I inhaled deeply when Jacob brushed by and then immediately felt guilty. Maybe Mom and the girls were right. Maybe Iwasready to start dating. Obviously I couldn’t date Jacob, he was over a decade younger than me, but maybe one of the three men they chose for me would work out. Because if I lusted after a man a decade younger than me, it was definitely time to move on with my life.
A few minutes later Jacob popped his head out the front door and grinned. “It’s perfect. I’d hoped it would be furnished with appliances. Glad it is. I’ll take it if it’s available. What do you need to get started?”
I had a sudden moment of panic. Could I seriously rent this place out to a guy like Jacob? One look at him and my neighbors would all be wagging their tongues and gossiping about me. What would Brody think of me moving a man who wasn’t his father into the house? Okay, not technically the house, but close enough.
“Monica?” Jacob asked softly.
“Rent is five hundred a month. I’ll need a five hundred dollar deposit, and I’ll prorate the five hundred for the rest of this month. I cover the utilities.”
“Deal.” Jacob stuck out his hand.
I didn’t want to touch him. I was so wound that one more touch from him would probably send me up in flames. But my mom raised me with manners. I tried to suppress a groan as I slid my hand into his. But I heard it. And so did he.
God bless him for ignoring it.
“If I bring the money over today, can I move in immediately?”
No!
“Yes,” I heard myself say.
He winked. “Looks like we’ll be roomies. See you soon.”
I couldn’t help but stare as Jacob sauntered out the fenced-in backyard. What had I done? What would Mom say when she found out? What would Mimi, Gilda, and Ingrid say? They’d probably tell me if I didn’t want him they’d take him.
That made me laugh, and with one more nervous look over my shoulder, I walked inside the house to wait for Jacob to arrive and move in.
By five o’clock my nerves were raw. I’d opened a bottle of chardonnay while I got out my flank of salmon to grill. I prepped the fish, put some seasonings on the veggies, and made my way outside to my Traeger pellet grill. I cooked out nearly every night—even in the winter if I could stand the cold.
I’d just set the veggies on the grill and reclined in an outdoor chaise when I heard someone call my name.
“Monica? Are you back here?”
I bolted up off the chaise and looked toward the front of the fence. Jacob lifted his hand and waved.
“I rang the bell but no one answered,” he said. “I could smell the food, so I thought maybe you were back here.”
“Come on in,” I said. “Can you get the latch on the gate?”
Jacob reached over the fence and flicked the latch like it was nothing. “It won’t take me long to move my stuff. I went out and purchased a bed, nightstand, dresser, and a loveseat. I don’t even have a TV yet.”
“That was fast.”
“My buddy and I will have this unloaded in a few minutes. We won’t disturb you.”
He turned and walked away. I snatched up my glass of wine and took a huge gulp. Then I chided myself. If Jacob lived here too long, I’d turn into a raging alcoholic if I wasn’t careful.
“Hey, Mrs. Swanson,” a deep voice called out. “I couldn’t believe it when Jacob said he’d be renting a place from you.”
I turned and blinked in surprise. “Daniel?”
Daniel Carson was a family friend. His grandfather, Frank, owned a construction company in town, and he was a big contributor to the senior center where Mom and the girls spent all their time. In fact, just two months ago, Daniel and a couple other grandkids of the seniors were instrumental in keeping the old folks out of jail. The seniors had decided to take on a gang in Portland and barely escaped with their lives. When the law found out, there were consequences. One of the grandsons, a lawyer, had argued for community service, and Daniel had volunteered to help oversee the construction of a gazebo at the senior center with the seniors all pitching in to help. They just finished building the gazebo a couple days ago.
“You two know each other?” I asked. “I mean, I didn’t realize he was talking about you when he mentioned a friend over on Elm Street.”
Daniel grinned. “Yeah. Parkerson and I were in the military at the same time. We kept in touch after I left the Army, and when he decided enough was enough and he got out, he showed up on my doorstep last week.”
Jacob’s gaze locked with mine. “I always liked the way Daniel spoke about Trinity Falls.”
