and peeling it was impossible to tell. The third one from the bottom squealed so loudly under my weight I was afraid I’d sink up to my thigh in jagged lumber and rusty nails if I lingered too long.
“No sneaking up on this place,” I muttered as I hopped onto the porch and glared at the offending wood. After a quick inspection of the front of the house, I hurried around the back before another neighbor stuck her nose—and fingers—where they didn’t belong.
Life had a way, didn’t it? If I traveled back in time and told me from a year ago I’d be scurrying around a stranger’s house like a common criminal, I’d have laughed in my face and shot myself the bird.
I’d partied all night in Paris.
Watched the sun rise in Milan.
Hung out with stars who shined so bright, I was still blinking through the afterimage.
I had enough money to keep me comfortable for a long time, but I didn’t have what mattered. Purpose. Not one that belonged to me, anyway. My entire life had been devoted to protecting a friend so close I considered him a brother, and here I was at 31 with nothing of my own.
It was time to remedy that situation. Hence, my reason for casing an old lady’s house before agreeing to take the job she’d posted on Craig’s List.
Maxine Monroe needed someone to move in and fix up the place, for the super exciting pay of…drumroll, please…the pleasure of living in her guesthouse. I needed to build my resume and brush up on my contracting skills before I opened my business and charged for my services.
Sounded like a match made in heaven to me.
Or Hell.
I’d be clearer on that after my meeting tomorrow.
A squeal of rotting wood and a surprised gasp froze me in place as I came around the corner. The woman from the parked car stared in annoyance at the step, her hands on her hips and judgement in her eyes. “Why do I fall for that every freaking time?”
While the Tushy Tickler might not have found anything wrong about a strange man standing on the sidewalk in front of Maxine’s house, me sneaking out of the backyard after a scouting expedition was a different look.
I didn’t wear it well.
And if that woman was here often enough to know about the step, then she’d also know I didn’t belong anywhere near the place.
Swallowing a string of curse words, I tried to slip back around the house, but a tree of birds took flight in a squawking huff and the woman’s attention snapped my way. Her jaw dropped as she threaded her fingers through her dirty penny hair. Her fuck-me lips pulled into a thin line and her eyes narrowed.
Well, shit.
“I thought I saw you sneaking around the place.” She lifted her chin as her eyes raked over my body. “Who are you and why are you here?”
The look on her face and the frostbite in her voice told me I’d been convicted without a trial. I could have explained, but where was the fun in that?
So, I did what I did best. I went on the attack. “The more important questions is, who are you and why are you here?”
“Me?” she asked with a hand to her heart. “I’m someone who carries pepper spray in her purse and has her finger on the emergency call button. And it’s none of your business why I’m here.” A delicate eyebrow lifted, daring me to take even one step closer.
Always eager to exceed expectations, I ambled her way. “I’m not doing anything wrong here.”
“Said every criminal ever.” With fire in her eyes, she brandished her phone with the confidence of a wolverine.
A smarter man would have explained himself. Or shut up and walked away. I couldn’t bring myself to do either of those things. The conversation was stimulating. The spark in her eyes was interesting. While her judgement annoyed me, I felt compelled to get closer.
And so I did.
She was prettier up close. Too bad her personality didn’t match.
“Spoken like a truly open-minded individual,” I said with a smirk. “Your compassion knows no bounds.”
Her lips parted, the corners tugging up ever so slightly as she aimed her parting shot. The glint in her eyes said it would be a doozy. I braced, but it never came. Instead, she made a show of unlocking her phone and stabbing at the screen, while her gaze held mine in a vice.