fall, which apparently is when most people move, so there should be some more interest soon.”
“It’s the location.” I shake my head in annoyance. “No one in this area wants to rent an apartment. They want something bigger. Something better suited to building a family. Have you looked at other rentals in the area? They’re more expensive than us, and they’ve got way more amenities. We just can’t compete at that level.”
Leon purses his lips and frowns. I can see the gears turning in his head as he tries to come up with some sort of solution to our problem. I was the one who dragged us into this, but he’s been more than willing to go along with my craziness from the beginning. I’ll never be able to thank him enough for having that kind of blind faith in me.
“We’ll figure something out,” he says before leaning in and kissing my forehead. “Now, can you help me set the table? Candor will be here soon.”
“Yeah, I got it.” I rise from my seat as Leon withdraws back into the kitchen. I take a few minutes to organize my paperwork before tucking it out of the way.
As I set the table, I can’t stop going over everything in my head. Every step of the way we’ve had setbacks. Things have gone wrong, we’ve dealt with them, and we’ve moved on. The one thing that has never gone right though is getting enough tenants. After the initial rush of people who were interested in the renovated complex, all interest seemed to dry up.
My current theory is that word got around about how strict our requirements are. We haven’t given any breaks when it comes to things like credit history or background checks. I guess people got so used to this place being a dump that no one else is interested in living here. We only got Candor and our other tenants because they’re new to the area.
Trying to change people’s perception of anything is an uphill battle. One I’m not making much progress on winning.
The front door opens abruptly, and Candor makes a triumphant entrance. A broad smile is plastered across his face as he shuts the door and turns to face me.
“From that smile, I take it things went well?” I lean over the back of the dining chair and grin in anticipation. My worries about the future of Glass Bay Apartments can wait until later.
“They did,” Candor says, unwinding the scarf from around his neck. “They’ve finally agreed to the settlement. My lawyer says it’s just a matter of hashing out details now.” The look of relief on his face is evident.
“That’s great news!” Leon comes bounding out of the kitchen and throws himself into Candor’s lap, planting a kiss on his cheek.
“Cheater,” I quip at my twin as I stride across the room to join them. “You always go first.”
“Don’t be such a slowpoke then.” Leon winks at me.
I bend down and Candor meets my lips in a warm kiss that puts me at ease. If someone had told me a month ago that another alpha would be able to soothe my frayed nerves with a simple kiss, I would’ve laughed in their face. Now, I can’t imagine going a day without being able to taste those soft, supple lips.
“Will it be enough to cover the surgery?” Leon asks as he stands up.
Not long after the three of us started our relationship, Candor’s doctor informed him of an experimental surgery that might be capable of restoring some more of his motor functions. Unfortunately, the insurance company doesn’t cover experimental treatments, and the cost is too high for him to even consider covering himself.
“Yeah.” Candor grins and clasps his hands over his lap. “More than. I’ll be able to move my parents to a better location too.” His eyes are shining as he looks up at us.
Finally, things are starting to look up a bit.
I force myself to keep smiling despite the momentary flash of worry that darts through my brain. I’m not going to spoil Candor’s moment by telling him about the unstable financial situation of the complex.
“Once all that’s out of the way, whatever’s left should go toward the future,” Candor says as he smiles up at us.
Leon’s cheeks flush and he fidgets with his hands. “I still haven’t done the test.”
“Is everything okay?” Candor asks with a frown. He reaches for Leon’s hands and gives them a little squeeze.
“I guess I’m just a little nervous,” Leon