Emilie Rose - A Better Man

Her automatic smile slipped when she recognized him. “May I help you?”

“I need to talk to Mrs. Hamilton.”

“May I tell her what it’s about?”

Fishing for gossip. Typical. “I can do that myself.”

The woman bristled, her round face turning red to the dark roots of her dyed blond hair, and Roth realized he’d better try harder to cover his irritation with busybodies if he wanted the populace to be cooperative and to look out for his mother after he left.

“I’m interested in rental houses.”

“Doyle’s apartment not good enough for you?”

Snide witch. “It’s fine. Short term. But if a man wants to put down roots, he needs something more permanent.”

He was blowing smoke out his ass since he had no intention of staying in this godforsaken town one day longer than necessary, but he’d have to do plenty of evasive double-talk during his dealings with Ann Marie if he wanted to pump her for information about Piper.

“A rental’s still a rental.”

Enough. “Is Ann Marie available?”

“I’ll check.” The woman rose, slowly strolling the three steps to the open office door then paused. “Roth Sterling would like to speak to you about rental homes. Do you have a moment?”

As if Piper’s mother hadn’t overheard the entire conversation and the parking spaces outside her building weren’t empty. Moments later Ann Marie appeared. She looked exactly as he expected Piper to look in twenty years or so. Only unlike her daughter, Ann Marie was dressed for success, her face and chin-length hair immaculate. Piper had always dressed for comfort and preferred to keep her hair out of the way.

Twelve years ago he’d stolen countless hairclips so he could run his fingers through Piper’s golden strands—especially when they’d made love. Those long locks had felt damned good dragging across his skin. The memory sent a rush of heat through him. When he’d packed his bag for boot camp he’d left all the clips and bands behind. What had his mother done with the stolen treasures?

“Good morning, Mr. Sterling.”

Mr. Sterling? He’d find more warmth in a polar icecap than her voice, and her forced smile didn’t fool him for a second. “Mrs. Hamilton. I see you’re still the only real estate agent in town.”

“I am. Come in. Have a seat and tell me what you need.”

Her office was girlie, decorated with flowers, pale colors and delicate furniture that made him wonder if the pieces could hold his weight. He gingerly lowered himself into one of the fragile-looking chairs.

“I’m interested in leasing a house preferably with an option to buy in a neighborhood with people my age, like Piper.”

“Piper lives with me. Our neighborhood is quite diverse, but there are no rental properties.”

“She’s back at the old home place?” And back under Daddy’s heavy thumb?

“No.”

That raised a few questions. “You and the chief moved?”

“I moved. Lou did not.”

Piper’s parents had split? More questions wrestled for priority. Not wanting to put Ann Marie on the defensive, he reined them in. “I noticed a few new houses when I drove around town—on Roth land.”

“Your mother sold parcels, I’m assuming to support herself? But I can’t be certain.”

He linked his fingers in his lap and kept his mouth shut since he didn’t know the answers to her questions. He’d learned in the course of his career that a silent stare often loosened lips.

“You moved into your apartment two days ago. What about your lease?”

“I’m renting month to month until something better comes along.” Like an opportunity to return to Charlotte.

“I heard your mother was moving back. You could stay with her.”

“No.” He almost barked the word, then took a moment to gather his composure. “My father will be with her.”

Mrs. Hamilton’s face paled ever so slightly. “Seth is getting out?”

So the people of Quincy hadn’t heard. Hadn’t they been following the release logs as religiously as Roth had? Weren’t they concerned about keeping that evil spawn out of town?

“Scheduled for parole the last day of May. Released early for good behavior.” What a load of garbage.

“I see. Well…” She pulled a flowered pad of paper forward and clicked her pink pen. Three times. “How many bedrooms would you like?”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t really matter.”

“Will someone be helping you choose your next residence?”

Smooth, Mrs. H. “No. Just me. For now.”

He deliberately tacked on the last to keep her guessing.

“And what do you think a house will give you that an apartment won’t? You have a pool now. None of the houses around Quincey have pools. And there’s the extra work of yard upkeep, lawn mowers and whatnot to buy.”

“Swimming in the river’s fine with me, and I’ve never minded hard work. I’m looking for space. A place to cook out on the grill with my friends and my coworkers. I believe in team building.”

The corners of her lips turned down, reminding him his team had once been her husband’s, and she’d been the one to cook for them. “Will you have friends staying over? Is that why you need the extra space?”

He had to fight a smile at her not-so-subtle inquisition. “Not sure yet. But it’s best to be prepared. It was good seeing Piper yesterday. She mentioned her fiancé.”

Ann Marie blinked. Twice. “Yes. Tragic, how their love was cut short.”

“Did you and the chief like him?”

Six pendulum swings of the grandmother clock in the corner marked her hesitation. “We unfortunately never had the opportunity to meet him before his…accident. They lived so far away and Lou doesn’t fly.”

Roth’s antennae sparked. Piper had said her father approved of the guy. So one of them was lying. But who? He’d guess Piper. What would Ann Marie gain by saying she’d never met her future son-in-law?

“Piper didn’t mention what kind of accident, and I didn’t want to pry and upset her about…what was his name?”

Click. Click. “Rick. And it was a motorcycle accident. You know Florida doesn’t have helmet laws?” She straightened her pen and paper. “Roth, Piper doesn’t need you…toying with her affections again. She’s made a good life here for herself and her son.”

Her words shocked him like a Taser. “Piper has a son?”

Ann Marie nodded stiffly. “Rick was killed just days before their wedding, leaving Piper pregnant. They were so in love and in such a rush to start their lives together that they jumped the gun a bit.”

“That so?” Jealousy burned like a gas main break in his gut. He wanted to punch something, to shoot something, to annihilate something. He struggled to rein in his reaction. He’d vowed he’d never be the kind of man who could be ruled by his emotions.

Obviously her fiancé hadn’t been the white trash she’d accused Roth of being since she hadn’t aborted Rick’s kid.

Click. Click. “So please, don’t try to resurrect anything.”

He tried to focus on Ann Marie’s last statement rather than the bombshell she’d dropped. “Reuniting with Piper is not part of my plan.”

As Piper had said, the past was over. There would be no attempt at reconciliation. Loving and losing her had sent him to a very dangerous place mentally—one where he hadn’t cared whether he lived or died. And it had taken him a long time to crawl out of that dark hole.

Ann Marie searched his face then nodded. “All right. There are not a lot of rental units available despite the market downturn. But I can make up a list of the houses that are available.”

Roth had learned far more than he’d bargained for and he needed to leave to process it. He rose on legs that felt as stiff as telephone poles. “Do that, and I’ll give them a drive-by. If any of them grabs my interest, then I’ll be in touch.”