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I was going to have a heart attack. “Apartment one is a hell no then.”
She laughed. “That’s fine. I didn’t like the kitchen anyway. It looks a thousand years old and has no counter space. How is your apartment search going, by the way?”
“I haven’t even started.” I clicked on the third apartment. “Do any of these have security cameras outside the building?”
“I have no idea. The first and second ones have secure buildings though. You need a key.”
“I should fucking think so.” I studied the second and third apartments’ listing descriptions. “Are these the only options you have? What did the agent say?”
“This is pretty much it. Wanted isn’t exactly bursting with apartment buildings. There are a few houses for rent but they’re too expensive and too big or way out in the country on land. I need something easy to take care of. I’m not mowing anything. I hated doing that as a teenager.”
An image of Faith in cutoffs and a bikini top on a ride-on mower popped into my head. Of course my mind went there because I was a hopeless idiot. I tried to ruthlessly rein in the thoughts.
“I didn’t mind cutting the grass. I hated cleaning up dog shit first though.”
Faith laughed. “That’s disgusting.”
“Very.”
“What kind of dog did you have?”
“We had three golden retrievers. Great dogs.” I shouldn’t be talking about pet shit with a gorgeous woman, but I was trying to do two things at once. Be a casual friend who didn’t think sexual thoughts about her, and make sure her future apartment was safe. It was a lot to mentally juggle.
I didn’t see anything on any of the apartments about security cameras. Apparently, surveillance wasn’t common in Wanted. Or in this price range.
“Where did you grow up?” Faith asked.
“Indiana.”
“You’re a country boy?” she said, sounding surprised.
“There are cities in Indiana,” I said, amused. “Indianapolis, for example. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. Plus, parts of Indiana are very close to Chicago. But yes, I did grow up in the country. Maybe suburban country, if you want to get technical.”
“I have to admit I don't actually know anything about Indiana so I’m not sure why I thought that. But I can’t really picture you as a country kid.”
“Why not?”
“No accent.”
That made me laugh. “It’s Indiana, that’s why. I grew up with a dirt bike, going fishing, demolition derbies, everything you’d expect. We had a barn. We had dogs and chickens and goats. My parents still do, as a matter of fact.”
“Now I know why Ian loves Wanted. He was very enthusiastic about it. Best of both worlds, he said. I think he said that three times actually.”
That sounded about right. My brother didn’t hide his feelings. “Ian isn’t exactly what you’d call a player. He’s very straight forward.”
“Are you a player?”
I shook my head, then realized she couldn’t see me. “Not at all. I’m just an idiot, as you’ve pointed out in the past. I make impulsive decisions. That’s how I ended up with no football career.”
I didn’t usually talk about my own stupidity and how it related to the demise of my career as a pro athlete. I wasn’t even sure why I’d brought it up now. I’d shut her down in the car on the drive to Wanted when it had come up.
“Why, what happened?” she asked softly.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. There was no point in not revealing to Faith the truth and how much I was still angry with myself. If we couldn’t date, we could at least be friends, and friends were honest. “You ever heard of a Lisfranc fracture?”
“No.”
“That’s what I had. I got it when I rolled an ATV over my foot screwing around with my brothers at my parents’ house the spring after my rookie year.”
