T-Bone - L. Wilder Page 0,10
an end to the awkwardness that was settling between us, I turned to her and asked, “Have you ever been downtown to the Pyramid?”
“No, but I’ve heard the Bass Pro Shop they just put in is incredible.”
“It is. You’ll have to check it out sometime.”
She glanced over to look at me and said, “Maybe you could take me sometime ... You know, after I get moved and everything.”
“Yeah, I could definitely do that.” If I hadn’t known better, I might’ve thought she was actually asking me out, but I let that thought quickly skirt away as I pulled into the parking lot of our first destination. Once we were parked in front of the apartment complex, I motioned my hand towards the building and said, “This is it.”
“It’s incredible!” She leaned forward to get a better look at the large pond that was centered in the middle of the various apartments. I had to admit, the place did look pretty good, especially with all the crepe myrtles in full bloom and the colorful flowers they’d planted around each sidewalk. Alyssa’s eyes were wide with excitement. “This is the place I’m supposed to like least?”
“Yeah. You’ll have to check out the others to see why.” I smiled as I opened my door and said, “Hold tight. I’ve gotta run in and get the keys.”
“Sure.”
Alyssa got out to look around while I went into the main office and picked up the keys from the manager. Once I had them, I walked back out and motioned for her to follow me over to the apartment. Like a kid about to open a Christmas present, she rushed over to me with a bright smile on her face. Hell, she was practically bursting at the seams as she waited for me to unlock the door. We finally stepped inside and I told her, “It’s a two bedroom with a bath and a half—”
“It’s amazing!” She gasped, cutting me off before I could finish describing all the amenities. Not that it mattered. In two seconds flat, she’d scoped out the entire place and was checking out the master’s closet when I asked, “What do you think?”
“I think it’s great.” Her expression quickly grew somber. “But I could never afford a place like this.”
“It’s not as bad as you might think, besides, Hyde’s already said that he wants you to have a nice place.”
“I want something nice, too, but it has to be something that I can actually afford.”
“You don’t have to worry about the money, Alyssa. Your brother wants you to have the place that you want, no matter the cost.”
“Well, that’s easy for him to say. He’s not the one paying for it.”
“Actually ... he will be. At least, some of it.”
“What?”
“He’ll pay for whatever you can’t.” I could tell from her expression that she didn’t like the idea of her brother taking up her slack, so I tried to smooth things over by adding, “He’s just looking out for his little sister. I’d do the same if I were in his shoes.”
“That’s just it. Clay has been looking out for me since I was kid, even more so after our dad died. I don’t want him thinking that he’s gotta take care of me.” She let out a frustrated sigh. “I want to be able to fend for myself.”
“And you will. It’s just gonna take a little time for you to get on your feet.” I had the feeling that she wasn’t convinced though. “How about this ... Let’s look at the other places, then you can decide what you want to do from there.”
“Okay.” A look of relief crossed her face. “Thanks, T-Bone.”
“No problem.”
After she took another quick survey around, we headed over to the second apartment complex. I tried to keep my focus on the road, but every so often my eyes would drift over to her long tan legs, and I’d find myself wishing that miniskirt was a little shorter. I knew I needed to get a fucking grip, but damn, I was just a man, and having a woman as beautiful as Alyssa sitting just a couple of feet from me was just too tempting. Thankfully, she was so focused on figuring out her apartment situation that she didn’t seem to notice my struggle.
When we pulled up to the next complex, I again ran into the manager’s office to get the keys, then took her for a quick tour of the grounds. I thought she’d like the fact that it