Page 3 of Hide and Sneak
“No hard drugs, and no nightly parade of bar skanks. I’m not going to get robbed by some lowlife you two drag in, understand?”
My words don’t diminish the pleased expression on his face. “Absolutely.”
One last thing occurs to me. “And nobody else is moving in. So, if you or he have some plan to slowly move a girlfriend in, forget about it. I will throw everyone’s ass out.”
“That’s an aggressive way to ask if I’m single,” he teases, stepping closer to me until his arm brushes mine. “But no worries, the answer is yes.”
Tilting my head back to look at the sky, I groan. “Why couldn’t I have been an only child?”
Amos approaches us warily, as he should since my glare is trying to cut him in half. “Liles?—”
“Shut up,” I interrupt. “I don’t appreciate being manipulated. If you think I don’t know you told Mom first and had her call me, you’re crazy. But fine. Here’s what’s going to happen. You can both stay for now. Sutton, you can take the bigger bedroom at the end of the hall. Andyoucan take the little room I’m using for storage. Just move Dusty’s stuff to one corner.”
“Dusty?”
“My puppy.”
Amos’s affronted expression is satisfying, and Sutton covers a grin at the sight of it. “Why does he get the better room?”
“He has a job and didn’t lie to me.”
With that, I stalk inside to retrieve my puppy. I don’t want him to get hurt being underfoot while they’re moving in. The girls have gone when I get back outside, and Holly’s gaze is focused on the guys pulling a mattress out of the truck as I take a seat beside her on her steps.
“Is everything okay?” she asks.
“Sure, fantastic. Unrelated question. Do you think the crematorium accepts walk-ins?”
“I’m pretty sure you need an appointment.” Dusty puts his front paws on her knees, and she grins, scratching behind his ears.
“It looks like I’m going to have two roommates for the foreseeable future. I’ll bring the income documentation in on Monday.”
She nods absently and watches Dusty chase a leaf that’s skittering across the porch. “Just their check stubs are fine.”
“How are you liking the new job?”
Holly worked cleaning office buildings until our mutual friend, Maren, got her a job as office manager here at Happy Haven Trailer Park. She’s still training.
“It’s great. I’m still getting the hang of it and getting to know everyone. The hours and pay are good, plus I can keep a close eye on Fern.” Holly has been raising her fourteen year old little sister for a few years now. She’s a good kid, but no teenage girl is easy.
Our attention is drawn to the guys as they laugh over something. Sutton effortlessly lifts a recliner and carries it toward the house. Fern and her friends aren’t wrong about Sutton. He is hot. He’s changed a lot from the scrawny kid Iremember. Not that it matters. His biceps bulge and the muscles in his back flex under the weight of the load. The early evening hasn’t fought off the afternoon heat, and a sheen of sweat coats his chest. Why can’t he put a damn shirt on?
“So…question. As your friend, is your brother off limits?” Holly asks with a sheepish smile. I’m surprised she’s asking about him when Sutton is right there.
“It wouldn’t bother me, but you should know what you’re in for. He never holds a job, parties all the time, and doesn’t seem to care about anything.”
Holly blinks, her eyebrows raising. “Oh.”
“Yeah, don’t get me wrong. He’s my brother, and I love him, but I’m running out of hope that he’ll change. And Sutton…” I nod toward his back. “Is the same way. They’ve been partners in crime since high school. I’m not sure they’ve matured a day since.”
“Okay, ick achieved. Forget I asked.”
When Sutton notices we’re watching him, a grin bursts across his face, and he pauses halfway to the trailer to hold up a bedside table. “Hey Lila, one night stand?”
“Not with a rented vagina.”
Holly snorts out a laugh, and I get to my feet. “Will you keep Dusty for a few minutes? I should go make sure they aren’t scraping furniture down my freshly painted walls.”
“Sure, I’ll puppy sit.”
