All around us was a grid of empty roads with sidewalks and street lamps. That was followed by a single road lined with large, two-story houses. Almost every yard was nothing but dirt and dry, spindly-looking weeds, and there was a for sale sign in front of just about every home, except for Reno’s.
He paused in the street and fished a remote out of his glove box as he explained, “The developer went bankrupt after his business partner embezzled the investors’ money and fled to the Bahamas. Only these twenty-four houses were built out of a planned hundred and forty, and just six were sold. The reason I bought one was because my mom was dating the developer at the time, and the architect’s drawings and plans for the neighborhood were beautiful. But you can see what happened after the money was stolen—it all just fizzled out. I bought the house ten years ago and have thought about trying to sell it, but there’s no way anyone would ever buy it.”
“That’s a shame.”
He shrugged and opened his garage door with the remote. “It is what it is. At least I never have to worry about noisy neighbors.”
“Way to put a positive spin on it.”
He parked in the garage beside a big, black SUV and shut the door behind us. Then I collected the bags of convenience store snacks while he grabbed his laptop case and retrieved the large, black bag from the trunk. I assumed it was stuffed with guns, but I didn’t ask.
When he entered a code on a keypad to shut off the alarm, force of habit made me take a peek. I idly wondered if the date he’d used was his mom’s birthday or his brother Romy’s—no doubt it was one or the other, because people were ridiculous with their so-called security.
It turned out his home was actually really nice, with high ceilings, tons of space, and tasteful furnishings and artwork. I left the snacks on the kitchen counter, and as I followed him upstairs he said, “Don’t get freaked out if you see a scorpion. I don’t know how they get in, but I find one downstairs occasionally.”
“That better be a very bad joke.”
“We’re in the middle of the desert, Jack.”
“Right. So, goal number one when building a house here should be to keep the deadly nightmare vermin on the outside.”
“They didn’t even spell the sign right,” he said. “I’m lucky the house is still standing, given the geniuses behind this project.”
“My question is, did you see the dessert sign before you bought the house? Because I’m going to go ahead and call that a red flag.”
“No, that came later.”
“Are your mom and the developer still together?”
He shook his head. “They lasted almost three years though, which was a record for her. She’s definitely relationship-challenged.”
As long as he was answering my questions, I decided to slip one in that was really none of my business. “Speaking of relationships, did your boyfriend live here with you when you two were together?”
“No. We never lived together.”
“How do you date someone for four years and never get to that point?”
Reno glanced at me with an amused expression. “You’re very nosy.”
“I prefer the word curious.”
We’d reached the double doors to the main bedroom, and he changed the subject with, “The guest room is down the hall, last door on the right. There are clean towels and some toiletries in the bathroom cabinet. You can also help yourself to the clothes I stored in the closet, not that they’ll fit, but you might find something to sleep in. And please don’t run away while I’m asleep.”
It stung that he was sticking me in the guest room, but what did I expect? I really liked Reno, and that was only getting stronger the more time we spent together. But to him I was still just the asshole who’d ripped him off. Like he was going to invite me to share his bed?
“I’m not going anywhere, I promise. Can I have my phone back, though?”
He hesitated and asked, “Why do you want it?”
“I’m going to call in a swat team to rescue me from my jailer.” When he rolled his eyes, I asked, “What do you think I plan to do with it? I’d like to read one of my ebooks, maybe take a look at the news. If I get really fancy, I might even play a few rounds of Bejeweled.”
“You’re not going to sleep?” Even though he asked the question, he pulled my phone from his pocket and handed it to me, along with the rest of my belongings. Apparently he’d decided to fully commit to the belief that I wasn’t going to leave.
“Falling asleep is a process.”
“Normally I’d agree, but I’m dead on my feet. I told my brother I’d be there at lunchtime, so I’ll see you in about three hours.”
After I said good night, I continued down the hall to the guest room and got naked. I carefully hung up my suit and shirt and moved them to the bathroom, so the wrinkles could steam out. Then I took a long, hot shower. It felt incredible after spending all night in a car, followed by the grungy task of cleaning up the bar.