Page 15 of The Deals We Make

Heck, I got one of those huge hoop trampolines because Mom found one on some curb, took it, and repaired it. Ti and I used to…

“Stay on task, Cal.” I can’t let myself get distracted by memories of our past, though, when viewed objectively, they are some of the happiest I ever had.

My first reaction is to leave, check into a hotel, use that as my base to get some work done, and then come back here when I need to. I could always access my assistant to book one using her credit card, although, depending on what my stalker knows, he could be looking out for her financial activities too. But it may be worth the risk because staying here will be so uncomfortable. But just as I’m about to close the door on my old room, I hear Mom start coughing again.

I hate sickness.

I hate being around it and have limited sympathy for it.

But something stops me. And I feel…relief…when she finally takes a full breath.

Not for me, but for her.

So, I change my plan. I’ll take a walk around the house. Find the least cluttered and cleanest room. I’ll make a spot to settle into. A workspace and a bed. Then, I’ll make a start on getting my arms around this house by hiring the people to help me sort it out.

Throwing money at the bulk of this problem is something I can do.

I head downstairs and find the main living area my best bet. It seems strangely unaffected compared to the rest of the house. Worst case, I can sleep on the sofa tonight. My clothes can stay in their suitcases until I figure stuff out. I open one of them and find a pair of jeans, a thick pink sweater, and a pair of thick socks. I peel off my suit and cashmere, and turn to grab the sweater, when I hear a knock on the window and turn around, grabbing the sweater to me.

Tiberius is standing there, a dark beanie pulled low on his forehead.

“Just me, Calista. Thought I’d let you know I’m clearing the drive.” His voice carries through the glass.

Anger floods me…at his appearance and the state of Mom’s house. At the fact I’m half naked while he stands there looking like a kid outside a candy shop. “Wait there,” I shout.

He folds his arms. “Would love to.”

He tips his chin and I glance down, noting the sweater isn’t hiding my underwear. “Shit. No. Go wait on the drive.”

His grin gets even larger. “Whatever you say.”

I tug on my clothes and pull on my hiking boots again. They’re wet inside, where the snow that spilled into them melted. I yank the door open. “Are you a peeping Tom now?”

“Always come and give Mrs. Moray a heads-up when I do anything outside. The striptease was a bonus.”

I gasp. “How much did you see?”

“Probably more than you’d be comfortable knowing about.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “You should have stepped away when you realized what I was doing.”

He rubs his hand across the scruff on his jaw. “To be honest, not sure a passing tornado could have gotten me to movefrom that spot. You’ve certainly changed since we went skinny dipping that night after we?—”

“Shut up. Well, you’re certainly more lewd than you were.”

“One of my many flaws, I assume,” Ti says.

“If you’ve been checking in on Mom, how did you not know about this?” I gesture up to the house, and his face grows serious.

“What do you mean by ‘this’?”

“She’s sick. Hoarding. Not buying food. How could you not do something?”

Tiberius steps back and looks up at the house. “Your mom hasn’t let anybody into her house for at least a decade. After you left, she blamed me. My whole family, actually. Thought I’d done something to break your heart. Nine times out of ten, when I knock on that window, she tells me to go fuck myself.”

My heart skips a beat. “What?”

Ti shrugs. “I still do the shit, though. And she never calls the cops on me for trespassing. Even when me and Niro spent the summer painting all her trim. Never offered us so much as a glass of water from the tap.”