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Rowan briefly affected a lofty tone. “Idoenjoy a fine béchamel sauce. Anyway, I’d like to go next time.”
“Movies or sports?” Eli asked.
“What?”
“Oh, Iris was asking what we should do after the big meal.”
“Ah! I don’t want to be that person, but…both. Let’s switch it up. And play games too.” They paused. “Huh. This might be the first Thanksgiving I’ve ever looked forward to. I still kind of can’t believe I’mhere, you know? We’re a family, people who care about each other, but it’s low-key. Nobody’s in my business all the time, and I love that.”
“I feel the same way,” he admitted.
“Anyway, good luck with Iris. Night, Eli.”
He was headed to his own room when he remembered he hadn’t switched the kitchen light off. Henry Dale would do it, but he’d also offer a lecture about running up the electric bill. As Eli reached the first floor, a knock sounded at the front door. He went to answer, thinking Sally might have left her keys.
But no, it was Susan from next door, and she wore a particularly nasty smile. “I need to speak with the homeowner, Iris Collins,” she demanded.
He didn’t like this woman, and her tone set off all his internal alarms. “She’s in her room. What’s this about? I can pass along the message.”
“No, this news shouldn’t come through an intermediary. And I want to see her face when she finds out.” The malevolent anticipation this woman exuded truly was worrying.
Just then, Henry Dale came out of the kitchen, and he strode toward the front door like a man on a mission. He stood at Eli’s shoulder, blocking Susan’s route. “I do believe Eli has made it clear that you can leave a message. It’s nearly ten in the evening, andIris might be asleep. I used to think Robert Frost had the wrong idea about fences making good neighbors, butyou’reproving his point.”
“Fine! The rest of you jerks should know too. I’ve filed a complaint with the city. So many cars, so much noise. There’s too damn many people living in this house, andthat’sa code violation.” She waved some kind of handbook. “‘No more than four unrelated persons may share a residential domicile, lest they be…’ Well, I don’t need to tell you how you’ll be punished. It’ll be more fun when you find out the hard way.” With that, Susan spun on her heels and stomped over to her house without looking back.
Even Henry Dale seemed shaken. “Are we really breaking the law?”
“I’m sure it’s not a big deal,” Eli said, trying to reassure the older man.
In truth, it might be a problem, though he had no sense whether it was major, minor, or somewhere in between.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Sure enough, iris’s instincts hadbeen dead-on.
The day started out well enough. She had a relaxing shower and a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast and she made a few necklaces. Then Eli knocked on the door. Normally, that would be an awesome excuse to chat and maybe kiss him again, but his expression gave away the fact that he wasn’t looking forward to this convo at all.
A man who looked this sad shouldn’t also be that handsome. It was distracting. His dark hair tumbled in gentle waves; it had gotten longer since he’d moved in. His jaw was darkly stubbled, and his light-brown eyes were somber. Even in navy sweats and a purple hoodie with his lips downturned, she still felt like biting him. Just a little.
But her initial happiness at seeing him faded when he said, “We need to talk.”
Oh no. Four super scary words.
Now, she listened, horrified, as Eli summed up the complaint leveled against them by awful Susan from next door. She started searching right away and saw with alarm and bafflement that theydid, indeed, exceed the “four unrelated persons” rule for a single-family dwelling, and when she dug deeper, it seemed like they didn’t precisely qualify for a rooming house license, which was a building big enough to rent to more than five people.
That’s us, right there in the cracks.Maybe they could still get a license despite not quite meeting the size requirement? Presuming the house would pass all the inspections.I doubt it would now, but maybe…Panic blanked her mind, and she tried to breathe. Eli took her hand, a quietly calming influence.
“I had no idea I was breaking any rules. I mean, it’s my house! If there’s space for everyone, why should anyone else care?” She gazed at him with shock slowly searing its way down into her bones.
“Susan just lives to be mad,” Eli said. “We haven’t hosted any parties, we’re not playing loud music, and it’s unfair of her to be annoyed about us improving the property. As for the number of vehicles, we only have three. Yours, mine, and Mira’s. A regular family might have that many if they have a teen driver.”
The rightness of his statements made things feel worse because it highlighted how unreasonable Susan was being. Calling her an asshole and demanding that she go away wouldn’t resolve the dilemma this time.But what can we do instead?
“I agree with you, but…what are we supposed to do? Will the city send out an inspector? Do we have to let them in? Will I be fined? I can’t afford—”
“Calm down. Breathe.”
Iris tried to do as he said, but the anxiety didn’t abate. Looming failure threatened to crush her, and this time, she’d dragged a bunchof super nice people into her latest fuckup.I should have known I’d just make a mess of this too. Everything my mother ever said about me was true. Ah. Right. She’s not my mother after all.
