Page 9 of Landlord Wars
I froze like a deer caught in the headlights. Crap,crap! Max was dumping his beauty-queen girlfriend? On the sidewalk?
And his tone wasn’t gentle.
Figured.
The generous businessman he’d presented at the restaurant wasn’t the real Max. Landlord Devil was back in full force. A part of me was disappointed but not surprised.
Max took that moment to stare straight at me.
His expression was startled. And then his eyes narrowed and shot darts of blue fire my way.
Did he think I was eavesdropping?
Great, just great. “Don’t mind me,” I said, and speed-walked past them.
The woman looked over in annoyance. She glanced between Landlord Devil and me and frowned.
Holy shit, how did I get myself into these situations?
I raced up the steps and into the apartment, dropping my bag in the entry before I splayed my back against the closed door, breaths coming out in puffs.
Jack looked over from the kitchen, where he seemed to spend a good portion of his time. “Rough day?”
I lifted my back off the door. “Not my best, but it just got worse. What’s going on with—”
A knock sounded behind me, and I jumped several inches.
When I stood stock-still, refusing to answer, Jack sent me a questioning glance. He finally took me gently by the shoulders, moved me aside, and opened the door.
Max entered the apartment without an invitation, his gaze searching. Until it landed on me, eyes blazing.
He’d followed me here? Because of what I’d witnessed downstairs? Crap!
“I was just grabbing some beers,” Jack said, returning to the kitchen, oblivious to the tension in the room. “Did you pick up the chips and salsa?”
Landlord Devil didn’t respond. He was too busy glaring. Though he did it with style, one hand in his pants pocket, the other holding a paper bag. He was wearing a pressed light-gray suit today. Did the man never wrinkle?
Jack glanced between the two of us. “Sophia, this is Max. He owns the building. He’s also my best friend.”
The taste of acid choked me.First Max lives upstairs…and now he’s my roommate’s best friend?
How was I supposed to avoid this man?
Max’s heated look fixed on me, as though he were trying to read me. “Were you listening to my private conversation?”
“What?” I said, shocked. I mean, I knew he might have suspected that, but why did he always jump to the worst conclusions?
“Max?” Jack said. “What are you talking about?”
Max didn’t move his gaze off me. “She was eavesdropping out front.”
“I was not eavesdropping!” I crossed my arms. “You were standing in front of the building. There was no way to avoid overhearing you dump that poor girl. Maybe you should have chosen a more private location?”
Landlord Devil’s jaw clenched tightly, and Jack moved between us. “Whoa, man, she’s right. If you didn’t want others to overhear, you should have had your conversation someplace else. Who were you talking to, anyway?”
Max looked distractedly at Jack. “Gwen.”
Jack nodded as though it were all clear now and turned to me. “Gwen and Max broke up several months ago, so he wasn’t dumping her.” He looked at Max. “Were you? Did you guys get back together?”
