Page 74 of Play Me
“No. Never. Trace already lived there when I moved in. I did pay rent a couple of times, but I never signed anything.” A cold knot forms in my stomach. “And Trace kicked me out and had another woman living there for I don’t know how long after I left.”
Joe places the paper on top of the envelope and grabs a pen. “Do you have the dates of when you moved in and out?”
“Um, I moved in about six years ago in October and moved out in March four years ago. If you want exact dates, I can get them.”
He scribbles notes on a legal pad. “No, that’s fine.” He motions toward a smaller pad of paper and a pencil on the corner of his desk. “Write down your contact information there for me. Name, phone, address, and email.”
I take it and jot down my details.
“I’ll take care of this,” he says, watching me as I put his things back on his desk. “You’ll get a copy of all communications either by mail or email.”
The door opens behind me and footsteps sound through Betty’s office.
I lick my lips. “Before we get the ball rolling, how much do you charge? Because I might have to make payments, if you can do that. If not, I have a credit card, but I’d rather not pay that way if I can help it.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“But—”
“Piper said if it’s cold, it’s your fault,” Gray says, plopping a bag on Joe’s desktop. “You were supposed to pick it up an hour ago.”
Joe rolls his eyes. “Piper can settle the hell down. I paid for it, so what’s it to her?” He peers into the bag with chunky fingers. “Looks like they got it right, for once.”
Gray winks at me.
“I’m gonna eat,” Joe says. “You two get the hell out of here. It was nice to meet you, Astrid.”
“But we didn’t get a chance to discuss payments,” I say, my heart pattering.
Joe looks at Gray. “Get her outta here, will ya?”
“Let’s go,” Gray says, motioning with his head to follow him.
“But …”
“Come on.” Gray’s tone has a warning embedded in the notes. “See ya, Joe.”
“Goodbye.”
I stand, feeling an urgency to settle the payment terms, because I’m not sure what Joe expects. It complicates it more that he’s Gray’s friend. So if I can’t pay, that could hurt my relationship with Gray, which, in turn, could hurt myrelationship with Renn. Before I can start a protest, Joe takes a bite of his sandwich and turns his attention to his computer.
“Thank you, Joe,” I say, my voice wobbling.
If he hears me, he doesn’t show it.What the hell?
I run various scenarios through my head as we walk back to the truck. The taillights blink as Gray unlocks the door, and I climb into the cab, having decided that I’ll send a couple of hundred dollars to Joe when I get home. At least that’ll be something, and we can go from there.
“I grabbed us lunch,” Gray says as we get our buckles fastened. “Didn’t know what you wanted, but you got a ham and cheese. Piper’s daughter is also allergic to nuts, so they’re safe for you to eat.”
My throat is thick with emotion as I look at his expressive brown eyes.
It’s hard to accept that this Gray exists in the same body as the Gray that I met at the gas station. I never would’ve thought that asshole could be this considerate—about my allergy, Joe, and bringing me to Sugar Creek. I keep looking for the catch but come up empty.
The engine roars to life, and we start back the way we came.
“Ready to head to my brother’s for a little bit?” Gray asks.
I smirk. “Do you mean the ranch?”
