“You know it.” I smiled for him but wasn’t surprised when he didn’t return it. I slowly made my way up to the apartment where I discovered nine million beer bottles, a dozen empty pizza boxes, a weird stench, and Luther asleep on the couch, arm batting at the window. What the hell? I could have kissed Jasper after all. I was such an idiot.

“What happened here?” I put all my disgust at myself into my tone.

“Sorry.” Luther blinked awake, shoving his dingy hair out of his face, and yanking his T-shirt down. “Must have fallen asleep out here.”

“You reek, man.” I was so not in the mood to sugarcoat it. “Good party?”

“I guess. James went home with someone.” Luther managed to seem rather shocked that no one had chosen him and his three-day-old T-shirt to get lucky with.

“Good for him.” The less we said about who went where last night the better, as far as I was concerned.

“Yeah. He better show back up by tomorrow, though. Job’s sending our crew across town.” Luther made a pained face. The two of them worked for a janitorial services company, managing to make more than me even as they complained bitterly about the work, which involved a lot of cleaning up after construction and renovation projects. “It’s at the hospital. I better not get sick, all the viruses there.”

“Dude. All the viruses here.” I gestured at the filth before heading to the kitchen for some trash bags.

“Okay, point taken.” Luther groaned and headed to the bathroom.

Even after I heard the shower click on, I couldn’t shake my unease. I should have been happy. We’d scored one of the missing cards. But I could still see Jasper’s sad eyes, the questions he hadn’t asked, the kiss I hadn’t given him. I tossed a few more beer cans before fingering the scrap of paper in my coat pocket with the information about that room for rent. I needed to get out of this place. And hell, what was that about James and Luther being assigned to a hospital? Was it the children’s hospital?

Even if it was, no way could I bail on Jasper now, not after he’d done so much for me. I took some deep breaths. I could do this. I was a changed—changing—person. It would all work out. I had to believe that, had to ignore the wobble in my stomach. Jasper was counting on me, but maybe more important, I was counting on me.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Jasper

My phone dinged with a message as soon as I let myself into my room after work, and I didn’t have to look to know who it was. I miss your room.