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Can you come by later tonight? I want to see you.
K!
His agreement had me grinning like a hyena. I was a hopeless case where Scottie was concerned.
Finally, things in my life were aligning. I had a decent job that would pay well if I accepted my boss’s offer. My boyfriend was a freak in the bedroom and the nicest guy outside of it. And I even had a house where we could be together. I couldn’t wait to keep house with Scottie. It was only a matter of time before I coaxed him to move in with me completely.
By then, our secret would be out. Jay would know Scottie had betrayed him. Their friendship would be ruined. Not to mention, my relationship with my son would be even more strained. Or maybe he would see that I couldn’t be all that bad if a good guy like Scottie was in a relationship with me.
My phone buzzed, and I snatched it up, but instead of Scottie, it was the real estate agent who was handling the lease of the house. Tomorrow I was to sign the final paperwork before they handed over the keys.
“Hello.”
“Griff. It’s Johan.”
“I take it the keys and paperwork are ready for tomorrow?”
“Actually, there’s been a slight problem. We’ve just returned your first month’s rent and deposit to your account.”
“What?”
“It turns out that the house is not available after all.”
“Not available? How is that possible?”
“The, umm, owner decided not to rent the property.”
“Not rent the property? At this stage? Is it more money they want?” I just knew it. The price they’d asked was too good to be true, but I could drop another hundred on the rent.
“There’s not enough money in the world. I’m sorry, but since we haven’t signed the papers yet, the agreement wasn’t finalized, so we are within our rights to call off the contract.”
“But this makes little sense. Why would they…” Reality dawned on me, and I sagged, sitting heavily on the bed. “It’s my criminal record, isn’t it? You found out about my history.”
“I can’t comment on that, unfortunately.”
“Then why the f—” I inhaled deeply, Scottie’s voice echoing in my head that I didn’t need to let my anger control me. “Why are you doing it to me, then? At least have the guts to admit the truth.”
“Griff, I understand your concern, but—”
“Do you?”
“But I’m sure you can see how the situation may make others uncomfortable.”
My mind raced. Was this a one time thing, or would I never be able to lease a place because of my criminal past? I gritted my teeth. My parole officer might be able to help. Screw these people.
“That’s it, then. I don’t think we have anything else to talk about.”
“I apologize for wasting your time.”
Fuck!
I clenched my phone to avoid throwing it across the room. Closing my eyes, I took several deep breaths. This was a setback but not unexpected. Life hadn’t been easy since I got out of prison. I had to find a new place, but first, I had to meet my boss.
I drove to the bar, doing everything to calm down. When I got there, I still had to sit outside for fifteen minutes until I felt I could face others without losing my shit. I couldn’t let my temper get the best of me. I still had a great job opportunity. If I lost that too, how could I convince Scottie I wasn’t a loser?
I had to make something of myself. For him. For us. And for Jay to see me as more than an ex-con. I wanted to be a man they could both be proud of.
When I entered, Coleman already sat at a table. I almost turned around and left. The man was the opposite of me. He looked successful and important, even wearing jeans and a pullover.
