Page 30 of The Deadbeat Next Door

“For instance,” he said. “Are you dating anyone?”

“I hardly see how who I date—”

“Because if you were dating someone here or had family here or were planning to marry a local, I’d be a great deal more inclined to sell to you. I’d feel you were truly invested in this town.”

“I’m not sure I—” I now had no doubt this was a set-up. I looked over at Mary Ellen, wondering if she was the bait, but her wide eyes, raised eyebrows, and frown suggested she’d not been privy to this part of the plan.

“I heard you’ve been real friendly with Carrie Harrison,” Bart said. “I’d be a lot more inclined to sell you this property if you were serious about someone like her, someone who’s got roots in this town.”

I just stared at him, finding it hard to believe what I was hearing. “Are you suggesting—”

Bart waved a hand in my direction, flinging fried chicken crumbs across the table. “You just think on it.” He shoved back from the table. “I’m going to watch me some T.V. You two wouldn’t mind cleaning up, would you?”

“Sure, Uncle Bart,” Mary Ellen said.

I stared at her, my chicken untouched and congealing in its own grease. “Is he actually serious?”

She nodded slowly. “He’s not one to joke about something like this.”

I studied her for another long moment. “Any chance you’d like to date me?” He might want me to date Carrie, but she’d made it clear that she hated me.

She grinned. “I’m not one of those women, Cody, who says one thing and means another. I’d be glad to warm your bed for a few nights, but I don’t do relationships, and I’m not going to lie to my uncle for you.”

I wasn’t surprised. “I had to try,” I said. “You think he’s serious about me dating someone?”

“Yep,” she said. “He’s serious as a zombie apocalypse.”

Her words fitted my situation perfectly.

***

I was on the phone to my oldest brother before my front door had fully closed behind me. It was almost three, but Carrie usually worked at the school after the kids left and didn’t get home until five, so I didn’t go to my breakfast nook to watch for her to pull into the driveway. It had become a bad habit of mine to keep track of her comings and goings. I fully understood that I was as nosy as my elderly neighbors, but it quieted something in me to see her arrive home, to get a look at her face and know she was doing okay. Noah picked up on the third ring. “Code Red,” he said. “How is my favorite black sheep?”

I snorted. “You remember how pissed you were at me for banging Goldman’s daughter?” That was the part of the story I’d left out when I’d told my story to Bart. I’d ruined my father’s deal by sleeping with the daughter of the man buying our property. I’d thought she’d understood it was just a fun, one-night deal, but I’d been mistaken. She’d gotten pissed when I refused to date her and she’d told her father every detail of our one-night stand. I was lucky the man had just canceled the deal and not killed me.

Noah groaned. “Please tell me you haven’t banged another crazy woman who thinks a night of decent sex is going to be the deciding factor that makes you want to settle down with her.”

“Uh, no. But it sounds like you might have shit to work through. Want to talk about it?”

“One word,” he said. “Deirdre.”

“Oh, holy hell. I thought she’d moved to L.A.” Noah had dated Deirdre in for six months two years ago. It had taken him far longer than it should have to realize she was a few liters short of a gallon, and she got a wee bit stalkerish when he dumped her. Truly stalkerish, not like me watching Carrie’s comings and goings.

“She did,” he said. “But she’s back. She says she’s missed me and she’s willing to give me another chance.”

“She is truly insane.”

“No kidding. But it’s okay. Aubrey moved in with me to protect me.”

Aubrey was my brother’s personal assistant and best friend. She was also drop-dead gorgeous, but Noah didn’t seem to see it. “How is Aubrey going to protect you from crazy?” Aubrey was smart, organized, and capable of keeping Noah in line, but she was only five feet tall and about ninety pounds soaking weight. The idea of her protecting my six-two, two-hundred-pound brother was hilarious.

Noah groaned. “It’s a long story. Things may be just a touch out of control here. Get back to why you’re bringing up Rachel Goldman.”

“I found a property, the perfect property, Noah, but the guy who owns it won’t sell it to me. He’s worried I’ll sell it to a mining company the way Dad sold the Westridge estate to that fracking company.”

“Huh.”

“What?”

---