Page 36 of Hockey Halloween
Jared, my brother and part-time business partner, specifically said the new tenant was Dr. Linda Carmichael, a professor at Bainbridge University. I’m the Assistant Hockey Coach for the men’s team, and though I certainly don’t know every person on the employee directory, I know for sure that the woman in my yard is not Dr. Carmichael.
Dr. Carmichael is retiring at the end of this school year after teaching there for decades. She’s renting from us because she wants a place that’s accessible, on account of her bad hip.
This woman’s hips look pretty damn good.
So does the rest of her. Not that it matters. I’m a single dad. Ihave no time for dating, and absolutely no interest, even if I did have the time.
And who knows if this woman is single. Or who she actually is, for that matter. Maybe she’s Dr. Carmichael’s niece or daughter? Whoever she is, it looks like she could use a hand, so I abandon the coffee pot that is brewing in slow motion on my countertop and step outside. And no, I’m not being neighborly because she’s beautiful. I am impervious to her beauty because I’m not on the market. I’m nowhere near the market. I can’t even see the market.
But I’m also not a dick, so I’m going to see if she needs any help.
I’m halfway down my porch steps when I hear her laugh ring out. I look up to see that she’s got her phone pressed to her ear, and a smile on her face.
“No, Dad, I’m good, I swear. I have a few more boxes to unload, but almost everything is inside now. See? I moved into my new apartment all by myself. It’s crazy. Almost like I'm a full-fledged adult at the age of twenty-five. Wild.”
Okay…so she’s not related to my new tenant, sheismy new tenant. Except, she’s not. She can’t be.
I pull my phone from the pocket of my athletic shorts and tap on the most recent message from my brother.
Jared:Heads up. There’s a change in properties. Linda Carmichael is taking the rancher on Vine Avenue. It’s farther from campus, but it’s all on one floor, so it’s worth the extra ten minutes on her commute. Your new neighbor is Valerie Grim.
I sigh, frustrated with myself for not reading Jared’s text earlier. He sent it last night when my head was pounding, so I ignored it. I shouldn’t have done that, not that it really matters. As long as Dr. Carmichael and Valerie Grim are both good tenants who pay their rent on time and don’t trash their respective houses, we’ll be good. I look up to see Valerie hefting a box, her phone still plastered to her ear.
“Yeah, it’s fine. I’m almost done. And Kevin’s here. He’s been ahuge help. He’s probably putting the bed together as we speak,” she says on a laugh. “You know Kevin, always pitching in.”
No, no, I don’t know Kevin. But I dislike him already, I think to myself. And Jared didn’t say anything about a second tenant. I’m about to open my mouth when she bends to lift a box that’s straining at the seams. She can’t quite get her arms around it, so she’s fragging it along the pavement, and likely shredding the bottom with every step.
“Hey, need a hand?” I ask with a wave. “I’m Josh, your next-door neighbor and landlord.”
She beams up at me, and I swear my heart skips a beat. Stupid heart. Don’t do that. Beat regularly, dammit.
“I’m Val, and yeah, thanks. You can just put that box on the patio.”
I nod, happy to ferret boxes from her SUV to the brick patio Jared and I installed last summer. Setting the last box down, I turn back to my new tenant. “If you need a hand hauling these in, I don’t mind.”
“Thanks, but I’ve got it covered,” she says, waving me off.
“Sounds good,” I say. And that should be the end of it. I’ve introduced myself, and my work here is done. I should head back to my own place because my coffee is probably ready by now. And Reese will be waking up soon. But instead of following that simple, logical plan, I open my big mouth. “Hey, when Kevin has a minute, I’d like to talk to him.”
Valerie blinks. “You want to talk to Kevin?
“If he’s living here, yes. He’s not on the rental agreement, so it needs to be adjusted. And that will affect your monthly rate.” I can tell she’s surprised I know about Kevin, but Jared and I have been in this business for almost ten years now. Not much gets past me.
Val quirks a dark brow as she looks up at me. “He’s already on the agreement.”
“He signed the lease? Because I believe there’s only one tenant listed currently.” To be fair, I haven’t looked at the contract yet, but I’ve seen Jared’s text. He’d have told me if we were renting to more than one person.
“Kevin needs to sign?” Val asks, looking perplexed.
“Of course he does,” I answer.
She’s looking at me like I’m an idiot. But I’m not. My brother and I have been doing this long enough to know the shit people try to get away with. Valerie Grim isn’t the first renter who’s tried hiding a whole-ass roommate, and she won’t be the last. When she lets out a long sigh, I know I’ve got her. She can’t pull a fast one on me.
“Okay…Do you want to come in? It’s probably easier if we do this at the counter, I guess.”
No, I don’t want to go into her place and see fucking Kevin shirtless and building particle board furniture. And yes, I’m jealous. And also shirtless. I know my line of thinking is completely ridiculous and borderline batshit. If my brother were here, he’d be giving me so much crap right now, but whatever. I just need Kevin to put his hammer down for a damn second and sign the agreement so that we have two paying tenants from the start.
I run my hand through my hair. I keep it short, but knowing my luck, I’m probably sporting a bad case of bedhead right now. “Listen, my daughter will be awake soon, and I need to grab my iPad and pull up the agreement, anyway, so I should head back to my place. When Kevin is done, let me know. My number is on a business card on the fridge. Just send me a text.”
