Worth the Fall by Caitie Quinn

where they were going to put all Ben’s clothes they couldn’t store for the next three weeks.
    Somehow, without even noticing it, I’d gotten a posse—and a pretty rocking one at that.
    Life was looking up.

TWELVE

    We pulled up to the curb and parked the van in a commercial loading zone.  
    “I’ll wait here in case a cop comes by.” Max slid the side door open and hopped out. “It’s probably best if I stay out of sight. Who knows what that idiot will accuse you of if you show up with me in tow?”
    Oh. I hadn’t thought of that. But, it was probably true. I could see another 911 call in our future if Jason saw Max. He’d probably call in a counter-terrorist group on a conspiracy report.
    We rang and went through the whole who-is-it-it’s-me thing and a long pause before Jason finally rang us up. He probably didn’t know if he wanted my stuff out more than he didn’t want to deal with me.  
    His building—the one that had seemed so clean and modern just three days ago—felt sterile and ugly now. The warm charm of Jenna’s world had ruined me forever.  
    I’d expected Jason to be waiting at the door, my boxes there and ready to go. But when we got to his floor, the door was shut. With an internal eye-roll at the power play, I slid the key he’d given me into the lock and turned.
    Or attempted to turn it.
    He’d managed to change the locks in the seventyish hours since our fond farewell. Heck, he’d probably had it done before we even had dinner.
    What did he think? I was going to copy the key and break in and steal his hidden collection of weird Hallmark cards?
    Maybe.
    Orrr not.
    I pounded on the door, counted to thirty, and pounded again.
    “I’m not really seeing the draw yet.” Ben said under his breath before Jenna smacked him in the gut.
    One door down on the opposite side opened.
    Great.
    “Hi Mrs. Gershwin. How are you?”
    “What’s all the racket you’re making? Kasey Lane, why are you pounding on that door?”
    “Sorry, Mrs. Gershwin. I’m just here to pick up my stuff.”
    Her gaze moved from me to Jenna and Ben and back. “Finally left the jerk, did ya? Can’t say I’m surprised. Should have done it forever ago. No good that one. All selfishness. Why don’t you just let yourself in? I’ll come down if you need someone to witness you don’t take anything that isn’t yours.”
    “Well, he’s in there. But, he’s changed the lock.”
    “In my day, a man wouldn’t have changed the lock on his woman unless she was bringing home something besides the groceries. You can do better. Is this one single?” She pointed a shaky finger at Ben.
    “Nope. He’s taken by the very dangerous pixie behind me. Definitely not a woman to cross.”
    “Those are the best kind.” She stepped back toward her door, sticking a foot out to keep her Yorkie inside. “Good to have at your back. Well, you take care kiddo.”
    Her door closed behind her with a solid thud, the sound of her TV blaring turned back up.
    “That’s the nicest that woman has ever been to me.”
    “Really? She seemed to like you.”
    Or was just really glad to see me gone.
    “So, what do you think we should do?”
    It had to have been five minutes since we’d rung the bell and been let inside. Jason knew we were just standing out in his hall. He probably thought I was alone and getting frustrated and upset. It was definitely a power move.
    It was time to shove every piece of assumption down his throat. I bet the door would open pretty darn quickly then.
    There were two things Jason hated, and he’d already had one this week because of me.
    “Laugh.”  
    “What?”
    “Laugh. Loud. Like we’re joking around and I’m telling you the funniest story you’ve ever heard. And it’s about Jason.”  
    He hated a scene—unless, of course, it was in defense of his car—and he hated not knowing what was going on.  
    Jenna started up, laughing like an insane person which actually got Ben laughing for real. Then