Page 19 of Sweet on You
Turning to face the front, I buckled myself in. “I live just outside of downtown. If you follow Main Street south, I’m at the bottom of the hill.” I was less than a mile from downtown Maple Grove and that’s just how I liked it. I wanted to be able to walk into town and not have to drive everywhere, especially in the warmer, summer months. Unfortunately for my windshield, yesterday had been one of the rare days that I had driven to work, solely because I had promised to give Callie a ride in.
“That’s a great area,” Lex said. “I wanted to open my shop there, but the only available properties were listed for sale, not for rent.”
That statement caught me off guard. Most of the business owners in Maple Grove owned their buildings and property, too. There wasn’t a huge commercial rental market in town. Then again, maybe my privilege was showing. Not everyone had a carpenter brother who could transform a shell of a building into something incredible like my gym. “I didn’t realize you rented Latte Da.”
Lex sighed in a heavy way as he slowed to a stop at the four-way intersection. “Yeah. I rent the apartment above it, too, so it’s a great deal. And my landlord is amazing. He truly is. Couldn’t ask for someone better or more understanding.”
“It’s one of Nate’s buildings, right?”
“Yep. He seems to own most of the real estate in town.”
I shrugged. “Yeah, we don’t have too many real estate moguls. If it’s a rental property, it likely belongs to one of five people.”
“Well, Nate’s selling the building,” Lex said. “I have enough saved for a down payment. So, Icouldbuy it… as long as I could get a loan for the rest.”
Well, that was news to me. My brother keeps on top of all the buildings going up for sale in our town, solely because of his contractor business that he inherited from my dad. He likes to be on top of putting bids in. “I didn’t realize Nate was selling any of his properties. James didn’t mention it.” And James usually told me those things.
Lex shrugged, and even though the movement was noncommittal, there was a tightness to the movement. “He’s giving me a right of first offer before he lists it. If I want to buy it, I can. He even offered to split his broker commission savings with me and to hook me up with a banker friend who could probably get my loan approved.”
“That sounds like a great deal,” I said. “Nate must like you.”
We drove the rest of the way in silence. And not the comfortable kind, either. The kind of silence that has you itching and antsy, wishing to be anywhere but here. I shifted in my seat, thanking God my house was only a mile from my gym.
But if Lex was uncomfortable? He didn’t show it at all. Oh God. We still had to drive to the mountain for the hike. This day would never end.
“This is my house on the left,” I said, pointing at my little home.
He didn’t hesitate and turned into my driveway. Which was empty, thanks to Lex’s kettlebell swinging abilities.
“It’s lovely,” he said, looking up through his windshield.
I smiled. Itwaslovely. I was proud of my little house. Three bedrooms and a basement that could be converted into more living space should I ever need it. Which was more than enough size for little ol’ me. But when I was looking to buy, two homes had come on the market. One was a few doors down and was a one-and-a-half-bedroom ranch style home that was move-in ready. Or this one, which was larger, but needed work. Cam convinced me to buy bigger, promising me that I wouldn’t regret it.
He was right… I don’t. But every time I pass by the two empty bedrooms, I can’t help but feel a little more hollow inside. I had asked Callie to move in with me at one point, but she said she didn’t want to “intrude.”
Intrude. My ego didn’t allow me to tell her the truth. That I wanted her there. That I was lonely. That ever since Brandon left me for his ex-wife, I hated being in that house all alone. She’d be helping me out as much as I’d be helping her out if she moved in.
“Well,” I unclicked my seatbelt and hopped out of the car. “I’ll be right back with Penny.”
I unlocked my door and before I even stepped both feet inside, I knew something was wrong.
My feet crunched on an empty can of seltzer water. I shut the door behind me and bent down, inspecting it closer. Teeth marks. The damn can was chewed.
That’s when I looked up and saw a trail of garbage and recycling strewn throughout my foyer and living room and kitchen. “What the hell?” I shouted. “Penny!”
Nothing. Not even a bark. “Penny! Come here!” I called again, then remembered that wasn’t really his name. Yvonne had told me to mash his old name with his new name until he learned it, but frankly, that didn’t seem fair to him since our situation was only temporary. And let’s face it, his new family probably didn’t want a boy dog named Penny. Not everyone was as obsessed with Johnny Cash as I was.
“Copper!” I called. “Come here, Copper!”
Upstairs, I heard the patter of paws above me and then the distinct, ungraceful sound of heavy paws running down the flight of stairs. Like someone had tossed a bowling ball down it.
Copper came bounding down the stairs and I was fully prepared to scold him for this mess, until it hit me. How the hell did he even get out? I had shut him into one of the bedrooms.
I looked up to find him standing at the bottom step, something in his mouth. What the hell was that?
Oh no.
“Knock, knock,” Lex said behind me. “Everything okay? I thought I heard… yelling.” His words drifted off as he stepped into the room beside me. “Oh, dear. What happened in here?”
