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TATE
In the light of day, the damage Rachel caused was much worse than the broken busts and frames on the walls. There was a large scratch running down the length of the hardwood floors in the hall. If I didn’t know better, I’d say Rachel scratched it purposely with the spiked heel of her boot. There were scratches and dints on the walls. A small hole that needed plastering, and the bathroom mirror was shattered. Not to mention whatever carnage she left in her room after I walked out last night.
I was going to kill her.
Then make her pay for the repairs.
But I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t leave the place looking the way it did. Wren didn’t deserve that.
I stood in the kitchen as I waited for the coffee to brew. There was no point trying any handyman shit until I had caffeine in my veins. Glancing out the window, I noticed something floating in the pool and frowned. I thought I had cleared everything last night. I didn’t want Wren to wake to a dump in her backyard.
It looked like an inflatable pool. What the hell? Where did that come from?
I made my coffee and walked outside to remove it. It wasn’t until I stood on the deck beside the pool and peered down at it that I realized Wren and Eva were sleeping in there.
In a kiddie pool, floating in the much larger inground pool.
I burst out laughing.
It was a pretty sweet setup from what I could tell. Pillows and blankets. They looked cozy.
The sound of my laughter woke Wren. She sat up too fast and the pool dipped dangerously close to the water below. Her eyes widened in fear, as she scrambled back from the edge before she fell in again.
“What the hell are you doing?” I asked.
She looked up at me and crossed her arms. “Sleeping.”
“In the pool?”
“We watched a movie.”
Like that explained why they had blown up a pool and used it as a floating bed.
“In the pool?” I asked again.
“It’s none of your business what I do in my own backyard.”
“Think it is. Since it’s my yard too.”
Wren opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Eva’s hand shooting out of the blanket to cover her face. “Shhh. Turn it down. And shut off the lights. I’m sleeping,” she groaned.
Wren wacked her with a pillow. “Get up.”
“Dreamy Dick,” Eva mumbled and sat up as Wren elbowed her in the side before she turned to me with a saccharine smile.
“Is that coffee in your hand?”
“Nope.” I lifted the mug to my lips and took a sip before flashing her a grin and walking away, ignoring Eva’s weird remark.
“Tate! Get back here,” she called after me. “I need an oar.”
I chuckled as I closed the French doors behind me. They were floating in the middle of the pool with no way of reaching the edge unless they paddled. I’d let them suffer for a few minutes before I went back out there.
I grabbed two mugs from the cupboard and poured them both a coffee. After how much they drank last night, which I imagined to be a lot since they slept in the freaking swimming pool, they were going to need a good caffeine hit.
And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to butter Wren up a little before I broke the news about the damage to her house and property. She was going to freak.
I was just about to take their coffees out to them and give Wren her oar when I heard the garage door open. I frowned. No one had access to the garage. Not even me.
I made my way outside to the garage and saw a guy moving around the cars.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I called out.
He jumped and turned to face me with his hands held up in front of him.
“Get out of my garage.”
“Whoa buddy. I think there’s been a mistake. Is Wren here?”
“Wren? What do you want with Wren?” I crossed my arms and stood my ground wondering how he got into the garage in the first place. “How’d you get in?”
“I have a code.”
My eyebrows lifted and jaw clenched. This guy had the code, but I couldn’t park my fucking car in there. And then it hit me. I remembered Wren saying something about paying a guy to clean and drive the cars once a month. “Nelson?”
“That’d be me, man. Didn’t mean to startle you. I’m just here to look after Mr. Keller’s vehicles.” He stepped forward to shake my hand.
“About that,” I said, not knowing what came over me and unable to stop myself before it was too late. “Wren is no longer in need of your services. Sorry.”
“What? No, she wouldn’t do that. She needs me to...”
I held up my hand to stop him. “She has me.”
“But she knows I need the money to pay for my father’s treatment. I can’t lose this job, man. It’s the difference between his medication or not.”
Shit. I groaned and rubbed a hand across my forehead. Wren was keeping him on even though she was on the verge of bankruptcy and losing her damn pizza delivery because he had a sick father.
“I really need this job, man,” he begged.
I was going to regret this; I knew it, but what choice did I have? Wren’s financial situation was bleaker than a midwinter’s day. I’d walked in on her one morning, throwing the newspaper across the room, and groaning frustration because she’d applied for all the jobs in town. She had tears in her eyes and stared woefully at an empty pizza box, almost like she was preparing to say goodbye. I asked her what was wrong and after a little coaxing, she admitted she was flat broke. Something about her trust fund not being accessible for two more years.
“Just give me a minute.” I ran back into the house and returned a minute later with my checkbook. “This should cover it, yeah?” I wrote him a check with a substantial amount of money and handed it to him.
Nelson’s eyes bugged out of his head and his hands shook. “I can’t accept this.”
“You can. And you will. Think of it as severance pay.”
“It’s more than what I make in a year. Hell, it’s more than what I make in five years.”
“It’s fine. Thank you for your service, but you are free to go.”
“Thank you, sir. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you,” he rambled and shook my hand vigorously before leaving.
I walked back into the house, grabbed the coffees and took them out to Wren and Eva who were leaning over the edge of their floating bed, trying to paddle with their hands to the side. They weren’t too far away, another foot or so.
I chuckled and set down their coffees. “Need some help?”
“No,” Wren said, at the same time Eva shouted yes.
I dropped down to the pavers beside the deck, and stretched out my hand for Wren to grab so I could pull them in. She screwed her nose up at it. “I made you a coffee.” I pointed over my shoulder to where I placed the mugs.
“Fine,” she huffed and threaded her fingers through mine, and I dragged them to the edge so they could climb out.
“Thank you,” Wren said once she was on steady ground.
“No problem.”
“And thanks for the coffee. Don’t suppose you have some painkillers? My head is pounding.”
“Sorry, no. Serves you right for drinking so much.”
Eva flopped down in a deck chair. “I’m dying. This is your fault, Wren.”
“My fault? Are you serious? You were the one...”
I walked away and left them to bicker. I had a mess to clean, and a garage full of cars to look after.
Dammit.