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Out back, Conner stretches out on a cushioned lounge chair while I take a seat on a swivel stool at the built-in counter.
“What’s up?” he says. “Wait, let me guess. You need me to be the best man at your wedding.”
“Close. I was wondering if you’re still in the market for a roommate.”
He rockets upright. “Really? Fuck yes! You’re moving in today. Tess too. You both need to be here. That’s what I pictured when I bought this place.”
“You bought a house just because you thought I might move in and bring my girlfriend?”
“Not exactly, but the first time Tess showed me this house I could tell that she loved it. And yeah, I know it sounds corny but I could see us all being here, like a family.”
I don’t even know what to say. Conner really does have a heart of gold. It can be buried under airheaded layers of jokes and sarcasm but my cousin is the best of the best.
“Why the switch?” he asks. “Never thought you’d leave the east side.”
“I’m due for a change. And I want to show Tess that I’m serious about us. She’s defying her father and I know she’s not just doing that for me but I’m part of the deal. It’s not fair to ask her to run back and forth across town all the time. This is a better location and certainly a better neighborhood. But I haven’t said a word to her about it yet.”
Conner claps his hands together. “That settles it. Let’s go get you packed up right now. You think it can all fit in my truck?”
“Wait, we haven’t talked about rent or anything.”
“Rent.” He makes a face like the word is offensive. “I’m not a landlord. My house is your house.”
Yeah, I’m paying him rent whether he likes it or not.
But I don’t want to dampen his excitement. He’s ready to fly out the door and haul my shit over from the east side within the hour like he’s afraid I’ll change my mind.
No, I won’t change my mind.
Even if Conner didn’t feel like having a roommate I’d still be looking to move. Can’t have my girl spending her nights in a place where the music of gunshots and sirens are everyday features.
I’m not a guy who collects possessions and we easily move all my crap in his pickup in two trips. Conner gives me a choice of bedrooms. I pick a suite with a window that overlooks the backyard because I think Tess will like it.
“I’m starving,” he says the second we’re finished unloading. “Let’s go get sandwiches.”
He’s eager to show me a deli within walking distance of the house. One perk of this new living arrangement is that Conner is now extremely happy. His comment about being lonely wasn’t a complete joke.
At lunch, we talk about Cecile. And football. And Tess. He gets a kick out of the way I keep checking my phone to see if she’s texted yet.
Yup, I’m impatient to see her again. Sue me.
But it’s Gage I hear from first, just as we’ve returned to the house.
It’s not unheard of for him to call me out of nowhere but somehow a knot of tension crawls up my spine.
When I hear what he has to say, that tension blooms into a fiery ball of fury. “I’ll be right there,” I tell my cousin through gritted teeth. “Let her know I’m coming.”
Conner has already noted the look on my face. “What the hell happened?”
I blow out a seething breath and tell myself that murdering Stuart Ballerini isn’t an immediate solution.
Even though it feels that way right now.
“Micah.” He’s concerned now, recognizing when my temper is about to go volcanic.
“She needs me.” Snatching his keys, I push him out the door. Conner’s truck is faster than my sputtering car and nothing will stop me from getting to her.
Chapter24
