Page 38 of Rising Heat

“Same thing,” I say looking at him from under my brows.

Trick points at me.

“What’s the verdict?”

After enough years, everyone at this table knows I’ll tell them the truth whether they like it or not. I lean back in my chair.

“Coop’s place is clean enough. You’re housebroken enough. You’ll survive.”

Coop points immediately.

“See?”

“That wasn’t a compliment.”

“I know.”

Which somehow makes him happier.

Trick nods once.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. I’m not stopping it.”

Coop’s apartment is clean enough when he’s the only one living there, and close enough to the station that none of us can pretend it’s a bad option. Trick could do worse and we all know it. That doesn’t mean I’m going to pretend it’s a great idea when it’s just the least bad one.

Coop gets up to refill his coffee before dropping back into his chair with the look of a man who hasn’t run out of things to say.

“Speaking of living situations…”

The look on Coop’s face tells me exactly where this is headed.

Here we go.

Unfortunately, Trick notices it too.

“Oh, this should be good.”

“About the third floor,” Coop says, eyebrows halfway up his forehead.

Tyler groans.

“The apartment rented?” Trick asks.

“Three weeks ago,” I say.

“Oh, it’s rented,” Coop says it like he’s about to deliver a TED talk. “Tell him how.”

Tyler already looks tired.

“Tell him what?”

“Tell him how you rented an apartment.”

“I showed her the place.”

“And then?”