Page 19 of Rent Free

I’d tried so hard not to do that, but it was a compulsion.

One I’d never been able to stop myself from doing.

Any kind of bell—whether it be a doorbell, a bike bell, or even the one sitting on the counter in front of me—I had to ring it.

I could usually hold off when it wasn’t important, but sometimes I just couldn’t.

This being one of those times.

I was assuming that was because of the woman in front of me.

She made me nervous.

And angry.

Pepper didn’t react to the bell.

In fact, she was so unbothered by it that I might as well not even have done it.

“Have a good day,” she said sweetly.

Too sweetly.

I caught the box up and handed her my card.

She refused it, saying, “No, it’s on me.”

I didn’t want it to be on her.

Reaching into my wallet, I pulled out a twenty and tossed it onto the counter. “You’re not buying me anything. I wouldn’t take a thing from you after the shit I’ve heard and seen.”

“Seen?” she asked.

“Seen,” I confirmed.

“You haven’t seen shit from me,” she snapped.

“I’ve seen you not show up when your sister was kidnapped and nearly murdered by a serial killer,” I shot back.

An incredulous sound came out of her beautiful mouth. “You’re hoodwinked.”

“Hoodwinked?” I raised a brow at her.

“Deceived. Tricked. Deluded. Mislead. Misinformed. Duped.” She enunciated each word.

“I know what it means,” I drawled.

“Well, then if you know what it means, maybe you should think about why I said it,” she suggested. “Have a good day, officer.”

I left without another word, but my mind was reeling.

The drive home took less than ten minutes.

I ate both peach scones.

I’d never planned on sharing.

I just wanted to see what she’d do and say if I said it.

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