I hurried forward and taped the envelope with my response to the door. Shoving the tape in my pocket, I dashed down the steps and jog-walked the length of the path as if I were fleeing a haunted house but trying to look cool about it. I didn’t breathe properly until I was back at my place, where I quickly locked the door behind me and rested against it as if I’d just robbed a bank and was hiding from the law.

Per usual, after I’ve done something that was driven more by impulse than thought, I was deluged with a truckload of self-doubt. Did I do the right thing to try to gain access to the hot tub? Was Daire going to be angry that I called him “landlord”? It had seemed like an on-the-nose way to make my point at the time.

Oh man, I was going to get tossed out on my behind. I knew Miguel and Soph would take me in. But when they’d offered originally, I hadn’t wanted to be an imposition, plus I’d feared being made creative director and living with the bosses wouldn’t go over well with the staff I was supposed to supervise. And now that I’d met the throbbing nerve of resentment that was Carson West, I knew I’d made the right call.

I put my ramen in the microwave and crossed over to the windows to glance at the big house while my dinner cooked. No lights were visible. I wondered if my smartest play would be to sneak back and retrieve my stupid note. Probably not; he had to have gotten it by now. Damn it.

The microwave beeped and I took my soup out and put it on the counter. I debated having a glass of wine for about a nanosecond and then went ahead with a generous pour of chardonnay. I wasn’t sure if this was the correct pairing with ramen, but whatever.

While the soup cooled, I retrieved my phone from my bag in the living room, planning to text my sister while I ate. I was halfway back to my seat when there was a knock.

I dropped low to the floor like someone had thrown tear gas through the window. I glanced in the direction of my bedroom. Could I get there without being seen? No. Unlike at the big house, I liked having all of my drapes pulled open and anyone could see in, because I didn’t want to live feeling buttoned up to the neck. I might have to rethink that.

I stayed perfectly still. Maybe if I didn’t move, the person would assume I wasn’t home and they’d go away. I held my crouched position even though my back was beginning to spasm.

The knock sounded again. I didn’t move. I didn’t even breathe. What if it was Daire himself, coming to throw me out?