Page 26 of Totally Opposed

He eyes me suspiciously. “You don’t seem too surprised by this.”

“Well, they have been out there running the place for the last five years. I sort of figured they would want to take it over completely, eventually. Kelly and I don’t care if you want to sell to them.”

“Why do y’all think you gotta go buying it off me?”

“They want you to be looked after. It’s your ranch, Gramps.”

“I got this place. Besides, it was my Gramps’s ranch, then my father’s, then mine, and now you lot have it.”

“Wait, what?”

“I sold the back forty and bought this place when I moved out here. I told your brothers they can buy out you and your sister, if you want to sell, that is.”

“Go back… You own this place?”

He nods and takes a sip of his tea.

“Like your apartment?” I ask, and he frowns.

“Why would I just buy one apartment? I own the building. It will be passed down to you lot eventually, too, but the ranch, that is already yours. You can sell it if you want to.”

“I don’t want to sell them the ranch.”

“See, I’m not crazy. It’s weird asking me to sell them something that’s theirs?”

“But on paper, it’s not. On paper, it’s still yours, right?”

“Nope, took care of that when I came out here. Everything out there was signed over. It’s all yours, your sisters and your brothers. I told ya, I don’t need to sell them anything. It’s their ranch. Your ranch.”

“I don’t think I am understanding you?”

He sighs and takes a slow sip of his tea, the crease in his forehead deepening. Precious is curled up in his lap, and it’s seriously the longest I’ve been in a room with her without her trying to gouge out my eyes, but I don’t relax completely, because, you know, that’s when they get ya.

“Okay, try to keep up. I sold the unused land at the back, I moved out here, bought this place, they took on the ranch, my lawyer added all ya names to the deed, and it’s yours already.”

“I didn’t know that. Do they know that?”

“They do now.”

“Oh, okay. Umm, I’ll check in with Kelly then and we’ll see what we’re going to do.”

“You might not want it now, but that place is in your blood. Don’t be giving up something unless you’re sure you don’t want it, got it?”

“Got it.”

“Okay, we’re fine here. You can go now.”

“Alright. Well, let me know if Precious chews on any more rubber things from you know what, and I’ll be right over.”

He nods and waves but doesn’t look my way. Instead, he picks up his binoculars and lines them up to look down the alleyway towards the street. How he hasn’t been reported as a peeping Tom yet is beyond me.

Just as I’m closing the door to Gramps’ place, I see the light come on in Ryan’s room across the alleyway and his sweet voice calls out.

“Good evening, Precious.” The fucking demon cat meows the sweetest reply, like he’s her favorite person in the whole world. I glance back towards Gramps’ kitchen, where I spotted the homemade meals he’s dropped by.

You know what, Precious? He might just be becoming my favorite person, too.

Chapter eleven

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