Page 17 of The Renter

He sighs, looking ahead. “I have all these strong feelings for you. I know this was supposed to be simple—two people having a good time—but I want to protect you.” Adam pauses, his face thoughtful and sincere. “I want to cherish you, and I want to know you. The whole you.”

He moves his hand to mine, which is resting in my lap.

“I’m starting to fall for you, and I barely know anything about you.” He pauses and sighs. “I could’ve killed that guy for you, and I don’t even know your last name.”

He could’ve killed for me?My mind races; I might have a heart attack from how fast my heart is beating. Part of me wants to get out of the car, end this fuckbuddy flirtation, and be done with him. But he’s falling for me?

“Sommer,” I whisper. “That’s my last name.”

He smiles.

I’m not used to this kind of sincere, direct outpouring of emotion. How can this man be falling for me?

“That’s where I’m at,” Adam says after I don’t respond. “It’s crazy, I know. I can’t quite explain it.”

I use humor to deflect the seriousness of the moment.

“There’s this phrase … it’s called being pussy whipped.” An embarrassed smile spreads across my face. “I think that’s the description you’re looking for.”

I can be such an ass sometimes.I hide my face behind my hands as my internal dialogue rages. This man poured his heart out to me and punched a guy for me, and all I have to add is that he’s pussy whipped.

“Adam, I did google you when I got home last night. I saw your credit card out yesterday and noted your last name. When I found out about your company, I was actually sad.” He gives me a confused look. “I was sad because I knew I’d have to tell you something. And since we’re putting all our cards on the table, here it is.”

I take a deep breath.

“Your company lost three million dollars on an investment in a business where I was the chief marketing officer.”

He looks at me, bemused.

14

There’s only one startup with multi-million-dollar losses in the past couple of years: Shirts. A stupid name for a stupid company. I can’t believe my team chose it as an investment.

I squeeze her thigh and can’t help but smile. “Do you know why my team invested so much in that company?” She shakes her head. “The marketing. Specifically, the marketing talent. When it started floundering, they told me they could sell the Shirtsbrand to another manufacturer, and then, when we found a startup in need of a CMO, we’d move the talent—which I guess is you—there.”

“But you couldn’t sell the Shirts brand …” She looks down.

“Oh, don’t get me started on the cooked books, courtesy of an asshole who’s never worked for anything in his life. But his family …” I huff, trailing off, not wanting to dive into the politics of it all. “That’s why we stopped providing support. We let it die and walked away.”

It hits me then—we let her career die with it.

“I didn’t realize you were still there. I thought they would’ve moved you or …”

“I should’ve left earlier, but the details are too much for right now.” She reclines her seat all the way back, closing her eyes. Iwatch her take deep yoga breaths, placing one hand on her heart and the other on her stomach.

“I’m sorry I lost it earlier,” I say, admiring her calmness in the midst of everything happening. “Seriously, that was so out of left field for me. I never hit people. And I’m sorry for what he did to you and for what happened with Shirts.”

15

I’m drinking tea at the dining room table, and Adam sits silently beside me, likely mentally preparing for the conference call.

“The Renter owes my dad.” A text from Kelsey pops up on my phone. I unlock the screen and start reading it aloud to Adam.

Kelsey Wagner

My dad is the mayor of Lake Geneva, I swear. He has more power than that fat fuck. The chief of police couldn’t care less about what happened. Turns out Coke Poke tested positive for cocaine at the hospital and was over the legal limit for alcohol. He’s a degenerate, and they’re moving on with their day. If only we could never see him again. But that’s a townie for ya. Love you.

Adam and I sigh audibly when I finish reading, and he asks me to screenshot it and text it to him. I notice my name pops up on his phone as “Little One.”He changed it.