“Yep. It’s a two-bedroom, two-bath, month-to-month lease. It hasn’t been made public yet. It won’t last long with the resort crowd when it does, but I know the landlord, and I know he’d prefer a local tenant.” She swirls her wine, her expression guarded. “If you’re interested, I can keep the listing private one more day, until you can look at it.”
Jude straightens on his stool. “Are you serious?”
“Yes.” She studies him. “It’s a cute little place. Only ten minutes from the station.”
“I’ll take it,” he blurts.
Kara blinks. “Don’t you want to see it first?”
“No. If it’s available, I want it.” He sounds breathless.
She recovers from her surprise quickly. “That’s fantastic. I can write up a contract tomorrow morning.” She pauses. “There’s a two-month deposit upfront. Is that all right?”
“No problem.”
“Excellent.” A smug smile appears on her lips. It’s obvious she expected him to turn her down, but is thrilled he instead pounced on the rental. She puts her hand on my thigh and says, “Looks like you get to have your house back, babe.”
I frown. “I liked having Jude there.”
“Oh, I know.” She laughs, unable to keep her excitement hidden. “But I’m looking forward to you having your own place again.” She flicks her gaze to Jude. “Nothing personal, Jude. It’s just Liam having a roommate was kind of weird at his age.”
“I get it.” Jude shrugs, avoiding my gaze.
I should be happy Jude has found a place to live, but I feel oddly let down. Maybe it’s because we’re on weird footing with each other after last night. I don’t want him to leave if there are any lingering resentments. If he moves out before we iron everything out, we might drift apart. He says everything is okay, but I can’t shake the feeling it’s not.
I turn to him. “I’m serious, Jude, I like having you with me… uh… living with me. It’s not a problem at all.”
“God, don’t try and talk him out of it.” Kara sounds annoyed. “He’s a grown man. He should be living on his own.”
Jude’s mouth tightens. “Kara, sometimes I feel like you forget I only moved in with Liam because of the fire. I want my own place.”
Her gaze flickers. “No, I know that.”
“Good because I’d never take advantage of Liam. Staying with him was always just temporary.” He takes a gulp of beer, looking annoyed.
She laughs. “I didn’t realize you were so touchy. Sorry.” She puts her arm around my neck and kisses my cheek. “I’m just really happy to have my boyfriend back.”
“You never didn’t have your boyfriend,” I grumble, wiping my face.
“Oh, don’t be a big grump.” She giggles and slides off her stool, holding her glass out to Jude. “Anyway, congrats on getting your own place again, Jude.”
He lets out a tired breath but he clinks her glass. “Hopefully it doesn’t fall through.”
“Oh, it won’t,” Kara says firmly. “You can bet your life on that. I’ll make sure it happens.”
I meet Jude’s gaze. “Seems crazy to take a place you haven’t even seen. If you don’t like the place, you’re welcome to stay with me. You know that, right?”
Jude grimaces. “Yeah, thanks, Liam.”
“You bet.” I have conflicted feelings about him moving out. I know it’s for the best, but I still don’t love the idea.
A guy approaches from one of the back tables. He’s lean and good-looking, auburn hair and green eyes. When he gets close enough, I catch his scent and recognize him as a local shifter. He doesn’t look at me or Kara. His attention is on Jude.
“Hey,” he says, settling against the bar beside Jude. “I’m Ben.”
Jude swivels toward the guy. “Uh… hello, Ben. I’m Jude.”
“Nice to meet you, Jude.” Ben smiles. “I saw you at the Hawk’s Nest the other day.”
