“Then what are we doing?” Chase asked.
“I just want to see where she’s looking,” I said.
“You want to stalk her while she’s apartment hunting,” Cooper said, raising an eyebrow.
“I didn’t say stalk her.”
“But that’s basically what you’re suggesting,” Cooper said. “So, I’m all for you working things out with Hannah, because she’s a badass and I dig her and you’re way more fun when you’re with her. But I’m going on record with saying I don’t think following her is the right move here, buddy.”
“She won’t even know I’m there,” I said. “I just want to check on her.”
“I’m even less convinced than I was a second ago,” Cooper said. “But fuck it, I’m in.”
“Can we stop for snacks?” Chase asked.
“Really?” I asked as we headed out the door.
“Yeah, I think this place is right behind the gas station,” Cooper said. “You can run in when we get over there.”
“Which gas station?” Chase asked. “The nice one or the shitty one?”
Cooper looked at his phone again. “The shitty one.”
Next to the shitty gas station? I looked at him in horror. This was not okay. “Can we just get over there, please? I don’t want to find out she signed a lease to live behind the shitty gas station.”
“For sure, bro,” Cooper said. “You don’t want her living here.”
Oh my god. What a fucking mess. I followed them to Cooper’s truck, wondering what the hell I was doing with my life.
Thirty-Three
Hannah
The smell got worse the longer we were here. I stepped through the apartment, feeling like I should tip-toe to minimize the amount of physical contact I experienced with this place. The carpet was a dingy beige, so tamped down it looked like it was several decades old. Yellowed walls. The dirty odor of cigarette smoke was only slightly overpowered by the stench of mildew.
I found a dent in the wall in the living room and I had no idea if the appliances in the kitchen even worked. There were rust spots on the linoleum floor and the bathroom was just plain frightening.
“This one is worse than the first two,” I said. “God, Zoe, where did you find these?”
Zoe shrugged, scrunching her nose against the smell. “Craigslist.”
“Gross.”
“Yeah, this is nasty,” Amelia said. “I’m voting no.”
“Also no,” Brynn said. “Besides, that gas station next door is creepy as hell.”
“It looked cute in the photos,” Zoe said.
“The photos were lies,” I said. My stomach was starting to act up. I needed fresh air. “Okay, I’ve seen enough.”
We left through the open door. The apartment manager was outside waiting, and didn’t seem surprised when we left without asking for more details.
“What’s next?” Brynn asked, looking over Zoe’s shoulder. Amelia was on her other side.
I waited, feeling more like a spectator than a participant in my quest to find new lodging.
“Here,” Zoe said.
“Does it look any better than the others?” I asked.
Brynn winced. Amelia fake-smiled. Zoe just shrugged again.
“It’s so hard to tell from the pictures,” Zoe said. “I guess we just have to check it out.”
I groaned, but got back in her car.
Zoe had made a list of potential apartments for us to check out, but I was starting to wonder where she’d found these places. Maybe this was just what I had to deal with in my price range. Echo Creek was a small town, so there weren’t a lot of options. And tourism meant many of the smaller homes were used as vacation rentals, not primary residences. But there had to be something better than what we’d seen so far.
The next place was a duplex. It didn’t look too bad. The paint was faded, but the front steps were in good repair.
“According to the ad, the owners live next door,” Zoe said. She knocked on the other door. “It says to come by and they’ll let us in.”
I stood by Zoe, with Brynn and Amelia on the steps behind us.
A woman in a mint-green bathrobe with a cigarette hanging from her lips answered. “Yeah?”
Zoe cleared her throat. “We’re here about the rental?”
“It’s only a two-bedroom,” she said, her voice hoarse.
“Oh, it’s not for all of us,” Zoe said. “Just her.”
The woman looked me up and down, then shuffled out, fishing a set of keys from her bathrobe pocket. “All right. Go ahead. Just let me know when you’re done so I can lock up. If you want the place, it’s first and last plus deposit.”
“Great, thanks,” I said.
She let us in and we walked back through a narrow entryway. It opened up to a small living area. A doorway led to the kitchen and there were stairs leading up to the bedrooms.
“This isn’t terrible,” Brynn said.
It didn’t smell great, but it wasn’t awful, either. Probably nothing some scrubbing and air freshener couldn’t fix. The carpet looked newish, at least. There was a small stain near the entrance to the kitchen, but otherwise it wasn’t too bad.
“No, it’s not terrible,” Zoe said. She had her arms crossed and she tapped a finger against her elbow.
Did she seem disappointed?
“It’s cute,” Amelia said. “Although the landlady is a little bit scary.”
“True,” Zoe said.
I checked out the kitchen—it wasn’t great, but it was clean—then headed for the stairs. “Let’s check the bedrooms.”
The staircase was narrow and creaky, but that wasn’t a deal breaker. Upstairs were two small bedrooms and a bathroom in between. The bedrooms were basic. Same carpeting as downstairs. Small closets, but that was okay.
I stopped in the bathroom doorway. It didn’t have a window, and with the light off, it was impossible to see anything. I flicked on the light.
Bugs scattered everywhere, little brown and black creepy-crawlies skittering in all directions.
I screamed. Amelia screamed. Brynn raced downstairs with me and Amelia right on her heels.
Zoe came down more slowly, but she was shuddering, clutching her arms around herself. “Oh god.”
“It feels like they’re crawling on me,” Brynn said. “Seriously, Amelia, are there bugs on my back?”
“No. Are there bugs on me?”
“Can we just go?” I asked.
We hurried out the front door. I hugged myself, rubbing my hands over my arms, then stopped to twist around, trying to get a view of my back.
“You’re fine,” Zoe said. “There’s nothing on you.”
I shuddered. “It feels like it. Holy crap, that was gross.”
“Should we tell scary lady we’re leaving?” Amelia asked, pointing to the landlady’s side of the duplex.
I looked at Zoe. “This was your find.”
“Fine.” She went back up the porch and knocked on the other door again.
The woman opened it, the cigarette still hanging out of her mouth. Or maybe it was another one. It was hard to tell. “Application?”
“No thanks,” Zoe said. “And you have a bug problem over there.”
“Shit,” the woman muttered. She turned and started closing the door. “Hank, we got bugs in the rental again.”
“Well, that was a bust,” Zoe said as she walked down the porch steps.
“Are there no decent places to rent in this town?” I asked. “Brynn and Chase have a perfectly decent apartment. Why aren’t there any like that?”
“I wish one was available in our building,” Brynn said.
Zoe shrugged. “We can keep looking if you’re up for it. Or…”
I was exhausted. I didn’t know if it was the parade of shitty apartments or being pregnant, but I felt like I’d been run over by a truck. “Or what?”
“Or there’s always the other guest cottage at Salishan.”
“Mm hmm,” Brynn said,
nodding.
“Yeah, that’s what I said earlier,” Amelia said. “But then Zoe said—”
“Anyway,” Zoe said, cutting Amelia off. “I haven’t talked to Shannon about it or anything, but obviously she’d be happy to have you stay there.”
I put my hands on my hips. “You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”
“Did what?” she asked.
“You found the crappiest places in town so I wouldn’t leave Salishan.”
“Well…”
“Zoe!”
She sighed. “Okay, yes, I did.”
“You ass,” I said.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I just don’t think you should make a huge decision like this yet. I know Leo’s being ridiculous, but give him a little time. He’ll calm the fuck down and then you guys will figure this out.”
“He won’t talk to me,” I said.
“Leo isn’t speaking to you at all?” Brynn asked. “I’m calling him.”
“No,” I said, putting a hand up. “I don’t need you to call him. We’ve spoken, just not very much. And not about the things we really need to talk about.”
“Then I kind of agree with Zoe,” Amelia said. “Are you sure moving out is the right thing?”
“Yeah, you know how Leo is,” Brynn said.
“Oh my god,” I said, frustration bubbling up inside. “Stop making excuses for him. Maybe the rest of you think it’s fine for him to go hermit when things get hard, but I don’t. That’s not helping him. It’s like you’re all so afraid to push his buttons. I know he’s hurt. Believe me, I’ve seen it. But right now, I’m the one who’s unexpectedly pregnant, and he’s being a total shit about it.”
“What?” Amelia shrieked.
“Oh my god,” Brynn said.
Zoe raised her eyebrows. “Okay, you just said it.”
I raked my fingers through my hair. “Damn it, this is not how I wanted any of this to go. I was going to wait to tell everyone, but fuck. Yes, I’m pregnant, okay? That’s what happened. I told Leo and he said it was a bad thing and we’ve barely spoken since. So yes, I do think I need to move out. And not to the guest cottage.”
“Oh, honey,” Amelia said.
Brynn pulled out her phone. “Oh hell no, Leo. I’m calling him.”
“Brynn…” I threw my hands up in the air.
“Damn it, Leo,” Brynn said into her phone. “Of course you’re not answering. I’m coming over when we’re done here, and you’re going to listen to me, you ass. I can’t believe you.”
“Okay,” Zoe said, her voice soothing. She put a hand on Brynn’s arm and gently lowered the phone. “I think he gets it.”
“I left a message,” Brynn said, crossing her arms.
“Look, Hannah, we’re just trying to help you both,” Zoe said. “I’m sorry.”
Frustration and exhaustion warred for my attention, but tiredness was definitely winning. “Look, we can talk about this later. I’m hungry and tired and just want to be done.”
“Fair enough,” Zoe said.
We walked over to her car and I noticed a truck up the street. It looked an awful lot like—
“Oh my god.”
“What?” Zoe asked.
“Amelia, is that Cooper’s truck?” I asked.
She peered at it. “It looks like it.”
“And am I seeing things, or are there three men in that truck?”
“Oh shit,” Zoe muttered.
“Is that Leo?” I asked, my exhaustion forgotten. “Is he following me? Did you know about this?”
“No,” Zoe said. “That’s not me.”
“Is this just how you all do things?” I asked. “Meddle in each other’s lives and drive each other crazy?”
Brynn winced and Amelia shrugged. Zoe opened her mouth as if to explain, but I held up a hand to cut her off.
“Never mind.” I glanced at Cooper’s truck. It was definitely Leo in there. He wouldn’t do more than ask me how my day was, but he’d follow me around? They’d parked up the street, obviously thinking we wouldn’t notice them.
I rolled up my sleeves and started stalking toward the truck.
“And there she goes,” Zoe said.
“Uh-oh.”
“Should we follow her?”
“I think we just need to let her do what she needs to do,” Zoe said.
She was right about that. And right now, I needed to give Leo a piece of my mind.
Thirty-Four
Leo
There was no way Hannah was renting this place.
We caught up with the girls at a shithole of a building next to the gas station—Cooper and Chase had been right, it was shitty—in time to see them come out. Cooper parked down the street where they couldn’t see us, and we waited while Zoe looked at something on her phone. Then they all piled in Zoe’s car and left.
Amelia was texting Cooper each listing, so we waited a few minutes so they wouldn’t see us follow.
Cooper’s truck had an extended cab with two jump seats in back. Chase sat crammed in behind me, his knees almost hitting his chest. We drove to the next address and parked a couple of blocks down. Watched as the girls went to the front door. A woman in what looked like a bathrobe came out and let them in the other side.
“I don’t want her living here,” I said.
“This is a shitty street,” Chase said. “You should definitely do something about this.”
“Okay, this is going to surprise you both, but I’m going to be the mature one in the truck,” Cooper said. “You don’t get to make that call, bro. It’s not up to you to pick where she lives.”
“Cooper, look at that place,” I said. “It should probably be condemned.”
Cooper rested his arm on the steering wheel and gave a little shrug. “Eh. It’s not that bad.”
“Not that bad? I bet that building down the street is a crack house.”
“Is that really a thing?” Chase asked.
“Yes, it’s a thing.”
“Crack is pretty outdated, though,” Chase said. “If anything, it’s probably a meth lab.”
“Chase,” Cooper said. “No.”
“I’m just saying.”
I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes. “Jesus, you guys. She’s pregnant. She can’t live here.”
Cooper held up a finger. “Once again, I’d like to point out—”
“I get it,” I snapped. “I don’t get to tell her what to do. I know.”
“I’m just making sure,” Cooper said. “Because let’s be honest, you’ve been out of the world for a long time.”
“I don’t know what that has to do with it.” I peered through the windshield, but the girls were still inside. “What are they doing in there? Why is it taking so long?”
“It’s not, you’re just really fucking agitated right now,” Cooper said. “Oh shit. I can’t believe I forgot.”
“Forgot what?” I asked.
Cooper reached behind his seat and grabbed a shoe box. “I made this for you. I’m going to be honest, I hoped I wouldn’t need it. But Ben taught me to be prepared, and when Hannah started staying with you, I figured I’d put some shit together in case things went a little south and you needed it.”
“What things? What is this?”
He handed the box to me. “It’s a sad-Leo box. We made Zoe a breakup box once and it worked out so well, I figured I’d recycle the idea and do it again.”
I stared at the shoe box in my lap. “This is weird.”
“If by weird, you mean awesome,” Cooper said. “Just open it.”
I took off the lid. Inside was a random assortment of stuff. “What is all this?”
“Stuff to help you feel better,” Cooper said, grinning like he was exceedingly proud of himself.
There were packets of beef jerky—original, peppered, and teriyaki-flavored—potato chips, a deck of cards, and a big bag of M&Ms.
“Those were my contribution,” Chase said, pointing to the candy.
; I pulled out a DVD copy of Terminator and looked at Cooper, raising my eyebrows. “To make me feel better?”
“That’s a good flick, dude,” he said. “When you’re at home being all broody and Leo-ish, you can at least watch a sweet movie.”
At the bottom of the box I found a few condoms. “Seriously? What did you think I’d need these for?”
Cooper shrugged. “Always good to be prepared, that’s all. Plus I have like a million of those things I don’t need anymore. One of the many benefits of being with my forever girl.”
“Amen to that,” Chase said.
We both glared at him.
“What?” he asked. “Just because I’m married to Brynn, I don’t get to agree with you about the sexual awesomeness of being with one amazing woman?”
“No,” Cooper and I both said.
He crossed his arms and sat back—as much as he could in the small space. “Fine.”
I put the stuff back in the box. In a weird way, it was a nice thing for Cooper to do. “Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”
“You got it, bro,” Cooper said.
“Should we open the M&Ms?” Chase asked.
“I vote yes,” Cooper said. “We still need stakeout snacks.”
“Sure.” I handed the box to Cooper. “Knock yourself out.”
While Cooper and Chase tore into the M&Ms—and the beef jerky—I pondered what he’d said about being prepared, and how I didn’t get to pick where Hannah lived. Maybe that was true, but I couldn’t sit by and let her move to some dump that was probably up the street from a meth lab.
I pulled out my phone and searched for rentals in Echo Creek.
Ideally, I’d find her someplace close to Salishan. That side of town was much nicer. The rentals probably cost more, especially near downtown. But I’d help make up the difference. I didn’t want her to move out at all, but if she was going to, the least I could do was help her find a place.
Besides, maybe it was best if she did. I wasn’t going to abandon her. I’d do everything I could to help take care of her, and the baby. But it would be easier on everyone if I kept my distance. My child wasn’t going to want for anything, but being raised by a guy like me? There were so many things wrong with that, I didn’t know where to begin.
Hidden Miles: The Miles Family Book 4 Page 24