and I were finally able to leave the dorms. It was only after I begged, pleaded, and promised my life away to the old man that he agreed to rent to all of us, including an underage Vernon. He did so without questions at the time, but he now knew all the ugly reasons the rest of us were willing to do whatever it took to keep the kid safe. My violent reaction received a dirty look from the old man, and I reminded myself I was here to appeal to his soft spot for all of us, me in particular, and not to provoke him.
“You were the one who implemented the ‘no co-ed-living-if-it-can-be-avoided’ rule. I don’t understand why you’re going back on it now. Things have been smooth sailing so far with just us at the house. Why change something that’s proven to be successful?” Why was everyone always willing to break the rules for Ollie?
Me included.
It was baffling and endlessly frustrating. What was it about Ollie Adams that made everyone who encountered her lose their damn mind?
“You’ve asked the same question twenty different ways, Huck. You’re going to make a great lawyer one day. But it won’t change my answer. If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a hundred times, I didn’t know she was a young woman until after all the paperwork was signed. Her name was misleading. Her lease to the room in the house is valid and legally binding. You had no right to run her off. She seems like a nice-enough girl. A little quiet and squirrely, but I don’t think she’ll be in your way or cause too much of a fuss. It’s only one year. If you boys can’t adapt to a change this close to graduation, I fear for your futures.”
He smirked at me when I swore in aggravation under my breath. I shoved my hands through my hair and glared holes into the wood table between us.
“She tricked you by not using her legal name on the application. She lied. That should invalidate the lease. There are always legal loopholes, Old Man.” I was getting desperate because it was becoming clear this would be one of the rare arguments in my life I was about to lose.
“And I told you, she didn’t lie. I just did a cursory glance at the information. I’m the one who overlooked the fact Ollie is short for Olivia. Besides, your legal loophole could lead to a bigger legal headache for me down the road. You know one of my daughters is a lawyer. She’s been telling me for years that my no co-ed living condition was going to get me in trouble. Just accept it. She’s moving in, kiddo.” He tapped his index finger on the table to get my attention. When our gazes locked, I could clearly see the old man had his mind made up, and there would be no persuading him. “And you and the boys aren’t going to give her a hard time about it. You hear me, Huck?”
I bared my teeth slightly and didn’t respond.
Mr. Peters slammed his palm on the wood and made me jump. I gulped slightly and forced myself to dip my chin in agreement. “I hear you, Old Man.”
“I’m serious. If I hear you guys are making things difficult for her, you will be moving out and looking for a new place. It’ll be impossible to find a place for the three of you this close to the start of school. If you put me in a position to give you a piss-poor reference, you won’t ever find a place to rent again. I’m not threatening you. I’m telling you exactly how it is.”
I let my head drop and felt my shoulders slump. It wasn’t often I couldn’t persuade someone to give me what I wanted, and it had been a very long time since I hadn’t gotten my way. I guess I’d become spoiled since I left my old life behind.
Speaking of my old life, I quietly asked Mr. Peters, “Did Ollie tell you that we used to know each other when we were kids? Did she tell you she moved here because of me? She’s stalking me. She might be dangerous. Aren’t you worried about me at all, Old Man?”
I was actually a little hurt at how indifferent he seemed over the whole situation. I honestly thought our relationship had long since gone past the landlord-tenant stage. The boys and I considered