Page 4 of Renard's Deliverance

Stupid,ugly whore.

Okay,don’t think about that right now.

Taking a deep breath in, she let it out slowly.

“I know that, Opal. But we just want to take care of you. Which is why I found you a house.”

“A . . . a house?” she asked, sitting up straight.

“Yep. Mrs. Easton has gone into a rest home. Hope they’re ready for her. She used to supplement her Social Security with home brew that she made in her basement. And when Jake told her that she had to stop, she tried printing money. Looked terrible, all wonky, and Benjamin Franklin looked suspiciously like Homer Simpson.”

“You’re kidding?”

“Nope.”

“Wow. She’s my new idol.”

Alec raised an eyebrow. “Anyway, her family decided to sell her house and I bought it. For you.”

“W-what?”

“Well, for you to rent. It’s hard to find a place to rent in Haven, it’s strictly controlled. So you’ll live there. This is the rental agreement, since I figured you would want one. It’s got my bank account on it and the amount you’ll pay each month. There’re a few rules written in there.” He handed over a piece of paper.

“What sort of rules?” She was guessing it would be things around not having loud parties or pets and when to pay the rent or what might happen if she didn’t.

Turns out, she was completely wrong.

“One, is that you’ll do your best to keep yourself safe. Two, you’ll let me or Tanner know if something is wrong, if you need help, if someone threatens you, or you are ill. And that you will call one of us immediately. Okay?”

“That’s it?”

“Yep.”

“What about paying on time? Or repairs? Or not having loud parties?”

“I wouldn’t worry about loud parties,” he told her. “Mrs. Easton used to have ragers several times a year. Pretty sure most of the town turned up. The nursing home really has no idea what they’re in for. As for repairs, you’ll need to let me know if anything needs fixing and I will take care of them. You want to see the place first?”

Should she do this? Would she be indebted to him? Opal hated to be reliant on anyone.

“I, um, I could find my own place.”

He tapped his fingers against the desk. “You don’t want to accept my help?”

“I don’t want to accept anyone’s help.”

Alec nodded. “Doesn’t make you weak, you know. A long time ago, I had to get my family out of a bad situation. Had no idea how I was going to do that. Someone helped me and now here I am, in a position to do the same.”

“So you’re just paying that forward?”

“I’m looking after family. You took care of Ryleigh for a long time. I want to do the same for you. I know it’s hard to believe that I don’t have an ulterior movie.”

He had no idea . . .

“There’s no catch, no hidden agenda. You want to live alone, and I want to make sure you can do it safely. Or you can stay here.”

Opal took a leap of faith and leaned forward to pick up the pen before signing.

“You can move in at the end of the month. That good?” he asked.

---