When you have to be honest with yourself

 "He's living here?" Declan drew a face. "How can that be?" Declan looked around Remi's small space. "Are you sleeping together?" It wasn't all that long ago there had been a snowfall with high winds. He said he couldn't imagine how it had been.

Now she drew a face of disgust. "NO." She yelped as she hugged herself. "I sleep over there." She pointed to the thin space by the window, but sometimes she said she got a nap in her bed while he was at work.

"Why are you doing this?" Declan didn't understand. Of course, he'd brought her leftovers that Brandon had made. She could hardly wait to get into the mac'n cheese. 

"It's a long story," Remi didn't want to get into it as she looked through all the goodies. "One of us will be out of here before the month is up."

"Let's hope murder won't be involved." He gave her a serious look.

"How can I call you my friend when you stay stuff like that?" She snarled back. "He's really not that bad. Wolf is pretty quiet."

"Wolf? Is he a dog?" Declan was still teasing her.

"Oh, he cleans up the place. He's lived most of his life in cramped conditions, anyway. I doubt this is anything new." Remi hated to admit that she might like having him around. "I know he feels like an outsider. And well, I'm getting to learn more about who used to live here." She told him as she went to make them some instant coffee and they sat at the cozy dining spot where she ate homecooked meals with Wolf. 

"What's there to know?" Declan looked as if Remi had really lost it this time.

"Oh, he never really got to know his mom that long. I think they were together when he was little, but something happened. I don't think he even knows." She knew he was a sad story. "It's just, I don't need anything new with the cops. And if..well, I cause any trouble, I don't want him going to the cops."

"You need to get out of here," Declan sounded as if he could make it happen.

"Hold on, I don't want to cross Brandon. Or make things worse between you two. I'm fine. We're fine. I'm working. Wolf is working.  I just need to keep going." 

"I want to meet this Wolf," Declan said. "We'll be back. We will bring dinner. Just let me know when."