Page 23 of Lemon Crush

“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.

“Huh.”

Shit, I was losing her. “The point is, I need peace and quiet until I can get my self-induced housing situation resolved. You need a renter you can trust who won’t take advantage of you. This is the perfect solution for both of us.”

“You’re serious.”

She had no idea. “You know where my family lives and where I work. Gene has copies of all my tax returns for the last decade, so he can vouch for me being good for the rent money.”

“I haven’t told you how much I’m charging.”

“It’s on the site already, and I would have paid more. Iwillpay more, because you’re lowballing, trying to get someone in here fast.”Take that, Terry.

“You think so?”

“I know so. You included use of the pool. That alone is worth an extra couple hundred a month.” When she didn’t jump on it, I said, “You’re thinking about it. I can tell.”

“Of course, I’m thinking about it,” she grumbled, still looking adorably rattled. “I wouldn’t have put my address online if I weren’t. But don’t you think going with strangers for rentals would be easier for both of us?”

I scowled. “Why the hell would I think that?”

August gave me a look that saidReally?

“Because doing business with friends and family is never a good idea,” she answered repressively. “I knowyouwork and currently live with your family, but most people keep their professional and personal lives separate, for good reason. There are also the Retta rules of hospitality to consider.”

I bit back another curse, because I was very fucking familiar. Sam’s number-one rule for herself and her daughters was to never accept help from a friend under any circumstances, but to always offer it vehemently and unconditionally, even if it put you out and was a gigantic pain in the ass you’d regret for the rest of your life.

It was a wrongheaded rule that had more to do with pride than sense, but they all tried to follow it anyway. Especially Morgan, whom August was no doubt thinking about when she made the comment. The only timeshe’daccepted a favor from my family was the eight months she’d lived in our house before college. Thirty years later, she still insisted she owed us.

“Morgan wanted you to rent the apartment out last year. She wouldn’t have a problem with this.”

August looked annoyed at the reminder. “The fact that it’s youwould change things for her. She knows you can afford a better place and I’m not exactly your favorite person.”

“Why would you say that?”

“This conversation is the longest we’ve had in years, Wade. She’d put two and two together and come up with me accepting charity from her best friend, the guy who gives away his own apartment to someone in need.”

I didn’t agree with any part of that sentence. I took a step closer and she stopped pacing to meet my gaze. “I like you just fine, Gus. But if it worries you, there’s a simple fix that you aren’t seeing.”

She lifted her chin again. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”

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