I park behind Abby’s car. After work, I swung by my place for a quick shower. Now I’m here to sign some paperwork before I confirm whether or not the female population of Woodlake has forgotten about me in my absence from the bar scene.

Either hearing my truck, or waiting by the door, Abby greets me on the porch. “You going out?”

I look down. How can she tell from the faded jeans I’m wearing?

“It’s the cologne,” she replies in her uncanny way of answering a question I never asked.

“I might be.”

She ushers me in. “Then I’ll make this fast.”

I follow her to her dining room, not surprised to see paperwork already neatly arranged.

“Want a drink?”

“What have you got?”

She gestures for me to sit. “Let me check.”

While I do as she says, she walks to their kitchen and starts naming off beers.

I stop her after the second name. “That one works.”

A couple minutes later she returns with my beer and a glass of wine for herself.

“I wish I could have wine at all my signings.”

“Nothing’s stopping you.”

She makes a face. “I’m pretty sure our underwriter wouldn’t approve.”

“Where’s the spirit?”

She squints at me. “You’re especially chipper tonight. Are you meeting up with one of your eager fans?”

I shift in my seat, not liking her expression. “I’m not chipper, and I’m not meeting anyone.”

She lifts a page from the table and passes it to me with a pen. “Whatever you say.”

I ignore her jab and focus on reading the agreement. It’s not until I get to the signatures that something about it surprises me.

“Why didn’t the boyfriend sign the rental agreement?”

Abby’s gaze moves to the document in question. “I think they broke up.”

Pushing my chair back, I jump to my feet in surprise. “Why didn’t you mention that sooner?”

She looks up, an up-to-something expression on her face. “Sleeping with a tenant is a bad idea, single or not. Besides, last thing she needs right now is you sniffing around.”

I avoid her gaze, my eyes focusing on the wall behind her. “Sniff around? Come on, give me some credit.”

When I shift that focus back to her, all she does is stare at me, her brows going up in a silent argument.

I can’t wait to see what her reaction to my next words will be. “Lower the rental price by $350.”

In a blink she’s standing as well, her lips parted. “You’ll make next to nothing if you do that.”

With a shrug, I push the contract across her dining room table toward her. “Do it.”

“But she didn’t ask for a discount and can afford the rent as is. Besides, just because he isn’t on the contract doesn’t mean he won’t be there and paying rent.”

I glare at her.

After a long pause, she lifts her hands in surrender and says, “Fine. I’ll update it.”

“Thanks. Did she mention when she wanted to move in?”

Abby crosses out the dollar amount on the paperwork and lists the new rental price next to it. “Initial and date here and then sign at the bottom of each page. As far as I know, she wants to move in right away. Is that a problem?”

“She knows someone will still need access to the place to finish the work on it?”

Abby nods.

“In that case, she can move in tomorrow for all I care.”

“I’ll call her right now and let her know the change in rent and that she can get the keys tomorrow.”

She picks up her phone and a few touches to the screen later, lifts it to her ear.

“Hey Lucy, it’s Abby. Do you have a minute?”

As I sign the rental agreement, I quietly listen to Abby’s side of the conversation.

“Great. Well, I have awesome news about the house. First off, the owner decided to lower the rent by $350 a month.”

Abby goes silent and I hear Lucy’s exclamation through the phone.

“I know. You better go play the lottery because Lady Luck is smiling on you. Plus, I get to follow good news with even more goodness. You can have the keys tomorrow.”

I grin down at the table at the next exclamation through the phone.

Once the papers are all signed, I push them back in Abby’s direction.

“My schedule is pretty open tomorrow. Want me to swing by and drop them off?”

There’s a pause, Lucy’s reply too quiet for me to hear.

“It’s no trouble at all. I’ll see you around nine.”

Abby’s gaze meets mine. “You’re very welcome. It was my pleasure to help. See you tomorrow.”

She lowers her phone and touches the screen to end the call. “It’s safe to say she’s thrilled.”

“I heard her shout.”

Abby straightens the paperwork. “Don’t know many people who wouldn’t be happy about a discount.”

She has a point.

“Are you going to tell her I’m the owner?”

She shakes her head. “Not unless she asks, but she’ll find out tomorrow if she does more than just glance at your signature.”

“I’d like to be the one to tell her.”

Abby’s brows come together. “Huh?”

“Let me take her the key and her copy of the contract.”

“Why?”

Standing, I grab my empty glass and reach for hers. “It was the boyfriend who had an issue with me. If he’s gone there’s no reason to hide it. She might be surprised but I don’t think she’ll mind.”

“I don’t know what the deal with her boyfriend is. He might not be out of the picture. It wouldn’t be smart to assume that.”

I change the subject. “When will Spencer get back?”

Her lips tip up. “Tonight. His plane gets in late but I’m going to try and wait up for him.”

She follows me to her kitchen and leans against the countertop. I was going to put our glasses in the dishwasher but that was before I knew she was planning on staying up.

I raise both glasses. “Want company while you wait?”

With a smile, she takes them from me and refills them. “I’d love it.”

Originally, my plan was to swing by, sign the agreement, and go out. I was going to hit a bar or two and see if anyone there could get my mind off of Lucy. Now, not knowing her relationship status, I don’t mind her invading my thoughts as much. I’ll ask her for myself when I see her tomorrow.

“Have you eaten?”

I shake my head and Abby starts rummaging through her fridge.

Ever since we were little, she’s always been like an annoying second mother to me. One who has no problem letting me have it in ways our mother never would.

It used to bother me, especially since she’s not that much older than me. Then I realized she had it much worse being the only girl with four brothers. After that, I decided to cut her some slack.

“Does Spencer have any more conferences this year?”

Since he’s a genius it’s not uncommon for him to be invited to speak on the stuff he’s researching.

“This is it for a while. Thank God. We’ve only been living together for less than three months but I miss him like crazy when he’s gone.”

She piles some leftovers onto a plate and microwaves it.

“I’m happy for you.”

I’ve never missed someone like that. Over the years, I’ve felt hints of wanting more with some of the women I’ve gone out with, but not enough to actually pursue.

“Yep, my needing-to-be-all-independent streak is long gone.”

The microwave dings.

“What does that even mean?”

She passes me the plate, picks up our glasses, and motions for me to follow her. “I don’t mean I can’t do stuff on my own anymore, but if I have the option, I’ll always prefer to be with Spencer.”

“He’s a good guy.”

When we reach the dining room, she turns to face me and tilts her head to the side. “You’ve had quite a dry spell lately with the ladies. How long has it been since you’ve hooked up with someone?”

It would be around the time I met Lucy. “You know I don’t kiss and tell.”

She rolls her eyes. “No, all you do is walk around with an ‘I just got laid’ permagrin.”

Frowning, I move past her and set my plate down. “I do not.”

She laughs and sets my drink down by my plate. “You so do. Want me to call Noah and ask him?”

I sink into my chair. “No, thanks.”

She takes the chair across from mine. “I was being serious before. It’s out of character for you to go this long. Are you coming down with something? Have the local bar bunnies sent out search parties? I’m surprised I haven’t seen your face on missing signs near the bars you frequent.”

“Very funny.”

Her question reminds me of the booty call text I got. Since that night, I’ve gotten at least a half-dozen more propositions. Some from that same number, and some from numbers I recognized. So far, I’ve ignored all of them.

“Gid, if you want to talk about it, I’m here.”

“Christ. It’s not like I have a disease or something. I was getting bored. I’m taking a break from the bar scene. So what?”

She sips her wine while I drink my beer.

When she sets her glass back down on the table, she levels her gaze on me. “There’s nothing wrong with taking a break, or wanting more from another human being than what you used to. All I ask is that you take the time to figure that out before you try and start something with Lucy.”

I push my plate away untouched. “When you say stuff like that it sounds like you think I’m a giant asshole to the women I’ve spent time with.”

She leans forward, shoving my plate back toward me. “Eat your food. I wasn’t trying to say anything bad about you. As far as I know, you’ve always been blunt and honest with whoever you dated about what you wanted. There’s nothing wrong with that, but since our family is friends with Mr. Olson, I think you should consider anything with his granddaughter with caution.”

Stabbing a piece of potato with my fork, I grumble, “Some faith in me would be nice.”

She sits back in her chair, folding her arms across her chest. “I’m your big sister. It’s my job to lecture you. Besides, who would you rather hear this from? Me, or Noah?”

“Why would Noah lecture me?” I ask around my food.

She shakes her head. “Um, Mr. Olson is his neighbor.”

“So?”

“So maybe he doesn’t want a neighborhood feud starting because you screw things up with Lucy.”

I set down my fork. “It’s nice to know you’d assume I’d be the one to screw things up.”

“Gid, don’t go acting all offended. In the past five years, your longest relationship has been a week, tops.”

I start to stand but stop when she motions for me to stay seated. “This whole conversation, while eye-opening, is pointless seeing as how there’s no guarantee she’ll give me the time of day.”

Abby blinks. “What?”

I rub my chin. “I’m not joking. Even if I did ask her out, she might not be interested in me.”

“That’ll be the day.”

I lock eyes with her. “I’m serious.”

Standing, she rests both of her palms on the table and leans toward me. “You’re a great guy. She would be lucky to have you.”

I glance at her wine glass. “How much have you had to drink? First you’re warning me off of her and now you’re cheering me on. I’m getting conversation whiplash here. If she broke up with her boyfriend, and that’s still a big if right now, there’s no saying she’d want to date anyone right now. I’m not going to get my hopes up.”

She presses her hands to her chest and grins at me. “I have never heard you talk about a woman like this. I had no idea you were this into her.”

I cover my face. “Can we please talk about something else now?”

“Ohhhhh! Gideon’s got a crush! I have waited years for this to happen. There’s no way we’re talking about anything else. When did you realize you liked her? Was it love at first sight?”

I drop my hand and stare at her. “Love? Are you crazy?”

The sound of the front door opening pulls our attention toward it as Spencer lets himself in.

Abby pushes back her chair and almost leaps from it before dashing to him. “Hi Honey. I didn’t expect you for another hour. How was the conference?”

He folds her into his arms and whether he notices me or not, gives her one hell of a hello kiss before answering her question. “I got to the airport early and managed to get a different flight. The conference went well. It’s good to be home though.”

“Anything new and exciting in the world of astrophysics? Oh, and Gideon is here.”

Spencer meets my gaze and raises a hand in greeting. “How are you?”

Abby closes the door behind him as he takes off his jacket. “Don’t worry about him, I want to hear about your trip.”

I choke back a laugh. “Thanks sis.”

Spencer gives me a sympathetic look before moving to the other chair across from mine. “You’ve seen one hotel ballroom, you’ve seen them all. Though, there was some interesting news about the discovery of a galaxy with little to no dark matter.”

Abby reclaims her seat, all of her attention on him. “You don’t say. How do they know there’s no dark matter?”

I’m not sure what’s crazier, my sister talking about dark matter, or the fact that I’m used to it.

I stand. “On that note. Since you don’t need anyone to keep you company anymore, I’m going to hit the road.”

Abby stands again and motions for me to wait. “Give me two minutes to photocopy the rental agreement for Lucy.”

I decide against sitting again and stay standing as I wait.

“I see Abby convinced you to rent out your flip house.”

One side of my mouth tips up. “You surprised? She can talk anyone into just about anything. I hope you know you’re doomed.”

He chuckles. “I don’t mind.”

Seeing them together, it’s clear he’s telling the truth.

“Speaking of, did she talk you into a crazy Halloween costume?”

He grins. “She sure did.”

I glance around to see if she’s coming back yet. “Well, what’s the costume.”

His grin widens as he shakes his head. “No way am I ruining her surprise. You want to see it, swing by while we’re passing out candy.”

“Someone say candy?”

Abby rejoins us and gives me a folder.

“I was asking if you’re all set for Halloween?”

She beams. “We so are and stop trying to figure out what our costumes are. You get to wait and see like everyone else.”

I press my hand to my chest. “You wound me.”

She shoves me toward the door. “Don’t be so dramatic. It messes up your street cred.”

Laughing, I glance at Spencer. “I have street cred?”

He shrugs.

“All right, I’ll stop trying to find out what your costumes are.” I lift the file. “Thanks. Want me to call you after I give her the key?”

Abby nods. “Yes, I want to know how it goes.”

“If it goes badly I’m sure you’ll hear from her first.”

She cringes. “I hope she isn’t pissed I didn’t tell her.”

It’s my turn to shrug. “Too late now.”

They follow me out on to their porch. “Bye. Thanks for dinner.”

Abby leans into Spencer as she waves. “You’re welcome anytime.”

With his arm holding her close, they watch as I climb into my truck and pull away. I’m glad Spencer got home early. I’ll need a good night of sleep before I face Lucy tomorrow.

Abby was right, I haven’t known Lucy long but she strikes me as someone who won’t appreciate information being kept from her.

When I drop off her contract, I’ll ask her why she’s the only one who signed it. No matter what she says, if she looks at the contract, she’ll see my name as the landlord. Time will tell how annoyed she’ll be.

I hadn’t planned on spending tonight alone. As I pull into my drive, I’m not surprised how little that change bothers me.

For weeks, I’ve been trying to play off my interest in Lucy. Tonight, it became crystal clear to me how pointless talking myself out of liking her has been. One missing signature was enough to give me hope.

If it turns out there’s some other reason why he didn’t sign the contract I’ll have to deal with it.

I’ll willingly break my one rule for her. Boyfriend or not, I’ll convince her to give me a shot.