No Ordinary Joe

The really sad thing was that two years ago he wouldn’t have hesitated to offer her the space. He would have wanted to help her, because that was the sort of person he’d been. It was a stark reminder of how much things had changed since then. There were times when he would do anything to be that man again, but it was a risk he just couldn’t take. For Lily Ann’s sake he had to keep his head on straight. They had both been hurt enough.

But by helping Reily, wouldn’t he be setting a good example for his daughter? Besides, he could see that Lindy wasn’t going to let up. She would nag him until he caved.

He mumbled a curse and shook his head. “I suppose you expect me to let her stay there for free.”

“Not at all. Besides, I think she’s the type of person who would insist on paying some sort of reasonable rent.”

She was probably right. Desperate as Reily was, she didn’t strike Joe as someone who would accept a handout. Not if what her old boss had said was true. He had told Joe that she was one of the hardest working, most responsible young women he knew.

“Hypothetically speaking, what would you consider reasonable rent?” he asked Lindy, not that he’d make his mind up about anything just yet. “The last tenant paid eighty a week, but that was a long time ago.”

“Maybe… sixty dollars a week.”

His brows rose.

“It’s not like you’re hurting for money, and it sounds as if she could really use a break.”

She was right about the money. Renting the space had been convenient during the bar renovations when his income was nonexistent, but now business was booming. Sixty a week would more than cover the utilities.

He nearly groaned out loud. He couldn’t believe he was actually considering this. But he had the means to help Reily, so wasn’t it his obligation as a decent human being?

His father would have thought so. Hell, he probably would have insisted he give it to her free of charge. He would have insisted.

Reily hopped down from the bar stool and, ponytail swishing, crossed the room to where he and Lindy sat. “Finished,” she said, handing him the forms.

Lindy grabbed her coffee and slid out of the booth. “Well, I’m sure you have things to discuss,” she said, shooting Joe a meaningful look. Then she told Reily, “When you’re finished we’ll start your training.”

Reily sat in the seat Lindy vacated and waited while Joe looked over her application. She’d listed a high school diploma as her highest level of education, which was about what he’d expected considering her circumstances. Had it not been for the small trust his maternal grandparents had left for him, he wouldn’t have been able to afford college either. The money hadn’t done much to anesthetize the sting of his mother’s abandonment, but it probably went a long way toward easing their guilty consciences.

“Everything seems to be in order,” he said, setting the papers beside his computer.

“So, I’m curious as to what Abe told you about me,” she said, watching him with wary blue eyes.

“I get the impression that there wasn’t much he didn’t tell me.”

She sighed. “That’s sort of what I figured. He’s something of a gossip.”

“If it’s any consolation, he seems to really care about you.”

“I know he does. He and his wife have been like surrogate parents since my mom and dad died.”

“Why don’t you ask them for help?” he said, realizing immediately that it was none of his damned business. He didn’t need or want to know any more about her life than was necessary.

“I have to do this on my own,” she said. She hesitated a second, then asked, “You didn’t happen to mention why I needed a job, did you?”

“I pretty much just listened. And when he commented on the weather down here in Nashville, I didn’t correct him.”

Her relief was clear on her face. “I appreciate that. I’d just as soon let everyone believe I made it to Tennessee.”

“The way he talked, he seemed to think you would be back in Montana soon.”

“Yeah, that’s the general consensus in my hometown. They all think I’m going to come crawling back a failure.” She jutted out her chin and flashed a look that was 110 percent stubborn. “I intend to prove them all wrong.”

Abe had never mentioned why she was bound for Nashville, but Joe assumed it had something to do with the music business. In which case the odds weren’t exactly in her favor.

“Lindy mentioned that you’re staying at the Sunrise,” he said.

“There don’t seem to be many other options.”

Only one, though he still wasn’t convinced it was a good idea. “I’ve got a small apartment above my garage. It’s not much, but it’s furnished and it has a small kitchen. And it’s only a few blocks from here. You can use it if you want to.”

“How much?”

“Sixty a week.”

“That’s pretty cheap,” she said. Instead of looking grateful for the offer, she frowned and chewed her lower lip.

So much for trying to help out a stranger in need, he thought, feeling slighted. Which was ridiculous since he hadn’t even wanted her there in the first place. “I could charge more.”

She eyed him with suspicion. “I’m just wondering, what’s the catch?”

“There’s no catch. Lindy thought you might want to stay there.”

She brightened a little. “Oh, it was Lindy’s idea?”

Did she think he was incapable of doing something nice? And why did he even care what she thought? “What difference does it make whose idea it was?” he snapped, sounding harsher than he’d intended. “Do you want it or not?”

His tone didn’t seem to faze her. She leaned forward in her seat and met his gaze squarely. “Put yourself in my position, Joe. You’re a single girl in a strange city with twenty bucks to your name, and some man you’ve known all of about twenty minutes offers to put you up for practically nothing in his swanky garage apartment. Can you honestly say you wouldn’t be just a little wary?”

When she said it like that, it did sound a little suspicious. And though the apartment was far from swanky, he could see her point. She was a young, attractive woman stuck in an unfamiliar place, dependent on the charity of a bunch of strangers to survive. That had to be scary as hell, even though her demeanor would suggest the opposite.

It made him think of Beth, and how many nights he lay awake, wondering if she was okay, if she’d found a decent place to live, friends she could trust. He could only hope that she had been as cautious then as Reily was now.

She had every right to question his motives. Not just the right, but the obligation. And for her trouble, he was acting like a coldhearted jerk.

Was he really so jaded? So insensitive?

Maybe Lindy was right. Maybe his attitude was a defense mechanism, because he would have to be blind not to notice how attractive she was. It wasn’t her fault that he had lousy luck with women.

“I see your point,” he told her.

“That’s why I felt better knowing it was Lindy’s idea. I didn’t mean it as an insult or a slight. I really do appreciate the offer.”

“I guess I hadn’t considered the full implications of your situation. I don’t blame you for being cautious. For what it’s worth, there’s a chain lock on the apartment door and my aunt Sue lives in the house right next door. I can give her the spare key to hold on to if it makes you feel more comfortable. And anyone in town will vouch for my character. But if you don’t want to stay there, I won’t hold it against you.”

“Could I have the day to think about it?”

“Of course.” Maybe there was a little bit of the old Joe still left in there somewhere, because he found himself actually wanting to help her, the way he hoped someone would have done for Beth. “Take all the time you need.”