Harvest Moon
Page 27
A razor sharp edge glistened in her determined blue eyes. “I’m afraid not. I signed a lease. My options are limited, so we’d better get this straightened out.”
Leo took a step closer to her, his height a good head above hers. She stood firm, her gaze unyielding. Moxie always impressed him.
He studied her from top to toe. Mickey Mouse struck his usual kicked-back pose on her chest. Patterned pants lined her legs, looking more like they belonged on a clown or someone still in high school. Not this woman, whose age he guessed at over thirty.
She pulled out her cell phone from her windbreaker pocket. “Does Meg know you’re staying here?”
“Who’s Meg?”
“The real estate agent.” She searched through the envelope and removed a business card. “I’m calling her.”
“Well, it’s pointless. Everett shouldn’t have leased this place again.”
She ignored him and dialed. He glanced down at the dog, which threatened him with bloodshot eyes and a wagging tail. Some watch dog. He resisted the urge to bend over and pet the cute guy.
Leo lifted his gaze to the uninvited guest, whose name he’d already forgotten. “There’s no way I’m leaving my own house.”
“We’ll see.” She turned her back on him. “Hello, Meg…”
A renter. The last thing he needed. Returning to the Northbridge house to get work done had been Leo’s last resort. Both his publisher and agent called him regularly, anxious to know about the book’s progress. The deadline to turn it in had passed months ago.
He needed quiet. Peace. The lake house stood amongst his favorite writing places. Back here, he expected to find his muse. Because he couldn’t find it anywhere else.
Since childhood, Everett had won every battle the brothers shared. This time, though, Leo wasn’t about to give in.