Emma was still looking around with an expression Alison couldn’t quite read, but hell if she was going to ask another personal question after being shut down on the last one.
“What are the terms?” Emily asked.
“First, last, and a security deposit.”
Emma hesitated. “That’s a big chunk at once.”
Alison shrugged. Not her problem.
“Can you give me some time to come up with the money?”
“Until you put down a deposit, you risk losing it.” This probably wouldn’t happen. They had a lot of vacancies right now.
Emma met her gaze and called her bluff. “You just found out Gabby’s not renewing her lease. This won’t be an easy building to fill. So I don’t imagine it’ll suddenly be snapped up tomorrow.” She looked around again. “I want to negotiate the monthly rent.”
“It’s nonnegotiable,” Alison said automatically. Because the hell with this. She picked up Killer, who licked Alison on the chin, lowering her blood pressure. Stay calm. Don’t think about how you’d like to send her packing.
Emma gave Alison a smile. “Okay, then. I guess I’ll have to keep looking. Thanks, Ali. It’s been . . . interesting.”
“Alison.” But she grimaced, fought with herself, and lost. “Wait.”
Emma and Hog looked back in unison.
“How much were you thinking?” Alison asked.
“In this economy?” Emma smiled. “Ten percent off the top.”
“And why exactly should I give you a deal?”
“Because the art studio next door is closing, which means two open places on the same block.” Emma shook her head. “Not very good for your bottom line.”
Oh no she didn’t. “It’s on a good street, and this space is updated and has the huge glass front, and a dedicated parking lot in the back.”
Emma went behind the counter and grabbed a pad and pen. She scribbled a number down before holding it up to Alison.
Alison laughed. She set Killer down and snatched the pad and pen. She crossed out Emma’s number and wrote one of her own, halfway between the original offer and Emma’s counteroffer.
Emma looked at it, shook her head, and wrote another number.
Alison stared at it. “Are you kidding me? That’s only one dollar difference.”
“Do we have a deal or not?”
“It’s a dollar, Emmie.”
“It’s a dollar, Ali.”
Okay, let it go. “Fine, whatever. It’s just a dollar.” She held out her hand.
“It’s the principle of the thing,” Emma said and then, having had the last word, shook Alison’s hand.
Alison opened her mouth to say something that no doubt would blow the whole deal, but Hog took that very moment to lean against Alison’s legs, looking up at her with . . . damn. Sweet adoration. It melted her black heart, and she stroked his soft, clearly well-taken-care-of fur, liking that she didn’t have to bend down like she did with Killer. “Aw. You’re just a big sweetie.”
“He’s trained to pick up when people are losing their shit.”
Alison looked up at Emma. “I’m not losing my shit, you’re losing your shit.”
Emma rolled her eyes, but smiled fondly at Hog, whose tail was now sweeping the floor.
Clearly proud of himself for changing the energy in the room, he panted up a smile at both of them as a line of drool made its way from his mouth to the floor in slow motion, and Alison felt her heart melt a little. Don’t you fall in love with the dog belonging to the devil herself. “You going to send me your app?”
“Yes.”
Alison nodded. “Are you going to keep Gabby’s other employees?”
“Why?”
“Just trying a hand at being friendly.”
“Well, don’t,” Emma said. “You scare me when you do that.”
Hurt bubbled up, which surprised Alison. She didn’t usually feel things like hurt. She drew a deep breath. Step 9: Try again, Google had told her. She drew a deep breath. “This is a big venture to take on by yourself.”
“Easier than finding a job that’ll allow me to take Hog to work.”
“Tell me about it,” Alison said. “My ex got custody of Killer for that exact reason.” She kissed Killer on the nose. “But we have today, don’t we, baby?”
“My ex got custody too,” Emma said softly.
“Of Hog?”
“No. My best friend. I’m pretty sure he fell for her because she didn’t come with any baggage, and I’ve got so much I should have to pay extra fees.”
“That part didn’t make the news,” Alison said.
“Nope.”
She narrowed her eyes. “If you’re playing with me, I swear—”
“It’s all pathetically true.” Emma shrugged with mostly just her right shoulder. “My ex was never a good multitasker when it came to relationships. The moment I get scooped up off the pavement by the paramedics, my life became one task too many for him to handle.”
“Wow, he sucks.” Alison sighed. “And dammit.” She pointed at Emma. “Okay, you win. But this is the one and only time.”
Emma looked pleased. “You aren’t going to scratch ‘bitch’ into the side of my car, are you?”
“Depends. Are you going to play nice?”
“TBD.”
“Then same.”
Emma laughed. “Good thing I don’t actually have a car.”
Damn. If she didn’t hate her, Alison might have even liked her. It wasn’t until later that night that she suddenly realized why Emma’s left arm not appearing to work as good as her right made sense—she was Simon’s new renter.
Chapter 10
Step 10: Be yourself.
The next morning, Simon woke up to his phone buzzing. He knew it was Alison by the level of annoyance in the cell’s vibration.
“Did I wake you?” she asked.
“Do you care?”
“Not even a little bit, since you didn’t call me back yesterday. I met Emma.”
Since he’d just been dreaming about Emma, dreaming about what might have happened between them if his dad hadn’t needed him, Simon drew a deep breath. “I didn’t call you back because I was swamped all day and then fell asleep.”
“Let me repeat—I met Emma.”
“And?”
“And she’s the girl who had me arrested in high school.”
Simon sat straight up in bed. “Run that by me again?”
Alison told him the story from all those years ago, and, boggled, he shook his head. He’d already been away at college when all that happened, and though they’d remained close, his cousin had never told him any of this before. “Why didn’t you tell me back then that you were having problems?”
Silence.
He sighed and answered his own question. “Because you’re an Armstrong and therefore stubborn to the bone.” He ran a hand over his face, hating that she’d gone through all of it alone, though he wasn’t exactly thrilled about the shit she’d pulled on Emma either. “Why did you vandalize her car?”