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He wasn’t about to tell Kyla where the damage deposit and final month’s rent had come from. He was there alone in the rental office, in a town she didn’t even know she was coming to, and he hoped it wouldn’t even cross her mind. He would just get her out of there tomorrow morning and they could get back here to Washburn and put it all behind them.

He put his name on the lease, passed their new landlord the envelope and watched Mr. Reyes big fat fingers push across a pair of shiny keys.

“Take those, Terry, can I call you Terry?” Terence nodded uncomfortably as what he’d just committed to settled in, “Let’s go get this inspection done and you’ll be all set.”

Mr. Reyes pushed out from behind his desk. Terence snagged the keys with the tip of his forefinger as he let the enormous man pass, then he followed in the man’s cloyingly cologned wake.

“Building three, second floor, 3213. That’s you.”

Terence had nothing to say. He didn’t want to say anything, actually, but his silence felt immature somehow, so he squeaked out, “Cool,” then wished that Kyla was here with him after all. She always knew what to say at times like these.