Tarot

 

 

 

 

 

 

I knew before I stepped inside that the house wasn’t for me. But, I wasn’t ready to drive away from the curvy redhead with big green eyes and a contagious smile. I figured her to be somewhere in her twenties and noticed she wasn’t wearing any rings. At least the trip hadn’t been a total waste of time.

“Might?” she asked, staring at me curiously.

I don’t know why I’d said it, but there was something about Peyton that made me want to confide in her. The only person I’d spoken to about Ruby was Tank.  He’d immediately told me to get a paternity test. He thought the woman on the phone was just trying to dump off her niece and had somehow found my name.

“I know it sounds crazy, but I just learned yesterday that I might have a six-year-old daughter in California. That’s why I’m looking for a house. I currently live in a one-bedroom apartment and she’s going to need her own room.”

“Oh, my God,” she said, staring at me wide-eyed. “Do you think she might really be yours?”

I nodded.

My intuition told me she was, but I was having a hard time accepting it fully. Although I’d come from a big family, I’d always been a loner. Now, to learn that I had a daughter out there, one I’d be meeting next week, was freaking the hell out of me.

“Wow,” she replied, still looking pretty stunned herself. “Do you have someone to help you? A wife or girlfriend?”

I smiled. “No. It’s just me.”

“I can’t even imagine what you’re going through. What about her mother? Is she moving out here or will your daughter be flying over for visits?”

“Ruby’s mother died, and that’s why I’m getting custody of her. She’s living with her aunt, who can’t afford to take care of her.”

Peyton’s eyes softened. “That poor little girl. I mean, I’m sure she’ll be lucky to have you for a father, but to lose her mother at such a young age. She must be devastated.”

I nodded. “I imagine. I’m just ticked that she never told me about Ruby. That’s another story, though. Anyway,” I looked around the room. “I’m not impressed with this place. I don’t like the neighborhood, either. I guess I should have known it wasn’t going to be good by the low price.”

“Honestly, I don’t blame you, especially knowing you’re going to have your daughter with you. There’s a lot of crime in this part of town. Drugs. Violence. Gang-bangers.” She looked at my cut and her face turned red.

I wasn’t insulted, although Peyton looked like she wanted to crawl under a rock and hide. “I’m not in a gang. It’s a club, and I assure you, we’re not criminals or drug addicts.”

“I didn’t mean to imply that you were,” she said, looking horrified. “Really, I apologize if you thought I was being judgmental. I was just referring to the fact that there were a lot of bad things going on around this area, and I know you wouldn’t want your daughter exposed to it.”

Although I’d sensed that Peyton had been skittish of me originally, I knew her opinion of me had changed, so I let her off the hook. “No problem. A lot of people have these perceptions about guys like us; sometimes they’re even right. But, the Gold Vipers aren’t thugs, like everyone makes us out to be.”

“I believe you,” she replied, still looking embarrassed.

I gave her a reassuring smile. “It’s all good. At least between you and me. This house, though.” I ran a hand over my face and shook my head. “I don’t know. It would have been nice if John had been truthful about it. When I called him earlier, I asked what the neighborhood was like and he said it was good.”

“Maybe he just didn’t know. I had relatives who lived only a few blocks away, to be honest, and that’s how I knew. It was bad when I lived here back then. I’ve heard it’s gotten worse.”

“Maybe. You’d have to have your head in the clouds not to notice the dealers on the corner and the guy passed out on the front lawn, a couple houses over,” I replied, smiling. “I was ready check on him, but then noticed the bottle of whiskey lying in the grass beside him.”

Peyton smiled. “I don’t miss this area one bit.”

“I bet. Where do you live now?”

“In East Bethel.”

“Where in the hell is that?” I asked.

“It’s kind of by Forest Lake. About thirty miles north of here.”

“I just moved from LA a few months ago myself, so Forest Lake sounds foreign to me, too.”

“I understand. Well, East Bethel is a nice little town. Close enough to the city and yet, it’s almost like living in the country.”

“It sounds like my kind of place. To be honest, I don’t like crowded cities. I grew up in Oakland and always dreamed of living in a quiet town. Are there any homes for sale in that area?”

“I’m sure there are,” she replied, digging her cell phone out of her purse. “In fact, let me see what’s available. What kind of price range were you thinking?”

The house I was looking at now was $175,000. I had some money tucked away, but didn’t want to go overboard. “I can go up to two-hundred-and-fifty-thousand, but that place would need to have everything, including a pole barn.”

“A pole barn?” she replied, smiling over at me.

“Yeah. I’ve been thinking about getting a snowmobile and maybe even a small fishing boat. So, a pole barn, or even a three-car garage, would be ideal.”

After a few seconds, she pulled up a few homes that were in East Bethel and the surrounding area. Most of them were small, but the prices were far better than what I’d been finding in St. Paul and Minneapolis.

“That one looks nice,” I replied as I stared over her shoulder at a split-level home with a three-car garage and a shed in the back. The inside looked roomy and there were even the makings for a man-cave in the basement. The best part was the bedrooms. They were all large and had walk-in closets.

Peyton looked up at me. “It looks like new carpeting throughout the home, a recently updated kitchen, and a new roof. You should look at it.”

“Can we do it now?” I asked, excited to see the place.

“You could call John and tell him you’re interested in looking at it. I don’t know if he’ll be able to show it to you until tomorrow, though.”

“What if I don’t want John to show it to me?” I said. “What if I’d rather have you?”

“Oh.” She smiled and her cheeks turned pink. “I wish I could. I’m not a realtor. I normally don’t show houses.”

“You did pretty well with this one, even though it’s a pile of shit,” I said with a teasing smile. “Seriously, though, I’d like to see the other place as soon as possible. I have a lot to do this week and this house looks like it’s move-in ready.”

“Let me call John and see if it’s possible,” she replied.

“Tell him I’m a serious buyer. That should make him work harder for me.”

Peyton laughed. “I’ll let him know.”