He didn’t sound mad. That was a good thing. Then again, he had no idea I’d just left his house.
He took another step forward, but I still couldn’t see him that well, just the overall shape of his frame, so wide at the top and narrow at the hips. Did he go to a gym? There was one in town. He had to. Nobody looked like that naturally.
The man’s deep sigh had me trying to peer at his face.
“Look…” He seemed to struggle for his words, his tone just as stern as the first time I’d heard it. “I owe you. Am told me what happened.” His exhale was loud but steady. “I can’t thank you enough,” he rumbled in his hard voice.
“You’re welcome.” The less I said, the better.
Another exhale. “I owe you. Big-time.”
“You don’t owe me anything.”
Another sigh, then, “I do.”
“No, I promise you don’t,” I threw back. “Please, really, you don’t owe me anything. I’m just glad I could help and that he’s fine.”
He didn’t say anything for so long I partially expected him not to, but what he did do was take another step forward and then another until he stood closer, arms loose at his sides, so near I could get another good look at that incredible face. The hard, sharply defined bones of his features were tight. He was in jeans, and his T-shirt had a fish on it.
He was definitely mid to late thirties. Maybe early forties.
An excellent mid-thirties to maybe early forties. I bet he’d just gone gray young. It happened. There was a singer I’d known who had gone totally silver by twenty-seven.
And his age was none of my business.
There were other things I needed to worry about, and I might as well get them over with. He was going to find out anyway, and if he felt like he owed me, maybe he’d forgive me and not kick me out. I could only hope. “I went over to your house real quick, and Johnny let me in. I just wanted to check on your son. I stood at the doorway and was only there for ten minutes, if that. Johnny was there the whole time. Please don’t get mad.”
Again, he didn’t respond fast enough to make me feel better. He just… looked at me. I couldn’t see the color of his eyes, but I could see the whites at the edges.
That’s what my honesty got me, I guess, and I squirmed.
“I’m not mad,” my landlord said slowly before exhaling once more. His grumbling voice was still hard, but something about his features seemed to soften a microscopic amount. “I owe you. I appreciate what you did. I don’t know how I’ll pay you back, but I’ll figure it out somehow.”
He took another deep breath, and I braced.
“I’m… sorry for how I handled you being here.”
He was apologizing. To me. Sound the alarms.
“It’s fine,” I told him. “If I think of something I need, I’ll tell you.” Then it was my turn to hesitate. “If you two need anything too, let me know.” I’d be there until I… until I wasn’t. Then I remembered. “Can I ask one question though? You know, just so I know. How many people live in the house with you?”
I could tell he was watching me carefully before he answered. “It’s only Amos and me.”
Exactly what I’d thought.
“Okay.” At least he wasn’t kicking me out. Since he wasn’t, I was going to take advantage of it.
I extended my hand toward him, and a big, cool one slipped into mine, giving it a solid, slow shake.
I smiled at him. He didn’t smile back, but that was all right.
Before he could change his mind and kick me out, I backed up. “Goodnight,” I called out and slipped inside the garage apartment, flipping on the lights and the lock before running up the steps.
Through the window, I watched Mr. Rhodes pull his Bronco up into his usual spot in front of the house. He opened the passenger door and pulled out two white bags with the name of one of the two fast food places in town stamped on them. Then I kept on watching as he went inside.
Well, I was still here.
And hopefully would be for another two weeks.
Or at least as long as possible.
Chapter 6
“Bless your heart, honey, you don’t need to apologize,” the older man said with a smile so filled with sugar I was going to get a cavity.
His friend, bless his heart, winked. “How could we ever get mad at such a sweet face, right, Doug?”
My whole body went rigid at their kind words. Words spoken by two very nice customers that I’d been trying to help but couldn’t. I’d known from the moment they had walked up to the counter holding two fishing rods that they were going to ask me something I wouldn’t be able to answer, so I’d been prepared.