Page 4 of Nicks and Cuts

Shannon nodded. “By short term, do you mean weeks or months?”

Dante considered him for several seconds. “Weeks is unreasonable, as it can take time to find a suitable rental. Three months is reasonable. After that you’ll be sick of me, and I’ll be sick of you.”

Shannon smiled, unable to help himself. “I doubt that.”

“If you’re working nights, you’re going to need earplugs because I will be out there working, and on Saturdays and Sundays, I have classes.”

“Classes?”

“People want to learn how to make knives or chopping boards. I have a mix of options.”

Right, the knife making. Was that going to involve power tools? Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea. His gaze he drifted around the lovely room, the golden afternoon light streaming through the window and the trees just beyond, and the ensuite with the bathtub. “I can get earplugs. It’s a rotating roster.”

“As long as you keep everything tidy and don’t leave a trail of destruction in the kitchen, I don’t really care.”

“I am completely house trained.” Unlike his ex. “I have a trailer…can I park it somewhere or is that going to be a problem?”

“You can park it next to the workshop, so it’s not taking up a spot in the parking lot.”

“I can park in the parking lot?”

“Yeah.” Dante’s gaze flicked over him again.

Which gave his body the entirely wrong idea about why he was there. No hooking up with the landlord.

No hooking up.

That was the promise he’d made himself. New town. New habits.

Same old Shannon. He couldn’t outrun himself.

“So I can rent the room?” Did he sound too desperate? Sure, he could call up real estate agents and start looking at places to rent, but that meant signing a twelve-month lease, and while that had been his original plan, as that gave him a reason to stay, right now his feet were a tiny bit cold. He’d thrown himself out of LA in a fit of spite and fury, and now he wasn’t sure about his footing. However, he was not going to crawl back and let his parents and siblings gloat about him not being able to make it in a small town because he liked to be needed.

If he went back, nothing would change. His brother would be asking for a loan, he’d fall into old social habits, and then, before he knew it, he’d be two years into another dysfunctional relationship where he was taping it up and stitching it together. He liked to be needed, sure, who didn’t?

And he liked to be useful, but he also wanted someone to hold him, to want him and not because he was financially stable-ish and had his life kind of together-ish.

He had to dig in and prove they were wrong and that he deserved more.

Didn’t he?

Dante was thinking about this for far too long. It was too weird for him, or was it too tempting?

It would be very hard to say no if the opportunity came up…

But he would because he wasn’t going to start making the same mistakes in a new location. Was it a mistake?

Dante wasn’t another struggling artist; he had a house and a business.

Shannon cracked first. “Look, I get it. It was a one-time thing, and you never expected to see me again. If you let me rent the room, I’ll make sure to stay out of your way.”

Dante winced and crossed his arms, which only accentuated his biceps and chest, making it very hard to look away. “It’s not that.”

Shannon lifted his eyebrows, sure that it was exactly that. Dante didn’t want anyone to learn his secrets.

CHAPTER

THREE