Page 61 of The Sharpest Edges

24

Chapter 24

The red roof house is the one, just like Ava said it would be. Not that he didn’t believe her when she seemed so confident the other night, but their track record so far hadn’t been promising.

It feels like home the moment he walks through the door, looking more like a barn than he expected from the photos, with heavy wood beams on the ceiling and steel fencing along the stair rails. Creamy white walls, imposing stone fireplace, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the acre of unmaintained land he has no use for yet.

He can see weeds creeping up the sides of the windows and the tree branches hanging low across the field, a stark contrast to how well taken care of the inside of the house is.

A foot inside the threshold and it’s like something straight out of a magazine, or that website he knows Ava likes so much. The one with pins or needles or whatever the fuck people do to share pictures of random shit with each other.

His boots land heavily on the old wood floor, eyes scanning the space that’s so much nicer than he can afford. Theother houses may have had their faults, but they’d been cheap because of them and he isn’t so sure he can manage something that doesn’t come complete with a drunken landlord or a few dead raccoons in the attic.

Ava looks as surprised as he does, her mouth dropping open when she falls in step next to him as they follow the owner into each new room.

“Look.” She nudges him with her elbow, tilting her head toward the sliding doors at the back of the kitchen that leads out to a wrap-around deck. It’s bigger than the one they’d seen in a previous house, worn and old but with enough life left that a few coats of stain would make it new again.

He hums out a soft sound of approval, watching her fingers graze the granite countertops and her eyes linger on white cabinets, equipped with what the owner calls soft-close drawers.

“No worries about slamming them during a fight.” She laughs at her own joke as she turns away again, as if he and Ava actually fight.

He can’t imagine fighting with her. Someday it might happen. No two people ever agree on everything, but he’s pretty damn sure it won’t end in a screaming match or with someone trying to rip the hinges off a drawer.

“There’s a loft too. It could be good for kids. An office? Do you two have children?”

Dean balks at the question from his potential landlord, who’s gotten the wrong idea about who will be living in this space, but rather than set her straight right now and draw attention to it, he only shakes his head matter-of-factly. “We don’t. Maybe an office.”

He doesn’t miss the brief sadness thatflutters over Ava’s face. A split second of mournful resignation at the fact that they’ll never be more than the two of them. It doesn’t last long though. Her smile is back and bright as ever as they make their way through the master bathroom covered in shiny subway tiles and into the bedroom with a skylight.

A fucking skylight. In the bedroom.

Who the hell does that, he wonders, but damn if it isn’t the coolest thing he’s ever seen. He can picture him and Ava lying side by side, stargazing in bed until they drift off for the night. Few things have ever sounded better.

She may not be moving in, not yet anyway, maybe not ever, but he hopes that wherever he lands next is somewhere she likes enough to spend time there too. He slipped up the night before, allowing himself to voice those thoughts in passing and feeling embarrassed the moment it happened. They hadn’t talked about it yet and it felt too soon. Still does, but for every part of him that says it’s crazy, there’s another part that would happily live with her from today on and never look back.

If she was bothered by his slip, she never said and he wonders if she’s thinking about it too. If she didn’t call him out because a part of her might be fantasizing about the life they could build together, just like he is. It’s hard to imagine that anyone would have those thoughts about him, but every day he spends with her, every time she encourages him instead of pushing him away, it’s a little easier to accept.

“So, obviously, the outside needs work. The front porch is falling apart and the siding could use a new coat of paint. The yard is…well, you saw the yard. The fencing needs to be replaced along the entire length of the acreage. I have the supplies, but no one to do the work. There may or may not be certain sections of the inside flooring with water damage.Under the kitchen sink, for example, I’m uncertain of the extent of it, only that we had a leak a while ago. The roof is new though, and the inside is well updated. The rental price reflects the condition of the house overall, and if there’s any chance you have the ability to do some of the work that could be taken off your rent. I’d be open to a rent to buy option too. You know, if you decide you like it enough.”

The owner looks back and forth between them, hopeful and eager and barely able to contain her excitement at the possibility of renting out her house. She’s an older woman, with long hair in a pretty braid and a gentle smile, someone who looks more suited to baking pies and knitting sweaters than remodeling houses and he’s curious how she got this place. If the property was handed down in her family or an investment.

None of that matters much because either way it’s the best one he’s seen by a mile.

He gives Ava a curious look, trying to judge if she likes it too, even though he knows this is his decision and he shouldn’t base a life choice like this on someone else.

Logic and emotion are fickle things though, and he uses more of his heart than his head this time. He may be here for himself, but he’d be renting it for the possibility it holds, the chance at a future they could have here together.

She doesn’t hesitate to give him a small nod, barely perceptible, but he sees it clear enough and can feel her approval spark between them.

He accepts the rental on the spot.

The owner nearly has a party right there in the living room, already reaching for the paperwork she brought along in her bag before he can take another breath. Dean has to wonderhow many people drove right past this place once they saw it from the street and never ventured inside.

He signs on the dotted line, feeling like the luckiest bastard alive.

* * *

“You’re sure this is okay? If you’re uncomfortable, you can say so.”

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