Page 27 of Flirting With Fire
I peered over my shoulder, and sure enough, the power of our collision had dislodged my hat. As soon as I bent over to retrieve it, I was reminded of how clueless I am at times. I’m sure my denim-clad posterior was giving Meyer a nice show.
As I straightened, I steeled myself to face him as if nothing had happened. I hadn’t shown off my ass, and our chests and groins had definitely not touched. We were in the middle of a business proposition, nothing more.
I tried to appear nonchalant. “The answer is yes. Anything you want.”
Meyer’s jaw went slack. “Excuse me?”
I blinked several times as I ran the sequence of recent events through my mind.
Fuck.
“The blinds. I’m talking about the blinds.”
I’d leave it to him to determine what other things I could potentially be saying yes to.
“Oh!” Meyer cleared his throat. “Of course. The blinds.” He placed his hands on his hips as he gazed around the room, nodding his head. “Great. I guess I’ll take it then.”
“You will?” My smile was probably a bit over the top. Completely uncalled for.
“Sure.”
He smiled back, and I let out a relieved sigh. Another thing Kayla got on me about was how I always blew things out of proportion. She was always telling me to relax and not worry so much about what other people thought. I knew she was right, but the fear of doing something stupid or upsetting other people tended to weigh heavily on my shoulders.
I rubbed my hands together as I chewed on my bottom lip. I’d assumed Meyer either wouldn’t show up or would make an excuse as to why he wouldn’t want the place, so the next step of being a landlord hadn’t occurred to me. I frowned.
“So, I guess I should get a rental agreement or something.”
I looked up at him hopefully. He was Mr. Big City. He must know the drill.
He tilted his head. “You’ve never rented this place before?”
I shrugged. “This was where Cal lived until he got married. Then my parents died, and I was so overwhelmed by taking over the ranch that I never gave it much thought until recently.”
Meyer’s features softened. “I’m so sorry about your parents. I know how close you were with them.”
My throat closed up, and I had to swallow past my emotion. “Thanks. I was. But everyone’s been real good to me. Especially Lindy.” I needed him to know that I hadn’t been trying to steal her away after he left. “Getting to spend time with her has meant so much to me.”
He nodded slowly. “I’m glad you guys have been there for each other.” He lowered his head, his hands going back to his hips. “I wish I could’ve been here more often, that I hadn’t been so wrapped up in my life back in Chicago.”
Meyer sounded so melancholy, and I had to hold back from giving him a hug. Why had I been so awful to him over some stupid situation from when we were teens? It was time for me to get over myself. I wasn’t being fair. I knew how much Lindy meant to him, how much his family and Charming meant.
“You’re here now.” I took a chance, reaching out and patting his shoulder. “That’s what counts.”
He gave me a lopsided smile. “Thanks, man. Appreciate it.” He sighed. “I guess we’re all our own worse critics.”
“True.” I chuckled. “Unless you’re Deputy Stan. Then you’re your biggest cheerleader.”
Meyer barked out a laugh. “He’s still telling the world how amazing he is?”
I grinned. “Every damn chance he gets.”
We stood there for a minute, awkwardly smiling and looking everywhere but at each other.
“I tell you what,” said Meyer. “Why don’t we grab lunch tomorrow at the Stump? You can bring something by then, and I’ll give you a deposit and the first month’s rent.”
“Okay.” I needed to do some Googling on how to be a proper landlord. “How much should the deposit be?”
Meyer smiled with a gleam in his eyes. “That’s your job, Dex. You tell me.”
