Page 8 of Tell Me When It's Over

The competition.

Oh crap.

“You have got be fucking kidding me.”

Chapter

Three

Leighton / Present Day

It’s too big, I think. I don’t say the words because we’ve already seen eleven other properties and Kyler and the agent are getting tired. Plus, it’s a dry 94 degrees and not even the cutoff jean shorts that land a little too high on my thighs paired with a loose tank top is helping me keep cool.

The house we’re looking at is a cute modern villa, but the perky brunette with big boobs who’s been showing us estates said it’s 5,500 square feet. I’m not sure why we’d need so much space, but Ky seems interested in the property. Or, at least, he’s interested in the woman who’s telling us about it in great detail.

I’m a little queasy seeing them interact because it reminds me of the way Mom acted with guys. The flirting, hair twirling, subtle touching when it’s not necessary. Weirdly, that makes me miss her more than I already do.

“What do you think?” The question pulls me out of the daze I’m in, drawing my attention over to where Kyler stands with his hands in his pockets. The agent, Alice if memory serves, stands a little too close to him but I shrug it off because it doesn’t really concern me.

I look back at the gray house in front of us, examining the huge windows, red door, and full shrubs lining the pathway. I know nothing about keeping up with things like that. When I was younger, I tried keeping a few plants alive that the sweet old lady next door gave to me. They died in a month. Even the cactus.

“It’s nice,” I admit, eyeing the bushes again like they’re enemy number one. “I, uh, don’t know if I’ll be able to keep up with any of the flowers or anything though.”

Alice, our agent, laughs, waving a manicured hand in the air. I complimented her styled pink nails when we shook. Sometimes, Mom would take me to the salon with her and get them done. It stopped me from my biting habit that I evidently still have today since I gave up keeping the acrylic tips in favor for my natural, botched nails that I coat with dollar store polish. “You can easily hire someone to keep up with maintenance. I have plenty of contacts I could pass along to you.”

Inwardly, I cringe at the thought of hiring anyone to do work around the house that I can easily get done myself. Ky must know that because he decides to move along. “Want to see inside, Leighton?”

I nod, basking in the idea of getting out of the sun even if it’s only for a few minutes. Alice takes lead and Kyler matches my short strides as we follow her close behind. My body eases in the cool air when we step into the entryway. Eyes roaming over the interior of the house, I take in the subtle decor that isn’t flashy like the other places we’ve seen. Even though the open floorplan is still larger than we need, it’s a cute setup. Right off the entryway is a living room and dining room, with a huge wall and archway that looks right into the kitchen. There’s a sliding door on the back wall that leads out to a yard, and huge windows bathing the room in natural light.

Alice points out each area we pass as we tour the two floors. Everything is white, with brick and wood accents in each room that tie it all together. The second floor has a huge space that Alice says the previous owner used to entertain people. I can’t help but picture bookshelves lining the wall, all filled with my favorite literature and silly signs I’ve collected over the years, and a reading nook in the corner with the kind of chairs that you sink into and lose hours in while you escape into nineteenth-century romance novels.

I stop myself from fantasizing about what kind of Pinterest ideas I can use to decorate the house because it’s not right. I started the board years ago when I thought about running away until I could build up to the future I deserved. One where I could afford a reading nook without anybody’s help. The problem with that is my bank account currently has $116.05 in it, which is barely enough to get groceries. If I can’t afford more than a month’s supply of food, how am I going to afford anything else?

Ky walks up to me and bumps our shoulders together. “What’s wrong?”

Shoulders dropping slightly at his knowing tone, I let out a soft exhale and say, “I think maybe we should rethink this whole thing.”

His eyebrows jump. “What?”

I glance at Alice, who’s typing away on her phone a few feet away, before settling my gaze back on his confused face. “It’s a really nice house and I like it, but I have nothing to offer.”

He blinks. “Okaaay.”

Tipping my head back, I look at the white ceiling. Maybe it’s because the places I grew up were always small, dark, and dirty, but I love how light, bright, and open everything here is. It makes saying this that much harder. “I didn’t come here to be like my mother, Kyler. I’m not interested in using people for their money. Honestly, I don’t know why I agreed to do this whole roomie thing with you to begin with.”

His deadpan expression doesn’t make me feel any better. “First of all, you didn’t agree because I didn’t give you a choice.” He pins me with a look that tells me not to argue. “Secondly, I never want to hear you compare yourself to Katherine. You are not your mother, Leighton, and you never will be.”

“Our situations are—”

“Not the same. Listen, I agreed to help you because I want to. Not because I felt obligated, because no matter what, we are family. So, get out of your stubborn little head.”

My lips twitch. “My head is not little.” Then again, do I want to be told I have a big one? Not really. “And I appreciate what you’re doing, but I just think that this is all a little…too much. Not that I don’t love the house, but—”

“Alice,” he says, cutting me off. I frown at him. She appears by his side in impressive record-breaking time. I bet five bucks, because I can’t afford to lose more than that, that she’ll try slipping him her number by the time we leave. “Can we think about this before agreeing to anything? I think there are some things Lenny and I need to discuss.”

Swallowing down my words when his pointed, no nonsense tone fills the room, I watch as Alice nods. “Of course, Mr. Bishop. There’s nobody else looking at this property right now, so you should take all the time you need.”

I don’t miss the way Kyler’s face shadows over. He hates being called that because it reminds him too much of his father, someone he never got along with or aspired to be like.

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