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“I’ve been meaning to ask you. Do you have an end date in mind for my position here?”
His head jerks up. “Are you thinking about quitting?”
“No, but I assumed this was temporary while you did the repairs. Do you know how you’re going to handle the property management after everything is completed?”
“I’m not sure yet how that’s going to go, but your position is not temporary. I’d hate to see how this place would fare without you. Your job is secure.”
My cheeks heat slightly at the compliment and I’m not sure how to respond. “Okay, good.” I pick up the office phone to listen to the voicemails and get to work. Knowing that there isn’t a fast approaching end date to this opportunity makes me reevaluate what I’m working toward. I’ve been saving every dime I can. With such a big increase in pay, plus only utilities and household expenses to cover, it’s adding up.
The dream has always been to get Pops his house back. I’ve already been saving for years, attempting to come up with enough of a down payment to get a mortgage on it if it goes up for sale again. Just recently, I saw it was in foreclosure, so maybe I’ll have the chance.
It’s late afternoon when Cooper takes a call, then fills me in on a situation. “Gary Knox in lot ten won’t be back. His niece called. His health isn’t good, and he’s been moved from the hospital to live with her in Arkansas.”
“I’m not surprised. He was still drinking heavily, even with cirrhosis and diabetes. Is she coming to move him out?”
“That was why she called. She wanted to make sure we wouldn’t evict him while she tried to figure out how to get his stuff. She’s a single mom and can’t travel to move him out. She planned to have one of those storage containers delivered and was trying to find someone who wouldn’t charge much to pack up his stuff and transfer it to the container. I told her if she didn’t expect a professional packing job, Dylan and I could handle it. Save her some trouble. We’d have to clean it out anyway. She’ll be calling to let us know when the container will be delivered.” He stops talking and stares at me. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m not looking at you like anything. That was nice of you. I’m sure it’s a big worry off her shoulders. I’ll help too.”
“I am nice. You’re the only one who wants to hate me. Not working out though, is it?”
It's far from the first kind thing he’s done here. Some of the moves he’s made, like forgiving rent or going out of his way to keep the inconveniences of the repairs to a minimum surprised me too, but I also know they could be self-serving. Maybe he was worried about another lawsuit if he kept charging rent with things being unlivable, plus getting the tenants on his side was in his best interest to get things done quickly here. And really, what does six months of our rent mean to someone with his net worth?
There’s nothing for him to gain from helping her. Just like taking a sick kid some popsicles or opening the community building as a storm shelter didn’t benefit him. It’s hard to reconcile that person with the guy who had to be forced to make these repairs in the first place. Maybe Pops was right, and people do change. Or maybe I’m doing what I always do. Putting on rose colored glasses and making excuses for shitty men.
A smile grows on his face when I don’t answer right away. “Are you ready to upgrade me from fuck buddy to friends with benefits?”
It’s quitting time and getting out of here seems like the best plan. “What’s the difference?” I scoff, closing my laptop.
“For starters, it means you don’t need to run away after sex. You’d have to admit I’m your friend, though.” His eyes twinkle with amusement. “Or we can skip to the part where you let me take you on an actual date.”
I’m not sure what to do. A talk with Cara or Lila might help sort out my confusion. “I’ll think about it,” I chirp, pulling my jacket on.
“Which one?”
“Both!” I call out, before the door slaps shut behind me.
Lila is at work so poor Cara is the one who suffers through my rant over video chat when I get home. She listens as she works to organize her kitchen, and I get a glimpse of her every now and then, along with a few close ups of Twist’s nose when he spots her phone propped up.
When I’ve finished, she says, “You’re upset because he might not be the terrible person you thought he was?”
“No. Yes. Maybe. I don’t trust myself to tell the difference anymore. And does it even matter when this is temporary, and he’ll be leaving? He wants to be friends as well as sex partners. Or to start dating.”
“Do you want that?”
“I shouldn’t.”
The view on the phone moves as she sets it down where I can see her while she unpacks a box. “For the record, I don’t think Cooper is a bad guy, but I’ve been fooled before too and I don’t know him that well. I agree the slumlord thing is a red flag, but one he seems to be changing. What other red flags are there?”
“I got jealous over that woman at the bar hitting on him.”
“So?”
“So I might like him!”
Cara picks up her phone and her face fills the screen. “Okay, are you listening to me? I know Lila and I got in your head with our little intervention about the guys you were dating. I just wanted you to step back and look at why you choose men so far below you. I didn’t mean for you to distrust yourself completely. You deserve better because you’re amazing and we wanted you to see that. Just because you like him doesn’t mean he’s terrible. Maybe he’s only good for some short term fun or maybe it’ll be more. You can’t predict that. The more you get to know him, things will fall into place, one way or the other.”
Get to know him better. Same thing Pops said and something I’ve been avoiding. “I’m overthinking everything.”
