Total pages in book: 162
Estimated words: 153946 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 770(@200wpm)___ 616(@250wpm)___ 513(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 153946 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 770(@200wpm)___ 616(@250wpm)___ 513(@300wpm)
This Terry guy?
I instantly imagined spearing her knight with the nearest available lance.
“Not that I need a renter to live or anything,” she said quickly, misreading the expression on my face. “The house could use some repairs and a little glow-up I didn’t budget for, that’s all. I’m putting it up for sale once that’s finished, so you might get another ping then. And I wasn’t saying there was anything wrong with working burger joints. I’ve done it before—I’m just not all the way back to fighting form, and the idea gives me hives because it’s like admitting defeat, which I refuse to do until I’m living in a box or an actual van down by the river. And I’m nowhere close to either of those yet so please forget I said anything,” she finished in a rush, her bright-pink cheeks making her face glow.
There it was. Confirmation. She was planning to leave, and I was about to miss my chance. Again.
Every part of me rejected that idea. Particularly the bullshit about some other guy swooping in to save the day.
I didn’t put much credence in divine intervention or those signs from the universe my stepmom and sister were always looking for. But showing up here today, right before she convinced herself to rent to “this Terry guy” was as close to it as I’d ever come.
“What if I have a better option?”
She frowned. “A better option for what?”
“‘Better’ is obviously in the eye of the beholder,” I started, with what I hoped was a self-deprecating smile. As tense as I was, it was hard to tell. “It feels egotistical to be my own reference here, but I’ll do it if I have to.”
“Your own reference?” She stared at me as if I were speaking another language.
I exhaled hard enough to move the air around the room and went for uncomfortable honesty. “I agreed to rent out the garage’s apartment back when I thought I’d find a house as quickly as you did. But the market’s changed since then and I haven’t had the same luck, so I’ve been sleeping on Bernie and Phoebe’s couch bed for nearly a week.”
She sent me a skeptical look. “You rented your apartment before you had another place to live? That doesn’t sound like something someone like you would do.”
Someone like me.
“Well, that’s what happened,” I said a little shortly. “I promised one of my younger mechanics he could have my place at the first of the month, and I didn’t want to go back on my word because I’d miscalculated.” I hesitated, then felt the need to add, “He was living in his car.”
She muttered something that sounded like lady bait. “That sounds more like something you’d do. I didn’t realize you were house hunting, though. I feel compelled to warn you that homeownership is a giant pain in the ass, Wade.”
“It can’t be much harder than owning a business. And I’ll take those pains for a backyard with a grill and a tub big enough to do more than stand in,” I countered. “Until then, I think you should forget Terry and rent the apartment to me.”
August blinked up at me with big eyes. “To you? You think I should rent the apartment in my backyard to you?”
She didn’t have to sound so disconcerted by the suggestion.
“Bernie has a 24/7 open-door policy with her band buddies,” I continued, not bothering to hide my irritation. “And Phoebe is up all night with cravings, false contractions and boyfriend troubles. Don’t get me started on the constant text threads. I’d give them both a kidney if they needed it, but I haven’t gotten a full night’s sleep all week.”
She’d started to pace around her kitchen as I spoke. “What about Morgan’s guest room?”
“She offered, but the dogs are…a lot.”
At my words, August raised her fist for a bump, only to grab it with her other hand and pull it into her chest. “Sorry, my bad. It would be disloyal to fist-bump you for talking shit about my niece and nephew puppies, but I couldn’t agree any harder without hand gestures.”
I grinned. “I see we have something in common.”
“What? Being horrible people who bad-mouth innocent dogs behind their backs?” When I chuckled, her lips curved in wry amusement. “I can’t believe I used to think all collies were dignified and heroic. Lassie was a lie.”
“They’re goodhearted. And if it were just them, I could have sucked it up and stayed there. Unfortunately, there’s also Ann to consider.”
“The dog sitter?”
I grimaced because it was another thing I wasn’t proud of. “Morgan fixed us up once and I never called her back. She’d probably key my truck if she saw it in the driveway.”
“You dated their dog sitter?”
Good call, mentioning that. Real smart, Wade.
“One time. She was unexpectedly aggressive and wouldn’t take no for an answer. It didn’t make for a pleasant experience.” I passed on coming in for a nightcap and she went from flirty to frightening fast enough to be disturbing.