Blake has worked with the company for 10 years. He credits everything he knows to Wayne, who has guided him since his first day. However, when he goes into Wayne’s office, he can tell that his boss is angry.

Wayne accuses Blake of taking the “Henderson campaign” and showing it to their “competitors” (7). Blake insists that he is innocent, but Wayne refuses to believe him; he interrupts Blake each time he tries to object. Wayne fires him, telling him he won’t get severance or unemployment.

Sixty-two days later, Blake is still unemployed. Wayne blackballed him in the marketing world, making it impossible for him to find even an entry-level job.

Krista asks Blake if they have enough money for the next mortgage payment on their brownstone. Blake admits that they do—but then they will have nothing left. Krista suggests they take in a tenant. Blake initially resists, but when Krista offers to sell her engagement ring instead, he agrees.

Blake and Krista show the bedroom for rent to several people, but they are disappointed with all of them. Blake lets in the next woman, Quillizabeth, an older woman who wears multiple robes. On her way in, she stops to sprinkle salt across the doorway. She tells Blake that the house is “drafty” because of the spirits of all the previous owners.

When Krista comes into the room, Quillizabeth’s attitude immediately changes. She tries to make an excuse to leave and then asks Krista to speak with her outside. When Blake stops her, Quillizabeth tells Krista that Blake is going to kill her in their home with a knife.

Blake tries to make Quillizabeth leave, but she keeps insisting that Krista is in danger, saying she had a “vision” of Blake standing over Krista’s body with a knife from the kitchen. Krista directs Quillizabeth to the door, as Quillizabeth continues to beg her to listen. They talk for several moments by the door before she finally leaves.

Blake can tell that Krista is affected by what Quillizabeth said. He assures Krista that something is wrong with the woman, but Krista hesitates before agreeing. The pause concerns Blake, who can’t believe that Krista would really listen to Quillizabeth.

Krista then asks Blake where he got the money for the down payment on the brownstone. He insists that he cashed in part of his retirement, but she again hesitates. Before they can talk about it further, the doorbell rings.

The woman at the door introduces herself as Whitney Cross. Immediately, Blake notices how different she is from the other people who have viewed their spare room—she is more “normal” and friendly.

Blake and Krista show Whitney around their house. She is excited about the cookies that Krista made, compliments their home, and even shows an interest in Goldy, Blake’s pet goldfish. Whitney admits that she does not currently have an apartment, as the lease ran out on her old one. She works as a server at a Greek diner nearby.

In the end, Blake and Krista agree to rent the room to Whitney. However, Blake can’t help but feel like something is wrong, as if he should “get rid of her right now, while [he] still can” (34).

After doing a background check on Whitney and finding nothing concerning, Blake and Krista set a date for Whitney to move in. Blake waits outside, saving a parking space for her in front of their brownstone.

As Blake waits, his phone rings. It is his father, and he considers declining it, as he has spoken very little to his father since his mother died. However, feeling guilty, he answers.

Blake’s father owns a hardware store in Cleveland. He asks Blake about his job search and then tells Blake that he can take over the store from him—something he has brought up several times. Blake declines, growing annoyed that his father would want him to give up his life in Manhattan to return home. He hangs up just as Whitney arrives.

Whitney has very few belongings—just a couple of bags and boxes. The thought gives Blake warning “sirens” in the back of his mind, but he forces himself to ignore them. He also again notes how attractive Whitney is in shorts and a small tank top. He considers for the first time that she is actually “sexy” but pushes the thought away.

Blake’s neighbor, Mr. Zimmerly, comes outside. He is always rude toward Blake, and the two have rarely spoken; Blake doesn’t even know his first name. Mr. Zimmerly yells at Blake about leaving his garbage bins outside for too long.

After Blake moves all of Whitney’s things into the house, he talks with her as she unpacks in her room. Whitney asks him to fix the door handle, which is loose, as she has a “fear” of getting trapped in the room if it breaks. Blake thinks that before he was fired, he would just call someone to do it; however, he is adamant that he knows how, as his dad taught him a lot about fixing things.

Although Blake likes Whitney, he promises himself that he will find another job soon so that he can get rid of her and get his house back.

A few days later, Blake decides to clean Goldy’s fish tank. It requires a lot of time to do it right, but he enjoys it. He considers Goldy their “child,” and taking care of her is like practicing for when he and Krista have a real child.

Before he starts, he goes into the kitchen for breakfast. He is surprised that Whitney is already there. He sees how “skimpy” her clothing is and gets distracted by the fact that he can see her “nipples” through her tank top. He repeatedly tells himself not to look as he gets a bowl of cereal.

Whitney tells Blake that Frosted Flakes remind her of her childhood, as she used to eat them all the time. Blake offers her some. She initially refuses, not wanting to eat his food, but relents after Blake insists. The two joke with each other, as Blake realizes that he doesn’t hate having to live with someone like he thought he would.

Finally, Blake finds a job that he starts in a few days. It is an entry-level position that pays very little, but he is excited to finally work.

Blake and Krista go for dinner at her friend Becky’s house. Becky’s husband, Malcolm, works at Coble & Roy, so Blake has been avoiding seeing him. He also gets annoyed by Becky, but he agrees to dinner just to get out of the house.

When Blake sits down in the kitchen, wearing a dress shirt, he realizes how much his arm itches and notices a red, irritated spot on his underarm. He notes how long it has been since he’s had to wear a dress shirt.

As the four of them chat, Becky asks questions about Blake’s job and their new roommate. When she asks if Whitney is pretty, Blake says no, but Krista insists that she is. The conversation is then uncomfortable, as Becky and Malcolm joke about Blake being attracted to her.

Blake changes the conversation to the people they interviewed about the room before Whitney, and Krista interrupts to talk about Quillizabeth. When she explains that the woman had a vision of Blake killing Krista, Becky seems genuinely concerned. Blake tries to brush it off, but Becky tells him that they are all “concerned” about him, as all he does is go to the gym and clean the house. Krista tries to laugh it off, but Blake is genuinely bothered, wondering if they truly think he would kill her.

That night, Blake can’t sleep. He keeps thinking about Krista and Malcolm and how their faces gave the impression that they believed he could actually hurt Krista. Eventually, he gives up and goes downstairs in the middle of the night.

Blake finds Whitney watching television on the sofa. He joins her, and she asks why he can’t sleep. He tells her that he can’t stop thinking about his new job. She tells him that he will do great, as he is “obviously intelligent, charismatic, motivated, handsome” (61). Blake tells himself that Whitney is just being nice, but he can’t ignore how attractive she is in her pajamas. As he is wearing only boxers, he puts a pillow on his lap to hide his erection.

Whitney then tells Blake that she will bring home cake from the diner for him after his first day of work. She then pointedly asks him, “What would you like, Blake?” (62). Blake tells himself that nothing will ever happen between them, as he would “never” hurt Krista like that. Instead, he makes a joke about cake. The two then spend the next few hours watching TV until Blake falls asleep on the couch.

On the first day of his new job, Blake wakes up and showers. However, there is very little hot water, and he assumes that Whitney used it all. Then he tries to use his shampoo and soap, but both are gone. Annoyed, he decides that he has to use Krista’s.

When Blake goes for breakfast, his box of Frosted Flakes is also gone. Frustrated, he throws the box on the ground and gets crumbs everywhere. As he vacuums, Krista comes into the kitchen. He tells her that he is annoyed about Whitney using his stuff, but Krista insists that he told Whitney she could. She suggests that he talk to Whitney instead of getting angry, and he realizes that she is right.

As Blake grabs an apple from the kitchen, he notes fruit flies flying around the bowl. He thinks it’s strange, as he has been so meticulous about cleaning, but decides he will have to deal with it later.

Blake has a good first day of work and, feeling happy, decides to walk home. He realizes that he is close to the diner that Whitney works at, so he decides to stop and talk with her about using his things.

When Blake gets to the diner, Whitney greets him excitedly. She offers him a table, but he tells her that he needs to talk to her. He asks her not to use his stuff, suggesting that they start labeling things if it will help. Whitney immediately gets short with him, asking why he would confront her at work about it. However, she assures him that she’ll leave his stuff alone. Blake then tries to make light of it, saying that she’s his “tenant,” and “it’s not like [they’re] friends or anything” (73). In response, Whitney pauses, and Blake can see how angry she is. After a moment, she tells him he is “right” and then excuses herself to go back to work.

A few days later, Blake and Krista sit on the couch. He’s noticed that their relationship has been great since he started working again. Although the job is temporary, he is hopeful that he is impressing them enough to get a permanent job.

Just as Blake and Krista start to kiss, Whitney walks through the door. Krista invites her to join them, but Whitney is abrupt and goes into the kitchen.

Blake makes an excuse to go into the kitchen and tries to apologize to Whitney, telling her that he feels bad “if” he offended her. In response, Whitney grows angry, telling Blake that he is “dense” for not realizing how much he hurt her. She tells him that the only reason he has “succeeded” in life is because he is a “self-absorbed asshole” (77), and she hopes Krista figures it out before she marries him.

After Whitney leaves, Blake is flustered. He admits to himself that he shouldn’t have gone to the diner to confront her, but he still insists that he doesn’t deserve that much anger. He tells himself to watch Whitney closely moving forward.

A month into his new job, Blake is annoyed at the fact that all he does is take notes in meetings. He is not allowed to contribute or offer any ideas. As he takes notes, he is repeatedly distracted by how much his chest and arms itch. His boss, Kenny, yells at him to get more coffee, while commenting on how bad Blake is at his job as he leaves.

In the bathroom, Blake takes off his shirt and discovers that he has a rash all over his chest, arms, and back. It is only in the areas where his dress shirt touches. He realizes that Whitney is likely using a laundry detergent containing limonene, which he is allergic to.

When Blake gets home, Mr. Zimmerly comes outside and yells at him about the garbage cans on the curb. At first, Blake is certain that he took care of them that morning; however, the more he thinks about it, he can’t remember if he actually did.

Angry and annoyed by his itching, Blake rips off his shirt. He yells at Mr. Zimmerly and storms inside. He goes directly to Whitney’s room and knocks on the door. It takes several times for Whitney to answer, as Blake realizes that he is standing there without his shirt on.

Blake angrily tells Whitney to stop using laundry detergent with limonene in it. She “smirks” at him, insisting that she isn’t using any. He tells her that he is going to kick her out if she doesn’t take him seriously, but she responds that she has rights as a tenant—especially in New York—and slams the door in his face.

Blake turns around and finds Krista standing behind him. She looks “hurt,” seeing Blake outside Whitney’s room with his shirt off. However, when he shows her his rash, she softens immediately. He realizes that his “life has fallen apart” and that he can’t bear to lose Krista, too (87).

A week later, at one o’clock in the morning, Blake is woken up by loud thumping. Krista, who sleeps with earplugs, is asleep next to him. He hears the sound several more times, coming from above his bedroom. He angrily goes into the hall and up to Whitney’s room.

When Blake gets outside Whitney’s room, he can no longer hear the sound. He loudly knocks, and Whitney answers immediately. He tells her to stop making noise—but she insists that she has just been reading. She then closes the door in his face.

Over the next couple of weeks, Blake is woken up once more by sounds in the night, but they stop whenever he goes into the hall. He decides not to confront Whitney about it. At work, he is becoming increasingly annoyed with the menial tasks he has to do. His itching has mostly stopped, but he washes the washing machine each time he uses it.

Blake goes into the kitchen and is overwhelmed by the fruit flies and the smell, both of which have been getting worse over the last few days. He searches the fridge and finds three boxes of food from the diner where Whitney works. He opens one, and everything inside is extremely old and molded. He angrily throws them out, then starts smashing fruit flies on the counter.

Krista comes in and can see how angry he is. She insists that the smell is not that bad and that they can take care of it. However, Blake angrily responds that he wants Whitney to move out. He calls her a “psychopath” and admits that he thinks she is doing things like this on purpose to upset him. However, Krista tells him that he is overreacting and, more importantly, they need her rent money.

Blake heads upstairs, stopping to feed Goldy. When he turns, he finds Whitney looking at him on the stairs. He wonders if she heard their conversation. When she “smirks” at him, he is certain that she did.

As Blake waits in line at Starbucks, he notes that his rash is back, and the itching is starting to get bad again. He has to get nine coffees for people at work, something he does each morning. As he waits, Stacie, his old boss’s administrative assistant, comes in and talks to him. She asks how he is, flirting with him and touching his arm; however, he is annoyed and angry, so he brushes her off, insisting that everything is fine.

Back at work, Blake takes coffee to his boss, Kenny. A few days ago, Blake made a comment in a meeting that impressed Kenny, so he is hopeful that he still has a chance for a permanent job. However, in his office, Kenny immediately starts questioning him about their company credit card, which Blake uses to buy lunch and Starbucks. Kenny tells him that he reached out to Wayne, who told him about Blake profiting from selling information to their competitors. Blake insists that Wayne is wrong, but Kenny ignores him; instead, he sends Blake back to Starbucks to get him a different coffee.

At home, Blake tries to figure out why the rash is back. He tells Krista that he is using an all-natural cleaner, but it doesn’t seem to be working anymore. Krista offers to take his clothes to the dry cleaners where she is a manager to wash them, but Blake does not want her to get in trouble. When she grabs one of his shirts, she finds a smudge of red lipstick on it. She points out that she only wears pink lipstick and Whitney doesn’t wear any.

Blake is shocked that she thinks he would cheat on her. He tells her that Whitney probably put it there so she would get mad, which makes Krista even more annoyed. However, Blake insists that he would never cheat on her, pointing out that he is so overwhelmed by work, the rash, and Whitney that he wouldn’t even have a chance if he wanted to. After a few moments, Krista calms down and agrees that she doesn’t think he would cheat on her.