Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Aiden
H er moan echoed in my head. I raked my fingers through my hair. I needed to forget about her and her moan, or I would have to start walking around with my shirt untucked.
It was high time my dick and I had a heart-to-heart.
Yes, she was adorable and wicked hot. No, she was not for me.
I’d already fallen for one runner—I didn’t need to add another to my life.
I was doing a good deed with the extermination thing, that’s all.
Plus, it saved me from seeing her every day when I cleaned out traps.
Katie was not going to worm her way in. No.
I forced myself to remember Alice. The look on her face as she told me she loved me.
The touches and giggles. The sighs in bed. All lies.
My phone chirped as I dropped back into my cruiser.
“Hey, Pops. What’s up?”
“Do you know what that girl did?” he shouted.
I pulled the phone from my ear. What girl? “No, I don’t.” Pops spent most of his time with his buddies, at home or at... Oh, shit.
“She threw away all of Nellie’s furniture! I was just over there watering the garden, though I don’t know why. She can do it herself, ungrateful brat!”
Shit, shit, shit. “If you were just watering, how did you know about the furniture?”
“I went to the side door and knocked. Thought the dog might want to keep me company. But Katie didn’t answer so I looked in the window by the door?—”
“Peeping.”
“—and saw the furniture was gone. What kind of person throws out her grandmother’s beloved possessions like it’s nothing? I was wrong about giving her a chance. She doesn’t deserve one!”
“Let it go, Pops. It’s not Nellie’s house anymore.
Katie can legally do whatever she wants.
” I watched another line form in front of the food truck, heard Katie greeting them like a flight attendant.
Rolling my eyes, I focused on Pops. “And listen, you don’t need to tend the garden anymore, either.
Let Katie deal with her own responsibilities. ”
“She can forget about any more help from me.” He paused.
“Why would she do that, though?” The hurt in his voice killed me.
“The furniture was in perfect condition. Nellie always took good care of her home, cleaning every day. She knew the value of things. Not like today’s generation.
Everything is disposable. Including people! ”
I put him on speaker and drove away. “She’s trying, Pops. Let her succeed or fail on her own. Okay?” I paused. “Chances are she’ll be leaving soon, anyway.” I swung around and drove back toward the station. Chaucer better still be sleeping under my desk. If he was chewing files, we’d have words.
“Leaving? She just got here.”
“Yeah, but her husband’s sending an appraiser.
He’s planning to sell the house.” I pulled into the parking lot, grabbed my phone, and walked into the station.
My office door was now open—I’d shut it before I left—but Chaucer stood at the doorway, not trying to escape.
I glanced over at a guilty-looking Heather, who was stuffing something in her desk and putting her headset back on.
Great. If Heather kept feeding him, he’d never want to leave.
“He can do that? Just sell the house out from under her?” Pops continued on the phone.
I put my hand out and Chaucer stepped forward, sliding his head under it.
I gave him a scratch as I walked past. “Yeah. He can, Pops. California is a community property state. She inherited it while married to him.” I heard a hiss and turned to look.
I could see Heather through the doorway, motioning to Chaucer.
He shifted his head, back and forth between us, one foot in the air, ready to go to her.
I waved him away, and he trotted to her desk.
“Katie doesn’t have the money to buy him out.
The only option is selling the place. It’ll at least give her the money to get started somewhere else. ”
Silence. “Oh.”
“Listen, Pops. I gotta get back to work. Don’t worry about Katie. She’s as good as gone.”
I hung up and sat down hard. Damn. She was as good as gone.