“Oh, I did. And he was pissed, and we exchanged some shit words until I just walked out on him. If he wants it done, he can find someone else. I’m busy enough as it is, and I don’t need that shit.”
“I got yelled at today, too,” I inform my friend, and watch as his eyebrows climb in surprise. “I run a business, Apollo. It happens.”
“In anart gallery?” He shakes his head. “Aren’t people supposed to be happy when they look at art? If they’re pissed off, you’re carrying the wrong stuff, my man.”
“Ha ha. I’ll have you know that some people take art very seriously. But yes, a woman came in…” I tell him the story, and when I’m done, Apollo’s laughing into his beer.
“Ridiculous,” he mutters. “Wait, who did you rent the little house to?”
“Sarah.”
Our pizza is delivered, and I dig in, suddenly starving. Lighthouse Pizza has the best pie in Oregon.
“SarahSarah?” he asks and slips a slice onto his plate. “As inyourSarah?”
“She’s notmine.” And the reminder leaves a bad taste in my mouth. So much for not thinking about her this evening. “She wanted to move out of June’s place, and it worked out well for her.”
“Hell, who wouldwantto live with June?” Apollo asks with a scowl.
I don’t bother to say that the way he looks at June, the way he goads her and bickers with her, is so full of sexual energy that I don’t thinkhe’dmind living with her.
He’d probably punch me.
“I think it makes sense for a grown woman to want her own space.” I reach for a napkin. “And this way, she can walk to work, and she has beach access. She likes to walk the beach.”
“Uh-huh.” Apollo narrows his eyes on me. “Perhaps there will be some hooking up. That, too, would be convenient.”
“We’re friends. Nothing more.”
“I know you, man. And I know that you never stopped caring about her. She’s here, has been for a while now, and I don’t think it’s a bad idea to make a move. If you keep waiting, someone else will move in on her, and you’ll be elbowed out of the way again. Don’t be a jerk twice with the same woman.”
The thought of someone else with Sarah ignites flames in my belly. “Thanks for the advice, Dr. Ruth.”
“That’ll be five hundred bucks.”
“How about I just pay for the beers?”
“Sounds fair. After this, let’s go to your place. I want to see the situation. See if there’s anything I can do. I like Sarah.”
“I’m so relieved that I can bring entertainment to your life.”
“Me, too. Aside from a bitchy homeowner, my life is damn boring.”
“We could probably change that.” I bite into the pizza. “There are women in town who would love to date you. One of the sisters at Three Sisters Kitchen, maybe? They’re southern and hot.”
“Nah, I like boring. It’s easier. Far less drama.”
“How’s the inn coming along?”
“Faster than I thought. I figured Luna was nuts when she said she wanted to open a new inn by this fall, but as long as there are no major snafus, I think it could happen. It’ll be a lot of work, but Luna’s never been afraid of that. And June’s working like it’s her one mission in life.”
“Those women are a force to be reckoned with.”
“You’re not kidding. Speaking of, let’s go check it out over at your place.”
I pay the bill, and we walk out of Lighthouse Pizza to our cars. “You okay to drive?”
“Since when has one beer rendered me incapacitated, especially after eating half a pizza?”