One Broke Girl Read Online Free PDF

course. Steven is a great boyfriend. We talk every night before bedtime, and he tells me he can’t wait until I come back.”
    “So why do you look all torn up?” Bianca asked bluntly.
    I took a big chug of my beer. Suddenly, I wanted to confess the truth. I needed to talk to someone else about all of this, because the burden of carrying these secrets on my shoulders was starting to smother me. I had no one I could turn to.
    In stuttering starts and stops, I revealed how Mom had left us flat broke. How I still couldn’t find her and all my leads had ended in a big, fat nothing. How I could hear my dad crying at night on the other side of our paper-thin walls and it killed me. As I spoke, Natalie and Bianca both got empathetic looks on their faces.
    “So I never told Steven because I was embarrassed,” I continued. “Yeah, I know I shouldn’t be. And he’s my boyfriend—we should tell each other everything. But every night when we talk on the phone, I find myself stuck in a role. Pretending I’m totally fine, that this horrible thing didn’t happen to me, that I’m gonna be back in New York City in no time, picking up my life like I hadn’t left at all.”
    “Oh, Anna.” Natalie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her eyes poured compassion. “You have to tell him. It’s gonna eat you up inside if you don’t. My boyfriend and I share everything. If you care about him, there shouldn’t be secrets between you two.”
    Bianca’s face flashed an emotion I didn’t recognize, and she opened her mouth then closed it just as quickly. Natalie shot her an equally complex look—apparently there was a story here. I was curious to know more but didn’t want to push.
    “I know you’re right,” I admitted. “But…what if telling him changes everything? Because the truth is, these last few weeks have made me realize this isn’t going to be anywhere as straightforward as I’d thought. I don’t have any money saved away. Hell, I can’t even find another job.” I chugged the last of my beer. “I don’t want Steven to see me like this. I don’t want him to pity me.”
    And there it was—the bald truth.
    If I told Steven, I knew he’d feel bad. He’d want to help, would insist on it. But I didn’t want him to—and I didn’t want to be his poor lunch lady girlfriend either. I wanted to do this on my own, to conquer this without someone rescuing me.
    Not to mention the fact that my mom’s shocking betrayal had taught me a hard lesson—you had to be careful who you leaned on. I hated that this made me doubt everything.
    “I can help,” Bianca blurted out.
    I blinked and turned to her. “How?”
    “I’ll help you find another job. Hell, I work weird gigs all the time to make money. If you’re not afraid of doing whatever it takes—”
    “So long as it’s legal, I’m willing to work hard,” I interrupted as a small blossom of hope unfurled in my belly. At this point, I didn’t care what I had to do. The condo hadn’t sold yet, even though we had interest from a couple of potential buyers, and we were going to owe another month’s payment on it, which would almost wipe us out. I wasn’t making enough to cover our expenses, and Dad had yet to find a job.
    “Okay.” Bianca straightened and gave a curt nod. “I’ll hook you up.” She cleared her throat and shot a quick glance at Natalie. “And I have an idea about how to find your mom.”
    Natalie stared at her for a moment, and then a frown of disgust creased her face. “No way. You can’t suggest that.”
    “Don’t be goofy. You know he’ll be able to help.”
    Natalie crossed her arms. “He’s an idiot. He can’t find jack squat.”
    “Who are you talking about?” I interrupted. “And help with what?”
    “We know a guy who’s a PI,” Bianca said, shooting Natalie a warning glare. “He’s super cheap, and he’ll work with you on payment because he’s desperate for business.”
    A PI. Yeah, I’d thought of it before,