to fall over in the first wind, and if the septic tank’s leaking, it’s not obvious. You’ve looked at worse.”
“We’re talking about the deal,” Nick said. “Twenty-seven hundred up front.”
“Do you have it?”
“Not quite. Till the trailer sells.”
“No problem.” Brian expected Charlie to offer them a loan, although the guy had to be getting short of cash himself. Instead Charlie turned to him. “You can use that money Damon sent me.”
“That was to pay you back,” Brian protested. He didn’t know how much Charlie had spent for his and Nick’s tickets to Florida when they came to save him and Lori. All he knew was, Nick had asked, and Charlie had paid whatever they needed, without question. He was that kind of friend. “You should keep it.”
Charlie grinned. “I’d rather spend it on you. I don’t mind keeping Damon in my debt.”
“Oh.” He glanced at Nick who seemed to have a jumble of emotions going on. Brian was too tired to make a simple thing complicated. “Is that okay, Nick? We can take this house.” It’d been hard to find places that would rent to two guys with one low-paying job and a big dog, cash up front or not. He glanced around the weedy front yard. This place would be fine. The thought he might contribute his fair share of next month’s rent, from his own hard work, was sunshine. “Between us, we can do this!”
“I hate taking money from your fucking brother. If we wait, the trailer will sell and I’ll have the cash.”
Brian shook his head hard, without even thinking about it. Waiting meant living in Yasmin’s house, or maybe Charlie and Lori’s new duplex apartment they’d signed on that morning. He wouldn’t— couldn’t— go to bed with Nick as a guest in someone’s house. “I don’t want to wait.” What would make it better? “When the trailer sells, you can pay Damon back, right?”
Nick frowned. “And how am I gonna find him to do that?”
I could Find him. He kept the thought from reaching his lips. Using his talent to locate Damon was a last-ditch option, not for simple bookkeeping, even if his headaches were clearing at last. “I want to give Yasmin her space back, and that motel costs too much.”
Nick muttered, “I’d rather shove that money in your brother’s face.” But he went back to the landlord. “All right, we’ll take it.”
The man spit a stream of tobacco juice onto the lawn and nodded. “Lemme know when you have the cash and we’ll meet up. Sign the papers.”
“Can we do a bit of fixing up when we move in? That back deck needs new boards. Stuff like that.”
The landlord squinted at Nick. “You gonna want another break on the rent for it?”
“No. Just permission.”
“I guess that’d be okay. Long as you ask me first.”
As the man relocked the front door and picked his way down the uneven driveway to his car, Charlie heaved a theatrical sigh that didn’t quite cover real tiredness and nudged Brian. “Okay. That was a good day’s work.”
“I still can’t believe you’re going to live here in North Carolina too.”
“I said I would.”
“Yeah, but…” Brian glanced at Nick’s car, where Lori sat tilted back in the front seat. “I bet you had a nicer place back in Seattle.”
“Living with my mom? Anyway, my new duplex beats this dump by a mile.”
Nick said over Brian’s shoulder, “I’m surprised your mom didn’t hog-tie you to keep you there. I bet you didn’t give her the cover story about starting a PI agency together. She’d be here slitting my throat if she thought I was about to put you in danger.”
Charlie looked at Nick. There was something dark in Charlie’s eyes that Brian couldn’t decipher. Pain? Regret, maybe? Wanting something? Is he attracted to Nick? He is bisexual. Or does he just miss when they worked together?
There was no hint in Charlie’s voice when he said, “I didn’t mention the PI thing. I can job hunt here just as easy— or as badly— as there. This’ll be different, anyhow.”
Nick snorted. “Different. Yeah. Crying babies and diapers and barf.”
“Are you trying to get rid of me? Babies I can handle.” Charlie stopped short and pressed his lips together.
“Lori not so much?” Nick suggested.
Brian had been wincing all day at Lori’s mood swings. If she would just pick a spot between seduction of the new guy and bitchy nit-picking, they’d all be better off.
Charlie looked like he might agree, then sighed. “She’s scared. I get