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“I just wanted to give you a heads-up. I told her about you and Hunter and the Flying Saucer, so she might be round to bug you as well. Sorry.”
“What sorry?” Joyce snorts. “I’m winning at life, and I will let her know it. Okay, gotta run. Thanks for letting me know.”
I hang up, relieved she’s not worried about Scarlett for herself and a little jealous. Joyce is kind of winning at life. She’s got a hot boyfriend who adores her, a sweet, healthy baby who gets double billing as my godson, and a thriving business.
Me? Not failing at life, but not exactly winning either.
I have a graduate degree from one of the best library programs in the country, and I’m running an entire library at the age of twenty-eight.
On the other hand, I’m barely keeping it afloat, I’m making a fraction of what I could be making in a different job, and I am very, very single.
Which never used to bother me. I’ve had a few semi-serious relationships, but I’ve perfected the art of casual sex and one-night stands. It’s all the fun with none of the trouble, and it’s worked perfectly for me.
Until recently. Now with my friends getting engaged and having babies, I’m starting to wonder if I’m missing out on something.
Again, an image of the infuriating Chief Wainwright flashes through my head but I shake it away. Guys like him don’t go for girls like me, even when they’re not pitted against each other over municipal buildings.
I focus back on the screen in front of me and read through the job posting again.
This time I hit Apply.
5
JEREMY
“Here we go!”
Rahda Kahtri, my real estate agent, taps a code on the door of the duplex, while I take in the exterior of the house. It’s a nice shade of blue, only a couple of years old, and looks like it’s in good shape. Five steps lead up to a front porch that overlooks a quiet cul-de-sac. The next-door neighbor has a white Adirondack chair in front of their door, which gives the place a welcoming feel.
Rahda ushers me into the house, and I step inside.
Sunny and clean, just like it looked in the photos. So far, so good.
The kitchen is tucked into the front of the house and flows into a living room area with a fireplace, which will be nice in the winter. A flight of stairs to my left leads to the second floor.
Christine decorated our apartment with gorgeous furniture. At the time, I admired her taste, and after a childhood spent moving from place to place with my dad in the army, I liked the idea that we were creating a home together.
But it turned out it was all a sham. I left that dream behind, along with Christine and just about everything else.
Since I have to pay cash for everything these days, it will be a while before I can furnish my new home completely, but that’s fine. I don’t need much, and it’s an opportunity to start fresh.
“Nice,” I murmur as I walk slowly around the living room.
“Check out the backyard.”
Radha scoots past me to open the sliding glass door that leads to a concrete back patio and a small plot of neatly cut grass. I step outside behind her. It would be a good place for a grill. I’m thinking it would be nice to have some of the guys from the station and their families over, to repay them for the times they’ve had me over for dinner.
I glance at the patio next door which is identical to mine, down to the sliding glass door. The concrete platforms are separated by a thin strip of grass.
“Any idea what the people next door are like?”
“A lovely young woman,” Radha assures me. “Very quiet, keeps to herself. Single,” she adds as if that might be an extra incentive to rent the house.
It’s not. Someday, I’ll get back on the market, but I’m not looking for a girlfriend right now. Pleasant, quiet, and keeps to herself sounds like good neighbor material, though.
Unbidden, a picture of the curvy blonde who was in the fire department earlier flashes into my mind.
Not quiet. Not the type to keep to herself.
