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Chapter Four
Edie
“Arerealestateagentsusually this aggressive?”
“I’m not an agent,” Jasper said.He leaned in to dunk his pizza crust in the garlic butter that had come with our order.“We’re in property management.Missoula is a hot market.We’re prepared to offer you a very reasonable sum, as-is.”
I heard a thump.Jasper’s nostrils flared and he shifted his legs to the side, away from his mother.I tilted my head.“So, you’re just, like, going door-to-door with your physically challenged mother, doing favors for people until they sell you their houses.”
“Jasper, we haven’t talked about this,” Melinda said through her teeth.“Perhaps we should discuss it some more in private.”
“This is a genuine offer.It is, Mom,” he said, turning to his mother before she could weaponize her cane again.“She wants out of this property.We can flip it and do it nice.And make it easy for her to get rid of all this stuff,” he said.There was enough significance under his voice that I clocked it.
I could practically hear the click in Melinda’s mind.Still, she shook her head.“I think we need to look at the budget before we make any rash decisions,” she said.
“I’ll send you the spreadsheet and you can tell me what it says, how about that?”
Melinda narrowed her eyes at him.Before they could descend into sniping, I raised my hand.“Look, I hate to interrupt,” I said.“What is a reasonable offer?”
Jasper named a sum that made my eyebrows lift.It wasn’t a fortune, but it would go a long way to paying off my student loans.Maybe I’d even be able to buy a condo in Baltimore.“What are your terms?”
“Cash offer,” Jasper said.He kept his gaze on mine as his mother huffed.“We’ll dispose of anything you don’t want, assuming you’re out by the end of the month.”
“I’m not staying past the end of the week.”
“Well, then.”He leaned back in his chair.Behind him, the sun was gleaming along the top of distant mountains.The oncoming fall was visible in the occasional red or yellow tree dotting the expanse of green.“Do we have a deal?”
“No.”I wiped my mouth as I finished my second slice of pizza.“I have to consider my options.”
“Fair enough,” he said.In the pinkening light, his eyes looked like chips of sapphire.“I’ll give you a few days to think about it.”
I put all my ‘gee, thanks’ energy into my look.“We’ll talk soon, then.”
“Are we leaving?”Jasper dabbed at his mouth.I preferred him this way, crossing swords, rather than the glances he’d tried to keep secret earlier.People had been staring at me since I got off the plane, wondering what a black woman was doing in this very white town in Montana.But the glances from Jasper hadn’t felt like they had anything to do with the color of my skin.They had felt like he was caressing me with his eyes, and I liked it.
He licked at his lips to get a stray bit of grease, and I had to restrain myself from licking the same spot on my own mouth.
“I think that it would be best if you were on your way,” I said, exhaling slowly.This level of attraction was bound to screw with my rational thinking.“I like you, but I’m not sure I trust you.”
The corner of his mouth turned up in appreciation, and his eyes skimmed down my body in a way that made my heart race.“Momma, are you ready to go?”
“Very,” Melinda said.She cocked her head, much as her son had done earlier.“It’s been interesting meeting you, Dr.Edie Matthews.”
I hummed in agreement.“You should take some of this pizza,” I said, dividing what remained of the two pies between the boxes.“I wouldn’t want you to miss out on your favorite.”
“Thank you,” Melinda said as she rose from her chair.There was an open appreciation in her eyes, as if she was a predator who was proud of the prey for evading her hunt.Though we’d been talking all afternoon, I felt like I was actually seeing her for the first time.“I’ll see you again, I’m sure.”
I reached out to shake her hand.“I hope you feel better soon.”
She stepped back, then glanced between Jasper and me.I couldn’t interpret the consideration in her eyes.“I hope so too,” she said quietly.
“I’ll carry you,” Jasper said quickly.“Don’t go down the stairs on your own.”
It hadn’t occurred to me to wonder how Melinda had made it up the steep steps.My father’s house seemed designed to discourage visitors.
All the more reason for me to take the money and run.
