Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 67665 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67665 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
“Ma’am,” I said to the woman in the chair. I turned and left the shop, walking slowly back to the police station.
If I couldn’t find Lindsey at work, and her best friend wouldn’t give me her phone number, I could always try the cabin. Before I thought better of it, I climbed into my truck and started her up. The drive took about fifteen minutes before I spotted the turnoff onto the cabin’s unpaved road. The truck chugged uphill, crunching over gravel as it slipped deep into the forest. When I broke out into the cabin’s clearing, I found Lindsey’s car parked beside the house.
I pulled up next to her, put on the parking brake, and killed the engine. Before I even had a chance to swing the door open, she appeared on the porch, angry as hell.
“What are you doing up here?” She stormed up on the truck.
I hopped down from my seat, breaking ground on the clearing’s dirt floor. “I just came to talk,” I said.
She debated for a moment; her pretty face pinched with worry. “I’m not moving. This is my house—I don’t care if the landlord didn’t sign the lease.”
“I don’t agree with how he handled the situation,” I said, hands in the air as if I was dealing with a nervous gunman. “I think it’s unfair what happened to you.”
She wrapped her arms protectively around her waist and nodded. “Thank you.”
“What if we shared the cabin?” I presented my idea. “There are more than enough bedrooms. There’s ample parking. We could share the refrigerator.”
“No!” Lindsey snapped before hearing me out. “I just decorated the living room. I need those two other bedrooms. And I don’t even know you.”
“I know it’s not ideal,” I tried again. “But I’m a pretty easygoing guy. I work a lot, so you’ll have the place to yourself most days. We could stay out of each other’s hair, and you wouldn’t be homeless.”
She stepped closer; her eyes narrowed to a laser focus. I couldn’t help appreciating her hair, pulled back in a messy ponytail. She wasn’t wearing any makeup, and at this distance, I could see flecks of gold in her eyes. She was wearing a pink sweater and a pair of grey pajama bottoms that hugged her hips. I wondered if I would get to see her this way every day if we moved in together, if we got comfortable with each other. I could imagine curling up on the couch together to watch the fire in the hearth or the big game on TV.
“I’m not going to be homeless,” she swore, “because this is my cabin, not yours. I had it first.”
“The lease was never signed.” I shook my head. I didn’t want to throw her out on her pretty rear, but I clearly had the law on my side. “I don’t want to kick you out, but I will if you want to be difficult.”
“I wouldn’t live with you if you were the last man on Earth,” she snapped.
“That’s ridiculous,” I said. “I’m not asking you out on a date. You could pay rent. Just until you find something better…”
She straightened. “Thank you for your offer, but I’m not interested.”
I sighed. “Okay. I’m moving in on Monday. Call me if you want to stay. Otherwise, I’d appreciate you having all your stuff out when I get here.” I swung back into the driver’s seat and shut the door.
She scowled, staring death rays at me as I backed up and turned around. Part of me hoped that she would be gone by Monday. Part of me wished that she would stay. I wasn’t sure that living with her would be a good idea, but what was I going to do? I couldn’t kick her out if she had no place to go. And seeing her walk around the house in her pajamas was worth an added headache. I grinned at my own stupidity and drove back to work to beat my head against the wall of my unsolved case some more.
8
LINDSEY
As soon as he left, I began to pace. I couldn’t sit down. I felt so much tension in my shoulders and my stomach, it was like I was a rope being twisted tighter and tighter. I walked the length of my porch, my porch, and back.
Who did that guy think he was? I could live in my own house as a guest? I could pay rent to him? I could share this little slice of heaven with someone I barely knew? No way! There had to be some solution that I just wasn’t seeing, some way to stall the inevitable.
If I couldn’t take the landlord to court, and I couldn’t convince Jason not to buy the property, maybe I could sour their deal. All kinds of stupid, sitcom-worthy plots flew in and out of my head. What if I tripped and fell, then I could sue the homeowner? But that would involve courts and lawyers, and again, I didn’t have the money for that. Plus, it would be totally illegal.