leasing it.”
“Really?” He hiked an eyebrow. “I don’t remember signing a lease. Maybe I’m growing forgetful in my old age. I thought we just agreed you would pay me a couple hundred bucks a month until you were back on your feet, and then we’d figure something out going forward.”
He sounded reasonable, which I absolutely hated. “Whatever.” I charged into my bedroom, shutting the door so I could change my clothes. I expected him to be gone when I emerged, but I wasn’t that lucky. Instead, I found him sitting on my couch staring at the painting his mother had finished. “Why are you still here?”
“You looked like you needed to talk,” he replied, his gaze drifting to me. “What’s wrong with you?”
Oh, there were so many ways I could answer that question. “What makes you think anything is wrong?”
“Because you’re a mouthy pain in the behind. I have a lot of grandchildren. I also had four teenagers in the house at one time. I know about being mouthy. You’re taking it to a personal level.”
I flopped onto the couch next to him. “You really have no idea how many grandchildren you have, do you?”
“You guys multiply like rabbits.”
“You could do the math and commit the number to memory so you’re not always grasping.”
“What fun is that?”
He was right. I was in a foul mood, but it had nothing to do with him. “I got caught in the rain. Hunter picked me up and drove me back here.”
“That hardly sounds like the end of the world.”
“His girlfriend was with him.”
“Ah.” Grandpa nodded knowingly. “I take it you two aren’t going to be fast friends.”
“We’re not going to be slow friends either. She’s ... mean.” It was a stupid word. I was an adult, for crying out loud. Only middle-schoolers used that word to describe a nemesis. If I’d used the word I really wanted to throw out there, Grandpa might try to wrestle me down and wash my mouth out with soap.
“Mean, huh?” He chuckled, amused by my obvious discomfort. “Dolly, do you know what your problem is?”
One of these days I was going to shove that question right back down his throat and make him choke. “I’m pretty sure it’s Monica ... and Hunter ... and the fact that I own five pairs of pants and now one of them won’t dry out for days.”
“I’ve already told you that you can use the washer and dryer at our house.”
“That’s not the point.”
“No, the point is that you feel like sitting around and pouting. I can’t help you there.” He stood with a grunt. He was a big guy. Eight meals a day had done him no favors. “When you’re in the mood to talk like an adult, you know where I am.”
“I’m not pouting.” I was sixty-five percent sure that was true. “I’m just ... taking stock of my life.”
“Well, try doing it with a better attitude. If you keep up like this, you’ll be bitter. I have two bitter sisters. I know what you’ll find at the end of that road, and it isn’t pretty.”
“I’ll take it under advisement.”
He smirked. “You do that.” He hesitated at the door that led downstairs. “Hunter’s gone, right?”
I narrowed my eyes, suspicious. “How long do you think you’re going to be able to hide from him?”
“I’m not hiding. That’s a ridiculous statement.”
He was never going to own up to his actions. Not on this one. I was too tired to press him, though. “He’s gone. Trust me. His girlfriend isn’t the type to sit in the parking lot and stake it out. You can escape.”
“I’m not escaping. I just ... don’t like cops.”
That was news to me. “You should probably take advantage of this window and run.”
“It’s the end of my shift. I’m going home. It has nothing to do with Hunter.”
I didn’t believe him. “Have a good rest of your day.”
“You too. Don’t be late for work tomorrow.”
“I won’t.” I’d learned my lesson. I had no intention of leaving my apartment tonight. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I’ll be the one with the coffee.”
I SPENT THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON reading and lazing about. In the city, I always felt as if I couldn’t find enough hours in the day to get everything done. Here, back home, I had time to just sit and think. Self-reflection was allowed, though it wasn’t how I wanted to spend my time.
I moved my pity party to the balcony. The restaurant had closed two hours earlier and