations for transferring animals. But they won’t know about it until the end of the year probably.”

  “And you need to accept now.”

  “Pretty much.” She sighs again. “So that’s where I am, trying to put a positive spin on all of this. I guess . . . I mean . . . I could say . . .”

  As her brain spins in all different ways to turn this into a positive moment, my brain spins as well, but for a completely different reason.

  This is a dream job for her.

  And she’s going to turn it down because of the cost of living?

  Fuck that.

  “Take the job and stay with me for a bit.” But the moment the words fall past my lips, I realize what a huge mistake I just made. Shit.

  Chapter Two

  KINSLEY

  “What did you say?” I ask, my breath catching from what I think he just said. “Did you just say I could stay with you?”

  He doesn’t answer right away, but instead clears his throat. “I mean, not forever, just until the partnership figures itself out.”

  “You’re serious. You would be willing to sacrifice your bachelorhood and sex schedule to allow me to stay with you?”

  He lightly chuckles and says, “Kinny, I never bring anyone back to my place. You should know that. I like my privacy.”

  “Ugh, I forgot, you have a hotel sex den. So barbaric.”

  “Insults? Really? After I offered you my place to stay so you could take a job you really want and finally move out of your parents’ house?”

  “Huh, did I ever tell you how much I like your hair?”

  His laugh booms over the phone and I smile to myself. That sound right there, the full-on guttural laugh that I only get from him on the rare occasion, it’s perfect. Throaty, deep, and real. I love hearing it, as it reminds me of the boy I grew up with. Maddox Paige has an intimidating presence. He rarely lets anyone other than those in his inner circle see his true self, which means the laugh I just heard doesn’t make many appearances.

  “Can’t hear compliments about my hair enough.”

  “So manly and scary. Just what you were going for, right?”

  “Yeah, that’s exactly what I tell my stylist when I sit in the chair,” he says sarcastically. “Please give me the manly, yet scary haircut.”

  “I hope you tipped well, because they nailed it.”

  He sighs heavily. “You’re so ridiculous.”

  “And yet you still keep coming back for more and say crazy things like hey, you can move in with me.” I grow serious and say, “Do you really mean that, Maddie? I can stay with you?”

  “I mean . . . yeah. I want you to be happy, babe,” he says, his voice incredibly sincere. “I know how much you’ve been looking to leave Woodland, getting away from your mom, starting something new, so you can’t say no to this opportunity because of housing, especially when I live here.”

  “Yeah, but won’t I drive you crazy?”

  He chuckles. “Probably, but I’m also in the middle of the season. I’ll be in and out on away trips, we won’t be stepping on each other’s toes too much.”

  “Okay, but don’t you have a one-bedroom place?”

  “Again, yes, but you can hang out in the living room. I can get an air mattress or something.”

  “Mm-hmm,” I hum. “Are there any rules? Or can I live my life freely?”

  “Ground rules,” he says quickly. “There will be ground rules.”

  He knows me too well to let me run loose. The thought of his eyes panicking when he quickly stated ground rules makes me chuckle.

  “What kind of ground rules? Like socks on the door?” I tease, curling my legs into my body. I’ve missed his voice so much, and it’s made my heart ache.

  “I to
ld you, I don’t bring people back to my place. I like my privacy.”

  “I’m not talking about you, I’m talking about me. What if I meet THE MAN when I’m in Chicago? Should I put a sock on the door if we’re rocking it out on the floor of the living room?”

  In the most serious tone I think I’ve ever heard him use, Maddox says, “If I’m not bringing home people, neither are you. I don’t want anyone knowing where the hell I live. So if you want to fuck, create your own hotel sex den, as you like to call it.”

  I fluff my hair. “I have more class than that.”

  “Says the girl who lost her virginity in the back of a rusty pickup outside the Feed and Seed.”

  “That’s called spontaneity and a great use of our resources.”

  “Call it what you want, but the class in you is hard to find at times.”

  He’s not entirely wrong. I’ve been known to do some less than society approved things like run down Main Street completely naked because I was dared to or peeing in a dumpster because I was too lazy to find a toilet. Not my finest moments, and I’m sure they’re things Maddox remembers vividly since he was there both times. Luckily he covered his eyes when I stripped down. He only saw the full moon as I ran away.

  Smiling, I say, “Moving on. What are the other ground rules?”

  “No animals.”

  “But—”

  “I’m fucking serious, Kinsley.” Yikes. My full name. He means business. “No animals. I don’t want anything with four legs in my apartment, got it?”

  “That’s a hard one because—”

  “Non-negotiable. No animals.”

  I bite my bottom lip and squeeze my eyes shut, my heart wavering back and forth. He really knows how to hit me hard.

  “Kinsley . . .”

  Ugh . . . he’s so mean.

  “Okay, fine. No animals. What else?”

  “Keep your girly shit to yourself. You’re messy, and I don’t want that mess spreading all over my space. You can have a corner that can be your mess and that’s it.”

  “I’m not messy.”

  “Last time you were here, I thought I was wiping my face with the hand towel but it was your lacey underwear.”

  “You know I try to conserve energy by not drying all my clothes. The hand towel rack was a great place to dry underwear.”

  In a slow deliberate voice, he repeats, “Keep your mess to yourself.”

  “You’re very particular, you know that?”

  “Because I know you well, and I know your faults.”

  “I would barely say bringing animals home is a fault.”

  “Do I need to bring Bessy up again?”

  Huffing and crossing my arms, I say, “You sleep one night out in a shed with a wonderfully large cow and you’re butt hurt for life. Honestly, Maddox.”

  “If you can’t agree to these terms, then it looks like I won’t be able to offer my apartment to you.”

  I think about it for a second, giving his offer some serious thought before I jump on board. I practically lived with Maddox growing up, we were always back and forth to each other’s houses, sleepovers even when our parents didn’t know, because they were afraid something was going to happen even though we were just friends. I feel like I know Maddox more than I know myself at times. I’ve seen him grow into the stunning man he is today, the professional baseball player everyone knows him as. I’ve watched him face heartbreak, I’ve seen him meet success head-on, and I’ve witnessed his failures as well. If I were to live with anyone, it would be him. It would feel easy, but can he really take me?

  I’m my mother’s daughter. I’m unorthodox. I know he knows that but then again, it’s been ten years since we’ve truly spent a lot of time together. We’ve had some long weekends here and there, nothing that actually spanned over the length of months.

  “What are you thinking about?” he asks, knowing I’m running through all the pros and cons of his idea.

  I’ve always been honest with Maddox since the day we became friends, so I say, “I don’t want you to wind up hating me.”

  “Hating you? What are you talking about?”

  “I know myself, Maddox. I know how I can be sometimes. I’m a little much and being around me all the time might get on your nerves.”

  I roll my teeth over my bottom lip, nervous what his answer will be.

  “Kin, you know I love you, and even though you’re a little more eccentric than others, it doesn’t matter. I want you to be happy. You deserve this job, you’ve worked so hard to achieve.”

  “You mean that?” I feel tears start to well in my eyes.

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “Maddie,” I sigh as a small tear rolls down my cheek. “Do you realize how much this is going to change my life? How much I’ve wanted this? You’re helping a dream come true.”

  “It’s no big deal and for the love of God, don’t make it one.” I know he gets uncomfortable with praise, so I’m not surprised by his pained reply.

  I chuckle. “I can promise I won’t make it a big deal. How much do you want for rent?”

  “You’re kidding, right? Babe, I don’t need your money.”

  “I know you don’t need it but I want to give you something for letting me stay at your place and disturbing your peace.”

  “Save your money for when you can rent your own place. Just watch over the apartment when I’m on the road. Get my mail. That will be more helpful than you know.”

  “That seems like an uneven trade.”

  “Fine.” I can hear the smile in his voice. “Make me dinner and coffee. Call it even.”

  “Dinner and coffee? You do realize you’re terrible at negotiations, right?”

  “Only with you. Now get off the phone with me, accept the job, and break the news to your mom. Okay?”

  “This is really happening?”

  “It is.”

  “Have I told you how much I love you?”

  “Every time we talk on the phone.”

  “Well, I do,” I say, feeling warmth spread through me.

  “Love you, too, babe. Send me all the details. I’ll see you soon.”

  * * *

  “What do you mean you’re staying with Maddox?” my mom exclaims, tears streaming down her face.

  This is going way worse than I expected.

  I knew my mom wasn’t going to take the news of me moving away easily, but full-on sobbing? I’m honestly afraid she might go into cardiac arrest from the way she keeps clutching her heart on every sob that wracks her body.

  “Why are you going to stay with him when you could stay here with me and your father?” She wipes her cheeks with the sleeves of her light pink cardigan, staining them with her caked-on makeup. Norma Howard takes pride in her appearance, never letting one stray hair out of place, which is quite funny given where we live. It’s rare when my mom makes it into town, but even if she sees no one, she makes sure she puts on her house shoes and pearls.

  Testing my strength and patience, I say, “The job is in Chicago, Mom. If I stayed here with you and Dad, that would be one hell of a commute every day.”

  “But there are felons in Chicago.”

  Yup, she’s that mom.

  “I know this might be hard for you to hear”—I grip her shoulder—“but, Mom, there are felons everywhere.”

  “Don’t you sass me, young lady.” She stands and starts pacing. “I knew letting you hang out with that Paige boy was going to come back and bite me in the ass one day. I thought it was going to be a teen pregnancy. At least that would have kept you here.”

  Okay, this conversation seems to be getting off course.

  “Mom, I can’t live here for the rest of my life. I need to be able to grow and live on my own.”

  “You have plenty of time to live on your own. Think about how I’m getting older.”

  I pinch my brow and count to ten. “What about your second honeymoon with Dad? You two should be able to reconnect on another level.”

 
“With that old crotch?” She waves her hand. “That man doesn’t even remember that I have breasts.” Excuse me while I throw up in my mouth. “You and I were supposed to grow old together. We were going to start that matchmaking business for the town.”

  “You wanted to, Mom. I didn’t. I want to save animals. Help those who need it the most.”

  “Assisting the singles of Woodland is helping people, and we could have an animal division. Matching pets together and then throwing weddings for them. Think of the empire we could create.”

  Okay, animal matchmaking and wedding planning is appealing, but I know it’s all a farce to get me to stay.

  Wanting to shut the door on this conversation, I step up to my mom, take her hands in mine, and softly say, “I love you, Mom. I’m so thankful for everything you’ve done for me up until now, but it’s time I take that knowledge and apply it to the outside world. Start a new chapter. This doesn’t mean I’ll never see you again, it just means I’m growing up and it’s time you let me go.”

  Her lip trembles.

  Her eyes water.

  And she collapses in my arms.

  On a deep sigh, I pat her back and hope that this is her giving in, because I’m anxious to start packing and getting to Chicago so I can get settled before my job starts.

  Chapter Three

  MADDOX

  “Wait, hold up?” Lincoln says, pausing the conversation. “You’re going to have a girl staying with you, in your apartment?”

  I’m sitting around one of the tables in the team cafeteria with Lincoln and Jason before our game. It’s my night off, which means I put in a workout in the weight room and did some cardio. I tossed the ball, but just to keep things loose. It’s almost a daily routine for me that by now I’m a creature of habit, which means the pre-game protein balls I have in front of me are consumed with the routine as well.

  “She’s not just any girl,” I say, popping a ball in my mouth and chewing. “She’s one of my best friends.”

  Jason slaps the table loudly, startling us both. “Fuck, could you imagine if you two fall in love? Friends to lovers, God that makes my little romantic heart beat faster.” Did I mention Jason is obnoxious and weird?