Page 23 of Savage

“Can I help you?” Jeff asked, his voice suddenly unpleasant.

“He’s with me,” I said quickly, keeping my voice bright despite the unenthused look growing on Gunner’s face.

It appeared it was a mutual feeling.

“Are you together?” Jeff turned to me.

I hesitated before I spoke. “He won’t be living here.”

“For now,” Gunner quipped, grabbing my hand and squeezing it. “Good to see you again, Jeff.”

“Likewise,” Jeff muttered with a lack of enthusiasm. “Let’s get this over with.”

Gunner chuckled, but I was suddenly a little concerned by the shift in his attitude. Hopefully, bringing Gunner with me wasn’t a bad idea, and the moment I walked through the doors of the house, Idefinitelyhoped that it wasn’t a bad idea.

The Victorian home wasgorgeous.The staircase in the entryway had a delicate spiral with a dark, knotted railing that was unlike anything I had ever seen before. It had been remodeled, but there was still plenty of historic charm remaining.

“The hardwood floors are original,” Jeff said, gesturing to the light oak floors. “And we tried to keep the remodel focused on the house's originality to prevent losing any of the Victorian charm. We have a lot of properties, but none are quite like this one.”

I nodded, trying not to show how in love I was already falling with it. My eyes landed on the vast fireplace as I made my way from the sitting room into the kitchen.

“Wow,” I muttered, taking in the granite countertops and brand-new appliances. I didn’t see any historical charm there, considering the cabinets clearly looked modern with their sleek silver handles, but I wasn’t going to complain—or point it out.

“There’s a breakfast nook as well.” Jeff pointed to the curved window and small area just off the kitchen. I could already imagine a small table where Iris and I could eat breakfast before I took her to school. My heart squeezed as I looked over to Gunner, who was leaning against the island, staring at me.

He appeared indifferent about being here, but I could see something churning in his green eyes. Something was bothering him—and I wondered if whatever it was, was the reason he hadn’t reached out to me.

But I pushed it away.

“How much is it per month?” I turned to Jeff, who was scrolling through his phone. “It didn’t say in the ad.”

“Ah, right, the burning question that everyone always has.” He didn’t look up from his phone, though I could see him swiping away at the screen. “So… It looks like this house is three thousand a month.”

My shoulders instantly slumped. “Is there any way you’d consider lowering it to help out a single mom with a young daughter? We don’t have any pets—and I take really great care of things. I have plenty of references from San Francisco. I could even take care of the yard.”

He raised his eyebrows as he looked up from his phone. “I don’t think so.”

“Okay, but when I talked to the receptionist at your office to set this up, she said the house hadn’t had a tenant in six months.”

“Yeah, because we don’t accept justanyoneto live in the homes that we manage,” he retorted, his voice full of offense as he side-eyed Gunner. “The rent stays at what it is, sorry. I’m sure you can find an apartment—”

“None of the apartment complexes in this town are safe,” Gunner cut him off. “I think you should reconsider.”

Jeff shook his head. “I’m not budging. We just spent a lot of time and money renovating this place, and we’re confident that it’s worth what we’re asking every month.”

“Let’s go chat for a second,” Gunner grabbed my arm before I could protest, dragging me out of the kitchen and back into the sitting room. He looked past me for a second, back toward the kitchen, and then met my gaze. “Do you really like this place?”

I nodded, though I had no idea where he was going. “I can’t afford that, though. There’s no way. I don’t have a lot of savings, and I’m not sure that it would make up for the lack of income.”

“Does your daughter’s dad pay anything to child support to help with this kind of thing?” Gunner’s voice was soft but hardened, making him difficult to read.

“No,” I said carefully. “He doesn’t pay anything to Iris’s care. I’m all on my own.”

“How much can you afford a month?”

I hesitated, not sure that I wanted him to know how poor I was. “I don’t know…”

“Come on, just tell me. I want to help you, Hal. I’m not here to make fun of you or something. We’ve made it through two fucking rooms, and I can already see you drooling over this place.”

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