"So, not a creeper?" Cheryl asked as Nicolette meandered to her cubicle, her tone playful but curious.

"Not at all. I guess he could be leering at me while I sleep, but I don’t think so," Nicolette replied with a smirk. "Honestly, I'd assume he was gay if I didn’t know he just got divorced. Then again, that might be the reason." She thumbed on her computer, the screen flickering to life. "You should have met my last boss. He was the definition of sexual harassment."

Before Cheryl could respond, Nicolette turned toward Lucy. "What’s up, Red? You look like you have a question."

"Oh, ah?" Lucy stammered in her usual shy tone, clearly surprised to have been noticed. "It’s just… do you really live in your car?"

"Until I can afford a cheap apartment," Nicolette said with a shrug, as if it wasn’t a big deal.

Before the conversation could continue, their boss appeared, interrupting with his usual no-nonsense attitude. "And speaking of affording things…" he said, dropping an envelope on Cheryl’s desk.

"Thank you," Cheryl said cheerfully, her face lighting up—everyone loved payday.

"Nicolette, it’s only a week’s worth. Next payday should be double. Fitting in well, though," he said as he placed an envelope on her desk. He moved on, leaning over Lucy’s cubicle. "Lucy."

A few more steps down the aisle, and he dropped the last envelope. "And Sam. I got the Shentell maps up now, so there’s plenty of work to do."

Nicolette let out a sigh of relief as her boss headed back to his office. She picked up the envelope and opened it, revealing a check worth actual money. A grin spread across her face as she thought to herself, No more canned sausages.

***

Nicolette tried not to let the cold, steady rain bother her. It soaked into her hoodie and made the ground muddy, which meant her car would be a mess by morning. She noticed that Jake’s tent had moved since yesterday. Its original spot was now occupied by a sizable puddle, while its new position had a tarp stretched overhead, creating a small patch of dry ground in front of the tent’s open flap. Inside, Jake was hunched over, fiddling with a cell phone.

“Hey,” Nicolette called, stepping carefully into the dry patch and holding up a bag of food containers. “It’s payday. I bought Sorjev. Want some?”

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Jake looked up, a slightly confused expression crossing his face before he nodded. “Oh, ah, sure.” He tossed the phone aside and leaned forward to unzip the tent enough for her to squeeze inside.

Nicolette dropped to her knees, struggling to kick off her wet shoes without toppling over. Jake reached out and took the bag from her, freeing her hands to finish fumbling with the tent’s zipper. By the time she turned around, Jake had scooted back and placed the bag on a plastic tote serving as a makeshift table. She shifted onto her ass and began unloading the contents.

“You didn’t have to include me in this,” Jake said, watching as she revealed dumplings and several containers of sauced meats.

“Eh, first payday in this town. Didn’t have anyone else to celebrate with.”

“Oh? Where you from?”

Nicolette handed him a plastic fork. “Palisade. You?”

“Greenbrush.”

She nodded as she bit into a strip of spicy pork. Between chews, she pointed the business end of her fork at him. “So, what do you do all day? Pretty sure you don’t need a ladder to beg on the street corner.”

Jake chuckled. “Handyman stuff. Cleaning gutters and dog shit right now.”

Nicolette snorted. “How’s that pay?”

“Fifty bucks for dog shit. A hundred and fifty for gutters.”

“How many gutter jobs have you gotten?”

“Four yesterday. Only two the day before.”

Nicolette paused mid-chew. “That’s almost more than I make in a week. Hell, you did make more. Damn.”

Jake laughed quietly. “For now. Didn’t do anything today, but I got a phone now. Might head to the library tomorrow to print some flyers. Can’t set up an actual business until I have an address, though.”

Nicolette switched to the peanut chicken, chewing thoughtfully before deciding it was delicious. “What do you need for a business?”

“Insurance, mostly. Some paperwork with the Polei, maybe a permit from the city. All that needs a license, a phone number, and an address. Right now, I’m just short the address.”

“I’ve got a few more weeks before I can start looking for a cheap apartment. Really looking forward to not sleeping in my car anymore.”

Jake nodded, taking a bite of his dumpling. “Yeah. I’d prefer a house, but I don’t have the work history or down payment to even think about buying one.”

“Ha, I’ve never had that much saved up—or a stable enough life to think about owning a home. Not sure what I’d even do with one.”

“I’d fix it up, rent it out, or sell it. Then buy another.”

“Well, let me know when you’ve got a place to rent,” Nicolette said, dipping her jerk chicken into one of the sauces.

Jake grinned. “Sure, but I doubt I’ll find you here when I’m ready for that.”

“Not going to ask for my number?” she teased, raising an eyebrow.

“Didn’t want to imply interest in dating. Think I’d like to stay single for a year, or two, or six.”

Nicolette snorted. “Fuck, I hear you there. Last girlfriend was a bitch. I’m fucking terrible with relationships.”

Jake raised his dumpling in a mock toast. “Here’s to avoiding relationship bullshit, then.”

Nicolette lifted her own dumpling. “Aye aye.”