“It’s fine. I know.”
With a casual wave, he got the coffee he’d come in for and headed out to his truck as an elderly man sat down at the table. Eli leaned his head on the steering wheel. What the hell have I done? Then he straightened. It wasn’t like he had any pressing reason to rush off. Maybe things happened for a reason; this could be his chance to finally get to know her.
Eli got out his phone, stared at her number for a moment, then quietly changed Iris’s contact info to “Dream Come True.”
CHAPTER FOUR
“Henry dale macabee,” the older man said, offering his hand with a pugnacious tilt of his unshaven chin.
“Iris Collins. Have a seat.”
He wore a short-sleeved, button-up plaid shirt, carefully tucked into worn jeans. The man shook her hand firmly and took a seat, hot coffee in hand. Iris was a little surprised he’d bought any, but it seemed to be plain and black. No frills for this senior citizen.
“I’m on a fixed income,” he said without waiting for her to begin. “And I won’t tolerate a lot of nonsense. No smoking indoors. No loud parties.”
She was torn between the desire to laugh and the urge to set him straight. The former would likely offend him, so she tried for the latter, tactfully. “I’m the homeowner, so I’m setting the conditions. But smoking and loud parties are deal breakers for me as well, so you’ll have to host your ragers somewhere else.”
The old man’s eyes snapped up, and for a moment, he glared at her, eyes narrowed, then eventually, a reluctant smile tugged at the edge of his thin mouth. “You’re sassy. I don’t…entirely mind a bit of pertness.”
“That’s good.” From there, she described the four available rooms and showed him pictures on her phone. Then she added, “The house is really clean, but it’s old and—”
“Well, I’m old too,” he cut in, “so you can put a pin in whatever you were about to say. There aren’t many options for my budget, so if you’re willing, let’s do this.”
She hesitated. Maybe renting to an old grouch wasn’t the best idea, but she couldn’t bring herself to say no. “Which room did you want?”
“I’ll take the one off the kitchen. It’s away from everyone else.”
Yeah, she’d read him right. He was a curmudgeon who didn’t want to live with other people. Iris quoted him the total: one month up front, half a month for a damage deposit. She was grateful to Eli Reese for bringing that up, as she hadn’t even thought of it. She hoped nobody would wreck the place, but inviting five strangers to live with her? Anything could happen. It was tough not to be nervous about that, but she planned to run criminal checks on everyone using an online service that promised a complete national report for a reasonable price.
It’ll be fine. Probably.
“I don’t have my checkbook with me, but I can pay right away.”
“I’ll be here for a couple more hours, talking to people. If—”
“I’ll go right now,” the old man interrupted. “I don’t intend to let someone else snatch the room I want out from under me. Don’t give the kitchen room to anyone else, understand? I’ll be back soon.”
He was gone before Iris could say another word. She blinked and tried to decide if Henry Dale Macabee’s eagerness was a good thing. He seemed a little desperate, and that made her feel bad for him, but maybe she shouldn’t do this first come, first served. It might be better to take applications and—
The next candidate arrived, a buff guy in his thirties who kept winking for no reason. “Clint McMahon. I had no idea you’d be so cute. I would’ve worn better underwear.”
“Uh, what?”
“Just kidding! I don’t sleep with people I’m rooming with. Too bad for you! I know, it’s very sad. So let’s see, I manage Big Fitness. That’s a gym, if you didn’t know. And honestly, you could be really hot if you just put in the time. I hate seeing people not living up to their potential, you know?”
“I really would rather—”
“Don’t worry about it, doll. Once I move in, I’ll help you manage your lifestyle. You’ll get fitness and nutrition tips, free of charge.” Clint winked again. “If you play your cards right, I might even make you one of my special breakfast shakes.”
“Thank you. I’ll be in touch,” Iris said, fighting to keep a straight face.
Clint seemed both surprised and disappointed that there were no further questions. He flexed as he pushed back from the table, winking at four other people before he made it out the door. Iris imagined how much she’d enjoy taking a shower later.
Two more potential candidates arrived. With these folks, Iris did a better job of controlling the encounters, and she promised to call them once she made a decision.
Unlike Clint, they seemed normal enough, and maybe that was the issue. With Eli, it seemed like he was in a jam due to poor planning, and Henry Dale had said he was on a fixed income. Iris realized she was leaning toward people who…needed to rent a room at her place, who didn’t easily have other options.
Maybe she had her shoes on the wrong feet—something she’d done literally as a kid—but to her, that seemed like a safe way to choose her new roommates. People who had no other fallbacks ought to be more considerate, easier to live with. Since Iris had been in that situation, she knew how it felt to be dependent on someone else’s goodwill. She’d never take advantage of that desperation, but she understood it for sure.
As she was about to leave, Henry Dale rushed in with a check in hand. Once she had it, she input her number into the old man’s flip phone and wrote down the address. “You can move in whenever you like,” she said. “Just let me know beforehand. I’ll have the rental agreement ready to sign then as well. And if you don’t like the furniture in your room, I’ll remove it.”
He shook his head. “I’m sure it’s fine. I just need a place to lay my head at night.” He hesitated. “Listen, from the photos you showed me, it’s an old place. Could use some looking after. I like to keep busy. Would you have a problem with me…puttering?”
Iris blinked. “You mean, like, working on the house?”
“Exactly. Just from looking at the photos, I know I can improve that kitchen.”
“I’d love the help. Anything you feel like fixing, I’ll knock it off your rent.” She hoped Henry Dale would be honest about the value of his work, however, because she had no clue about that sort of thing.
“That’s a generous offer,” he said, visibly brightening. “And I’m happy to take you up on it. I’ll know better what I ought to be doing once I check the house in person. I’m…looking forward to this, Miz Collins.”
“Iris.”
“Miz Collins,” he repeated with a firm nod.
Looks like I’m Miz Collins.
As she stood, Eli’s payment popped up in her phone notifications. In the end, she’d conducted ten interviews and only promised rooms to Eli and Henry Dale. I’ll post another ad. This is enough money to get by for the first month. She could cover necessities, though she needed to be careful with groceries. As ever, eating out wasn’t an option.