“Nice to meet you, sir,” Fallon said, shaking my hand. “Sorry about what I said. She just keeps telling me about this new guy but won’t tell me his name.”
“Kyle, okay?” Amber said, playfully shoving her friend. “His name is Kyle. Can we change the subject now?”
“Fine, yes,” Fallon said, then turned to me. “Amber tells me she’s lucky she found your place.”
“I’m lucky too,” I responded, then quickly added, “I could have ended up with a real dud for a tenant. Instead, I got a good one.”
Amber smiled pleasantly. “Out for a walk?”
“Yup. The weather’s too nice, I couldn’t resist.”
The clock chimed the hour, and Fallon stood up. “It’s time for class, Amber. It was nice to meet you, Sam.”
“Nice to meet you too. See you later, Amber.” I watched them scurry away to class and I continued my walk.
Amber was into a guy? I’d be lying if I said I didn’t care. At the least, I felt protective of my tenant. She didn’t have family, so I supposed I was the closest she had.
But on another level, I was jealous. This hot young thing was crazy about some other guy – probably a senior or a grad student. I imagined her finding this guy Kyle at a wild college party, kissing him, and taking him upstairs into an empty bedroom… it made me want to be that guy. But who was I kidding? I didn’t have a shot with a girl like that, even if I was her age.
—-
Mid-October, I was working in my office, when I heard Amber go to start her car… only it didn’t start. She tried again and again, but it wouldn’t turn over. I walked to the window and watched for a minute, until she gave up and exited the car. She slammed it a door and called the old Honda a ‘stupid fussy bitch’ as she came back inside.
I met her at the top of the stairs, as she stood at the bottom. “Problems?” I asked.
“Um, yeah,” she said, scratching her head humbly. “It won’t start. Can I… could you give me a ride? I’ll be late if I walk.”
Then she gave me a look. It said, ‘please help me, you’ll be my savior.’ It was irresistible, and I found it sexy. With a look like that, she could ask for practically anything and I’d give it to her.
Only I couldn’t this time. “Sorry, I can’t. I have a video call for work in like two minutes.”
Her reaction broke my heart. “Oh. Okay. I’ll walk.” I could see the disappointment on her face.
I couldn’t let her be late. What kind of ‘savior’ would that make me? “I’ll tell you what,” I said. “Take my car. Just be careful.”
Her eyes went wide with surprise. “Really? You… you’d trust me with your car?”
I guess I did, because I answered, “Sure. Let me grab you the keys.”
Amber hopped up the stairs as I got the keys from my bedroom. When I handed them to her, she surprised me by giving me a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks Sam. You’re the best.” Then she hopped back down the stairs. “I promise to be careful. Not a scratch, I swear. And I’ll be back at 3:00.”
She left happily, and carefully, in my two-year-old SUV. But I was still standing frozen, touching my hand to the cheek she’d kissed.
—-
The broken car was a problem. It was warm enough now that Amber could walk to class; it would just take her longer. But it would be uncomfortable when winter rolled in. She’d have to rely on her friends for rides a lot more.
I even had the old Honda towed to a mechanic, who told me exactly what I expected. It was too old, and would cost more to fix than replace.
Amber was bummed out. She had money for school and rent, and buying a new car was not in the budget. She started looking around for jobs, but couldn’t find much that worked around her class schedule.
It was around this time that I realized how much this young, vibrant woman had brightened my life. So a sad Amber ruined my mood too. And I realized I could do something to help her.
“I could lower your rent again,” I suggested one night. “Maybe $300? That might give you enough for a new car.”
Amber shook her head. “I’m already taking advantage of your generosity. And $100 extra per month isn’t going to buy me a decent car.” She flopped onto the couch and stared at the ceiling.
“Okay, $200,” I said without really thinking about it. “I don’t really need the money. I haven’t spent a dollar you’ve given me yet.”
She turned to look at me. “Really?”
I just shrugged. “I’ve got money. I actually enjoy the company more. This house was so empty for a long time.”
Amber sat up and looked me up and down. “What did you do with the rent money, then?”
She’d paid me $900 for two months’ rent at this point. “I invested it,” I told her. “It’s my job, but it’s also my hobby. Your $900 is actually more like $950 now.”
“That must be nice,” she said quietly. “Artie and I never had that kind of money just lying around. He was working so hard to support me.”
“He was your big brother. That was part of his job.”
“Yeah,” she said. “I’m gonna, um, go to bed. We’ll talk more tomorrow.”
“Okay. Goodnight, Amber.”
“Goodnight Sam.”
—-
Amber had Fallon over the next afternoon. I was upstairs in my office, and they were down in the den. I could only hear a little of their conversation, but it was enough to draw me away from my desk and into the upstairs hall to hear more.
“He offered you another break on rent? What are you, sleeping with him?”