started to climb.
My curiosity got the better of me as I followed him. Once we made it to the top of the stairs, he sidestepped and motioned me forward.
“This is the new Frolicking Moose loft.”
Carefully, I ventured into an open floor plan that took up the entirety of the upper floor, which had been turned into a studio apartment. With the expansion below, they had a perfectly-sized place here. It wasn't overly large, but not too small either.
Windows streamed warm sunlight, while a candle that smelled like cotton lit the far side of the room. A gentle breeze stirred gauzy curtains. There were a few antique-looking pieces of furniture stationed throughout, with some books and blankets strategically placed here and there. In all, it looked like a catalog photo.
“The furniture is Bethany's thing,” he said with a hint of amusement. “She's a realtor and loves to stage places. They're prepping this to put on the market to rent, which is why she has it all dolled up. She swears the candle increases offers.”
I laughed, charmed. “I wouldn't doubt it for a second.”
“Anyway,” his expression sobered, “I was thinking about where you'd be able to stay in Pineville after what happened with your brother. I wondered if you'd want to see it. I asked Maverick and he said he'd hold off on listing if you wanted to apply to rent.”
My gaze widened. “Seriously?”
He nodded. “You still have to apply. They'll run your credit and do your background check and all that, but he's willing to give you first dibs. He's . . . fond of you.”
The words came out like they almost choked him, but I let that go for now. There would be time for analysis later.
“That's very kind.”
“It's a six-month lease unless you'd want longer, with a down payment and all that stuff, but it's brand new with the reconstruction. Plus, it's safe.”
I strolled around the edge of the room to touch the bookshelf, peruse the titles that I'd never heard of. Reading wasn't really my thing. I tried to picture myself here. My life had been nomadic for the last several years. I'd graduated with my associate’s degree at twenty after doing advanced high school classes, tromped over to Europe for three months, and hadn't settled anywhere for longer than nine months ever since. Waitressing jobs, virtual assistant work, even cleaning horse stalls helped me bounce around the world on my whim.
Which meant that six months sounded just about right.
I owned no furniture to move in here, except for the few things that I still had at Talmage's. That could be remedied easily enough.
“Thank you.” I turned to face him. “That was . . . incredibly sweet of you.”
He ignored that, too. “I don't know what your financial position looks like, either. Mav didn't tell me how much they'll charge on rent, but . . .”
He trailed off and I felt a big something coming. I paused near a thin, silver refrigerator that purred quietly in the corner. Next to it was a small range, a sink with porcelain spigots, and a cupboard with a few glass cups.
“But?” I asked.
He shifted his weight. “I . . . I wanted to see if we could help each other out?”
“How so?”
“Ava.”
The name came out of his mouth like a rolling stone. I'd used it yesterday as if I had the right. He hadn't stopped me, but I had sensed some discomfort on his part.
“Ava?” I asked.
“Would you be interested in helping me take care of her?”
Until that moment, I hadn't realized there had been a slow-growing hope in my heart. A traitorous thought that built slowly, like an expanding balloon. One that was inflated by the idea that maybe there was something in that grinchy heart that felt for me.
But maybe it had just been about Ava.
For a moment, I stared at him in shock, doubly taken aback by the fact that he likely had never asked such a thing before.
“What do you mean?” I finally asked.
He rubbed the back of his neck in a half-grimace. “She gets out of school at 2:30, and the bus drops her off at Bethany and Maverick's house. Most of the time, she's fine there. Bethany is either home with Shane or sometimes Ellie is there. They're sort of her family now. Maybe more than me,” he tacked on as an afterthought, but couldn't hide the woundedness in his tone. “But Bethany is often showing listings and Maverick is doing renovations and Ellie is