Huck
“I’ll move out. And the boys will follow.”
I faced Mr. Peters defiantly across his ornate dining room table, giving him a look that had quelled many men before him. Only, I forgot the old man was a veteran, had been married and divorced three times, and raised three daughters. All of whom were incredibly successful and powerful women. The old man didn’t scare easily, and a threat from some punk college kid wasn’t even going to get him to bat an eyelash.
“Move out then.” My landlord looked at me over the rim of his coffee mug, and if I didn’t know better, I would’ve sworn he was hiding a smile. The grouchy old man had never cracked a smile in all the years I’d rented from him. He was more of the scowling-while-barking-orders type. “But keep in mind, the semester is starting soon, and I’ll have to immediately rent the place out. You’ll also be responsible for paying to break your current lease.” He arched a fuzzy gray eyebrow in my direction. “That’s a whole year’s worth of rent since you just renewed, on top of the five-hundred-dollar fee. Even if you somehow manage to come up with your portion, I doubt the other boys will. Harlen is on a scholarship, if memory serves me.”
He set his mug down on the table and leaned forward. I didn’t want to be intimidated, but I was. I looked up to very few people, and Mr. Peters was at the top of the list. The old man was one of the few adults who’d ever given me a chance without making me jump through a million hoops to prove myself first. This was the first time we’d ever really clashed.
Of course, it had to be because of Ollie.
“And if you do come up with the money to get out of the lease, do you think finding a place to rent if you plan on staying with Vernon will be easy? He’s still got a while before he turns eighteen. No one will ignore that he’s a minor, and even if they consider renting to you without him on the lease, they’re going to ask questions. Do you want to put the kid through all that just because you don’t want a female roommate?”
I growled in frustration and pounded the side of my fist on the tabletop. He was right, and it grated that he knew me well enough to know there was no way in hell I would ever abandon Vernon. The kid had almost cost us the Victorian when Harlen and I were finally able to leave the dorms. It was only after I begged, pleaded, and promised my life away to the old man that he agreed to rent to all of us, including an underage Vernon. He did so without questions at the time, but he now knew all the ugly reasons the rest of us were willing to do whatever it took to keep the kid safe. My violent reaction received a dirty look from the old man, and I reminded myself I was here to appeal to his soft spot for all of us, me in particular, and not to provoke him.
“You were the one who implemented the ‘no co-ed-living-if-it-can-be-avoided’ rule. I don’t understand why you’re going back on it now. Things have been smooth sailing so far with just us at the house. Why change something that’s proven to be successful?” Why was everyone always willing to break the rules for Ollie?
Me included.
It was baffling and endlessly frustrating. What was it about Ollie Adams that made everyone who encountered her lose their damn mind?
“You’ve asked the same question twenty different ways, Huck. You’re going to make a great lawyer one day. But it won’t change my answer. If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a hundred times, I didn’t know she was a young woman until after all the paperwork was signed. Her name was misleading. Her lease to the room in the house is valid and legally binding. You had no right to run her off. She seems like a nice-enough girl. A little quiet and squirrely, but I don’t think she’ll be in your way or cause too much of a fuss. It’s only one year. If you boys can’t adapt to a change this close to graduation, I fear for your futures.”
He smirked at me when I swore in aggravation under my breath. I shoved my hands through my hair and glared holes into the wood table between us.
“She tricked you by not using her legal name on the application. She lied. That should invalidate the lease. There are always legal loopholes, Old Man.” I was getting desperate because it was becoming clear this would be one of the rare arguments in my life I was about to lose.
“And I told you, she didn’t lie. I just did a cursory glance at the information. I’m the one who overlooked the fact Ollie is short for Olivia. Besides, your legal loophole could lead to a bigger legal headache for me down the road. You know one of my daughters is a lawyer. She’s been telling me for years that my no co-ed living condition was going to get me in trouble. Just accept it. She’s moving in, kiddo.” He tapped his index finger on the table to get my attention. When our gazes locked, I could clearly see the old man had his mind made up, and there would be no persuading him. “And you and the boys aren’t going to give her a hard time about it. You hear me, Huck?”
I bared my teeth slightly and didn’t respond.
Mr. Peters slammed his palm on the wood and made me jump. I gulped slightly and forced myself to dip my chin in agreement. “I hear you, Old Man.”
“I’m serious. If I hear you guys are making things difficult for her, you will be moving out and looking for a new place. It’ll be impossible to find a place for the three of you this close to the start of school. If you put me in a position to give you a piss-poor reference, you won’t ever find a place to rent again. I’m not threatening you. I’m telling you exactly how it is.”
I let my head drop and felt my shoulders slump. It wasn’t often I couldn’t persuade someone to give me what I wanted, and it had been a very long time since I hadn’t gotten my way. I guess I’d become spoiled since I left my old life behind.
Speaking of my old life, I quietly asked Mr. Peters, “Did Ollie tell you that we used to know each other when we were kids? Did she tell you she moved here because of me? She’s stalking me. She might be dangerous. Aren’t you worried about me at all, Old Man?”
I was actually a little hurt at how indifferent he seemed over the whole situation. I honestly thought our relationship had long since gone past the landlord-tenant stage. The boys and I considered him family, and it stung to think he didn’t view us the same way.
A heavy sigh came from across the table, and when I looked at the man sitting across from me, I could see genuine sympathy on his craggy face.
“Huck, are you honestly worried this girl might have bad intentions toward you and your friends? Are you legitimately scared of her? Have you stopped to think why she’s worked so hard to get close to you? You’re a very smart guy, and you said you knew this girl from your childhood. You have to see there’s more going on here than meets the eye.” He gave me a pointed look. “If you are scared and truthfully believe she’s stalking you, get a restraining order. I support your right to do so. I don’t think it’ll make you look weak. If you do that, I won’t be able to uphold her lease. Legally I can break it. Bring me the paperwork, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
I was scared of her, but probably not for the reasons he suspected. “I don’t want to know why she tracked me down after all this time. I don’t want to know why she’s so desperate to get close to me again.” Back in the day, I protected her from everyone and everything. As a result, I lost all that mattered to me. “She attracts trouble like a magnet, and I don’t have time for that anymore.” Not when my life was finally on track and I was so close to making all my dreams come true.