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Chapter3
Cindy couldn’t believe it. Of all people to show up to look at the room she had for rent, it had to be the sexy bartender from the Beachcomber she’d been crushing on for weeks. She wished she’d spent some time on her appearance when she got home from work, rather than throwing her hair into a messy bun and putting on an old tank that sagged in the breast area.
“Come in.”
She tugged the top up to make sure everything was covered as he walked by her, bringing a clean, fresh scent with him that made her want to lean in for a better whiff.
Don’t be a weirdo, she told herself as Jace looked around the living room and kitchen. “It’s not much,” Cindy said. “Just this, two bedrooms and a bathroom. Oh, and a nice backyard. Check that out.” She gestured for him to lead the way through the kitchen to the sliding door. “Kevin McCarthy and his sons lived here for a time, and they did the landscaping. They redid the patio and left the gas grill when they moved out.”
“It’s really nice.” Jace walked across the yard for a closer look at the bushes. “Those are holly and boxwoods. I’m surprised the boxwoods are doing so well. They don’t tend to like the salt air.”
“You know your plants.”
“My grandmother was a master gardener. She taught me.”
Good God, Cindy thought for the thousandth time, but Jace was one of the hottest men she’d ever met. How in the world would she stand to have him as a roommate and not give in to the regular urge to lick him or kiss him or—
“What’s the rent?”
Startled out of her salacious thoughts, she said, “Eight hundred plus utilities that are another hundred.”
“Ouch.”
“It’s not cheap to live here year-round.”
“So I’ve discovered. It’s also not easy to find a place.”
“Do you want to see the bedroom that would be yours?”
“Yeah, but first…” He pointed to the chairs Kevin had left. “Can we sit for a second?”
“Um, sure.” Cindy’s entire system had gone haywire with the same desire she felt for him while watching him tend bar, only it was enhanced by the fact that for once, she wasn’t sharing him with numerous other customers.
He tugged on the sleeves of his Henley, revealing the tattoos that she’d stared at many a night at the bar. “I, um, I wanted to tell you… Before you decide to let me live here…”
She held her breath, waiting to hear what he would say and hoping it wouldn’t ruin the first real crush she’d had on a man in years.
“I… I’m a convicted felon on parole for the next five years.”
Like a pin hitting a balloon, all the air left her lungs in one deep sigh. “Oh.”
“And a recovering drug addict. I’ve been clean for six years and have no desire to ever return to the life I led before my brother was killed right next to me during a convenience store robbery. I attend daily meetings and work the program to maintain my sobriety, which is one of the most important things in my life. You’d have absolutely nothing to fear from me if you allowed me to live with you, but I wanted you to know the truth before you decide anything.”
“I, um… I appreciate your honesty.”
He gave her a side-eyed glance that was the sexiest thing since Chris Hemsworth played Thor. “Is it a deal breaker?”
Her mind was racing. I like him. I’ve liked him for weeks. I’ve started to think of him as a friend—as well as a crush. But I can’t deny that I’m conflicted. “Would it be okay if I had a day to think about it?”
“Of course. I should also tell you that I’m here on Gansett because my sons, Jackson and Kyle, live here.”
“Jackson and Kyle… The boys who live with Seamus and Carolina O’Grady?”
He nodded. “My ex-wife, Lisa, arranged for them to be the boys’ guardians after she passed away.”
“Oh gosh, yes, I heard about that from my sister Katie. She’s a nurse and helped to care for Lisa when she was sick.”
“I’ll regret for the rest of my life that I wasn’t there for them when they needed me. I wish more than anything that I could somehow make amends to her, but since I can’t, I’m trying to be there for our boys and to be a friend to them.”
