She scoffs. “I’m not sure I will ever be out and about. We like to keep to ourselves.”
More alarm bells chime in my head. Why would she not want to leave? It feels like it’s about more than not knowing the area. It’s like she doesn’t want them to be seen in public. And it makes me all the more adamant about having them stay here rather than some random motel.
“Oh, well, in case you did want to get out, there’s a great park and playground by the roundabout, right across from the coffee shop.” I point left. “And the bedroom is there, and that’s the bathroom.”
I follow her into the bedroom. A queen-size bed is in the middle of the room. There are two nightstands I also made by hand that are similar to the coffee table.
She notices immediately, walking over to run a finger across the top of one. “You’re pretty talented.”
“Thanks,” I preen. “I know it only has one bed. Maybe we could find an air mattress or something for Amelia. Or we could make up the couch.”
She shrugs, peeks into the bathroom, then walks back to the middle of the living room, taking it all in. “How long have you been working at this?”
I think on it. “Years, I guess. It’s kind of become my side hobby, fixing it up. And so you know, therearea lot of second-hand things. The TV was my neighbor’s. The microwave and mini-fridge came from the shop when we upgraded ours last year. And the kitchen table and couch came from my cousin, Hawk McQuaid.”
“Ah, a descendant of the famous Lloyd.”
I raise a brow. “So youwerelistening.”
She smiles as she takes it all in again. “I don’t know a kid alive who wouldn’t absolutely love this. It’s an amazing space.”
“Does that mean you’ll stay?”
She stares outside for a moment, then walks to the French doors, checking out the lock. She bites the inside of her cheek, looking deep in thought, and goes back over to the bottom of the stairs, looking up. She sighs big time, like maybe she’s found a reason not to stay.
When it occurs to me that she looked very interested in the door lock, I realize what’s happening. There isn’t a lock on the door to the kitchen. And that worries her.
“I have a chain around here somewhere. I’ll install it today.”
She looks around the place one more time. I swear she’s about to turn it down. And the thought of her and Amelia havingto go to some fleabag motel that rents rooms by the hour does not sit well with me. It infuriates me.
Do something, I scream in my head.Saysomething.
I blurt, “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”
She stares at me for a long beat, jaw slack.“Oh, the Places You’ll Go,”she says, grinning. “My favorite.” She shakes her head. “How can I say no to a man who quotes Dr. Seuss? But I’m paying rent.”
“Not necessary. It’s just sitting here vacant.”
“Carter.” Her hands rest on her hips in protest. “I’m not doing this unless you let me pay. Two hundred dollars a night? I’ll pay cash.”
Nowmyjaw is slack. If she stayed for ten days, that would be two thousand dollars.Cash. If she can afford that, why in the hell would she even be considering stayinghere? I’m hella confused.
“It’s not the Waldorf Astoria,” I say. “Two hundred is a bit steep.”
“Rooms at the Waldorf start at over nine hundred per night.”
How in the hell does she know that? Something just isn’t adding up here.
“Okay, listen, if you insist on paying, I won’t fight you, but how about fifty? And that will include food.”
She guffaws. “You’re not going to cook for me, Carter. We’ll make our own food. And I won’t give you a penny less than a hundred.”
Why do I get the feeling this woman always gets her way? But then that feeling of unease creeps in. All her ‘things’ are in her car. She was leaving New York for good. She doesn’t have ID or credit cards. Maybe shenevergets her way. Maybe thiswoman is one of the unluckiest people alive and now her car is smashed and she just needs something to go right for a change.
I extend my hand to her. “Deal.”
She smiles and sighs a relieved breath before shaking my hand. When our palms meet, there’s that same electricity that was there before. This time, however, she pulls away quickly, like maybe that spark scares her. Because I’m basically her landlord now.
