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He nodded at me. A quiet person would be a nice foil to Antonio. I wouldn’t be tempted to sleep with him—that was good. Quiet guys weren’t my thing.
Back down the stairs I trotted. Peter was there, that slight smile still on his face. Antonio had his hands on his chest and was nodding while Kate said something close to him. Layla stood on the other side of the room, her eyes large.
“All right,” I said, “we’re all here. This is Dillan. There’s Layla over there, and Peter has the suit on. Antonio and Kate, in the kitchen, would stay in the same room.” Zoey was on a call in the backyard. “I’m headed outside to finally see my pool, y’all. It was the number one selling point even if I won’t be able to use it most of the year. We’ve got to get this house set up fast before we run out of sunny weather.”
I marched outside, the gang parading behind me. Zoey gave everyone her business card, smiling the most brightly at Peter, then made her excuses, telling me to call her with any questions.
“A grill would be very good,” Antonio said, examining an electrical outlet. “I had to leave mine in Chicago, the last place Kate was going to school.”
“I’m from Texas. Barbecue is a necessity.” Well, hell, Ihadn’t meant to spread that tidbit around. It was hard to constantly remember that I was pursued by violent nutcases.
“Yes, in Brazil too,” Antonio said, rubbing his hands together.
I took out my phone and made another note. “Three, call pool cleaner.” My sparkling blue oasis wasn’t as pretty as it had been in the photos, but was fixable. “Four, find handy person.” The whole patio needed a good pressure-washing, cute globe lights, and a bunch of furniture.
Dillan was over at the basketball court, a slight grin on his face. Peter was peering in the windows of the ground floor. Kate and Antonio opened up the French doors that led into the bedroom they wanted.
“So,” said Layla, stepping up to me. “About the bedrooms? It seems like that couple has already claimed the big one.”
“Yes. I think it’s best to give them a little more room.”
“Well, I like the one that’s more of a bedroom, right next to the bathroom.”
It was also furthest away from Antonio and Kate. “Okay, sure.”
“My boyfriend’s a football player.”
That got my attention. Clint Davis, my ex-boyfriend from high school, was a quarterback on the football team. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to see him. Okay, I did, but that’s as far as it went in my head.
“I read that contract you emailed me about keeping the partying reasonable. I hate cleaning up after the guys. That team moves like a pack though and tends to just, like, show up places.”
“And you can’t always manage them? Because nobody could manage them. All I can say is I’m a stickler for law and order. No minors here, at all please—unless it’s a girl night or something. With the football boys, absolutely not. Wait, are you twenty-one?”
“Yeah, I am. Last month. How old are you—I can’t tell.”
“Twenty-two, with the night-time routine of an old woman. I’m out by eleven. Daytime pool parties and barbecues are what I’m after, done by dark.”
“I like the sound of that,” she said, smiling.
“All right, you’re in. I need another girl around here to have my back.”
“Nice,” Layla said, tossing her hair. “I’ll send the deposit, contract and everything tonight.”
“Great. I’ll be back here tomorrow if you want to start moving in.”
I walked over to Peter, decision settling on my shoulders. What was a man like him even doing here? My old-money-dar was buzzing. I was guessing he was an extremely wealthy person moonlighting as an academic. His primary job was fending off boredom and staying on the good side of his relatives.
“Hi,” he said. “I like your house. It was meant for college students I think, and will finally fulfill its potential.”
“Well, it’s good enough for me. I’m surprised you’re thinking of shared housing. You seem more like a condo-in-a-high-rise type to me.”
He smiled, his eyes narrowing. “I think I’m more of an extravert, like you. Although a quiet one.”
“You’ll get your fill of undergrads. Are you new to teaching?”
“Yes. You may be right. And I think you’re coming over here to turn me down.”
“I am.”
