Page 10 of Rich Man

Looking around the cluttered room, I can’t find the source of the noise that disturbed me. Maybe I had fallen asleep and it was a dream. Just as I’m resting my head on my pillow, I hear it again. Someone’s knocking at the door.

My blood runs cold. Is it the landlord? Rent isn’t due yet, but maybe he’s come to collect early. Or, maybe, I’ve lost track of the days and I’m already late on the payment. Maybe the payment went up again.

Scrambling to my feet, I run a hand haphazardly through my blonde hair, hoping that I don’t look too bedraggled. Then, I cross the room to the front door. I take a deep breath before I ease it open, letting it catch on the chain lock.

My worst fears are realized when I see my landlord standing there, his hands in his pockets, a self-satisfied smile on his face. For him to be looking at me like that… What day is it? Is it really the first of the month?

Eric’s right to stay out of my life. I’m a mess, and Mr. Pierce’s showing up at my door is just proof of that. It was stupid of me to think that I could handle any sort of romantic relationship, let alone one with a man who has so much more money that I do.

This is humiliating.

“I’m so sorry,” I say to my landlord, my face burning as my mind goes at a mile a minute trying to find excuses. “I… I didn’t realize– It’s just– Things have been– I’ll have rent to you as soon as I get my paycheck, I promise.”

Mr. Pierce laughs, and I feel even worse about this whole situation. Maybe this is it. Maybe I’m being evicted. I glance over my shoulder to make sure that my mom and grandma are still in their rooms. The last thing I need after yesterday is yet another witness to my embarrassing fuckups.

“Amanda,” a familiar voice says, making my worry spiral even more. At first, I’m convinced it’s just my mind playing tricks on me. Maybe this whole thing is just a hyperrealistic dream after all, and I am managing to get a few minutes of sleep. Then, Eric steps into my view.

This couldn’t get any worse. Why is he here? He must have asked about me or–

“You don’t have to worry about rent anymore,” Eric says, pushing Mr. Pierce aside. “You own this house now.”

“Wh– what?” I say, “I didn’t— I didn’t buy the house, I’m–”

Mr. Pierce laughs, something I’ve noticed he does a lot, even if the situation doesn’t call for it—especially if the situation doesn’t call for it, if I’m being honest. Through his guffawing he says, “I knew your face would be priceless. Anyway,” he claps hishand on Eric’s shoulder, “this guy bought the property but put downyourname as the owner. I just stopped by to thank you for being an excellent tenant.”

I open and close my mouth, feeling like a fish out of water. Is there even a proper response to this information? Now I’m praying that it’s not a dream, even though seems too good to be true. I close the door to undo the chain lock, and when I open it, both men are still there in front of me.

My now ex-landlord offers me his hand. Numbly, I reach forward to shake it. He says, “It was a pleasure working with you, Miss Morrison.” He releases my hand and glances between Eric and me. I can only imagine what kind of woman he thinks I am, or what kind of arrangement he thinks Eric and I have. “I’ll head out now. I’m sure you two haveplentyto talk about.”

After giving me a wink, Mr. Pierce leaves with a pep in his step.Considering how much prices have gone up, I realize he must have made a small fortune off of Eric in this deal. I wonder how much it cost him, and how the sale happened so quickly. Considering banks aren’t open this early, it must have been a cash deal.

Did Eric really do that forme?

As soon as Mr. Pierce’s car pulls away, I look at Eric, tears swimming in my eyes, and croak out, “Why?”

He shrugs as though he didn’t just spend an exorbitant amount of money on a house that he immediately put in my name. Then, after a moment of contemplation, he says, “Isn’t it obvious?”

I shake my head, because in truth, I can’t come up with a single logical explanation for this. If he hadn’t put the house in my name, I might be able to accept the situation – in that case,it would just be good business, adding another property to his portfolio. As it is, he stands to gain nothing from this.

“Your grandmother,” he says, his gaze piercing through me, “she needs a safe place to live. I looked into buying this house a few years ago, and I know all the issues that are going on in there.”

“So you…” I start, trailing off as I still fail to understand.

“I’ll cover the cost of repairs, of course,” he says with a shrug, like spending that kind of money is nothing to him. Though, in all fairness, it probably is. “And I’ll make sure your mom and your grandmother have somewhere nice to stay while things are being fixed.”

I’m not aware that the tears that were welling in my eyes have started to fall until Eric reaches out to wipe them away. His touch is soft, so much softer than he was at any point yesterday. It’s like that sliver of vulnerability I saw in the back of his SUV is right below the surface, waiting for me to unearth it.

“But why would you do all this for me?” I finally ask, my voice thick with emotion. “I– It’s so much money. And time. You’re not… You’re not getting rent out of us… I just don’t get it. You could have just walked away and never seen me again. I’m not… I’m not your responsibility.”

“I couldn’t have done that,” Eric says, the conviction in his tone startling me. “Amanda, I couldneverwalk away from you. Don’t you get it?”

“Eric…”

Perhaps it’s a good thing that I don’t know how to finish that sentence, because he lunges forward and kisses me. The touch of his lips steals all of the air from my lungs, leaving melightheaded. When he pulls back, I sway toward him, my body chasing the contact.

“I love you, Amanda,” he says, waiting until our eyes lock. A fiery passion burns in his pupils. It ignites a similar one deep in my gut. “I love you more than I’ve loved anyone or anything. I did this because I love you. It doesn’t matter if I get anything out of this, just knowing that your family is happy and well taken care of is enough for me.”

“I–” I begin, but now that he’s started talking, he can’t seem to stop.

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