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“You would care if you were paying for it,” she insisted. “I’m not trying to throw it in your face. You know I’m not. But rent around here isn’t exactly cheap, and neither are hotels. This would take a lot of pressure off my bank account…”
She was right, of course. That only made me angrier. Having to rely on Jack…
I resisted the urge to throw the phone across the room. “Oh no he doesn’t.”
“Where are you going?” Brandi asked as I stormed out of the kitchen. “Alyssa!”
I marched across the driveway and around to the front of the house, and banged on the door with a fist. Jack answered it after a few minutes.
And he was only wearing a towel.
The sight was so surprising that I found myself at a loss for words. Jack’s V-shaped torso was covered with tan muscle. He practically bulged at the shoulders and upper arms, like he had just lifted weights and was swollen with strength.
“Did you have to answer the door shirtless?” I demanded.
“Just got back from a swim.” He opened the towel for a quick moment to reveal tight black swim trunks underneath. “Did you have to bang on the door dressed like that?”
I looked down at myself. I was wearing skimpy pajama shorts and a spaghetti strap cami top, revealing a lot more cleavage than I intended. I crossed my arms with the intention of covering myself up, but that only made my boobs perk up more.
“These are my pajamas,” I said defensively.
“Okay. Then why are you banging on my door? You didn’t set my guest house on fire too, did you?”
I ignored the jab. “You extended our Airbnb stay. For free.”
Frowning, Jack said, “Yes. And?”
“And nobody asked you to do that!” I exclaimed. “This proves that you feel guilty about your behavior and are trying to make up for it.”
He chuckled and leaned against the door frame. Behind him, Smoke was watching from the kitchen, head tilted sideways and ears at maximum perkiness. “I’m trying to be nice. You have nowhere else to stay, and you admitted money is tight. My place is yours for however long you need it.”
“I don’t need anything from you,” I replied heatedly.
He calmly smiled. “You need a place to stay. You can’t deny that.”
I took a step closer and tilted my head back so I could glare up at him from only a foot away. He smelled like the ocean, salty and fresh. “I’ll sleep at our mother’s upholstery store if I have to. There’s plenty of fabric to keep me warm.”
“Not for long,” Jack replied. “You’ll have all that fabric sold soon, thanks to my help.”
I let out an angry yell and whirled away from him.
And came face to face with a suited man standing at the bottom of the porch steps. He was balding, except for tufts of black hair above both ears. It made him look like an egg wearing a fur coat.
“Ms. Ford?” he asked. “Alyssa, or Brandi?”
“I’m Alyssa Ford,” I said.
He smiled nervously. “I’m Perry Garza, with Liberty Mutual. I’m here to discuss your mother’s insurance policies.”
“Oh, right!” I said. “We’re staying in the building out back. Follow me. Sorry for how I look—I didn’t realize you’d be coming today.”
“It’s, um, fine,” he said awkwardly.
I introduced him to Brandi, and quickly covered myself with a coat. She poured him a cup of coffee, and we all sat down at the breakfast table.
“Firstly, your mother’s life insurance policy,” Perry began.
Brandi and I exchanged a look. “She had life insurance?”
