Hue stared at him, gray eyes intent. “They’re a sneaky bunch. They’ll swear they only have one cat, maybe two—perfect angels, both of them—but before you know it, the house will be full of those mangey things scratching and pissing on everything.”
Hue shook his head ruefully. “I’ve got a crazy cat lady situation myself,” he admitted. “She swears she’s only got three furballs, but I know there’re more. She’s crafty, though.” Hue glanced from side to side as if said woman might be hiding behind one of the tables waiting to launch a feral cat at his head.
“I haven’t been able to catch her yet, but it’s only a matter of time.” Hue’s eyes took on a maniacal gleam.
Sully had the feeling he’d stumbled into some dangerous battlefield where he didn’t belong. He changed the subject.
“I didn’t picture you as a wine guy.”
Hue raised an auburn eyebrow at him. “And why the hell not? Don’t I look sophisticated to you?” The man’s well-worn plaid shirt boasted overlapping paint smears.
“Sorry, you’re right,” Sully said, suddenly worried he’d hurt the other man’s feelings. “I shouldn’t have assumed.”
Hue cracked a smile. “I’m kidding, I hate the stuff. I just know the guy who owns this place.”
As if on cue, a voice called out, “I didn’t know you had another friend, Hue. Should I be jealous?” A tall man with shaggy brown hair walked up to the table and laid a tasting menu in front of Sully. At Hue’s elbow, he placed a Budweiser. Sully eyed the beer quizzically.
The stranger rolled his eyes. “I always have to keep a few bottles of Bud on hand for this philistine.”
“Damn right you do,” Hue said proudly.
“I’m Theo.” The man jutted a hand at Sully. He seemed to be about the same age as Sully and Hue and possessed an open face and brown eyes that crinkled at the edges with his genuine smile.
“Sully.” He clasped Theo’s hand in a sturdy shake.
“And what did you do to deserve this guy’s company?” Theo jabbed a thumb at Hue.
Sully laughed. “Hue’s showing me the ropes of owning and managing investment properties.”
“I’ve taken Sully under my wing and I’m teaching this little fledging to fly,” Hue boasted.
“Well, then I suppose my deepest sympathies are in order,” Theo responded.
“Sympathies?” Hue growled. “Sully couldn’t ask for a better mentor, right?”
“He’s actually been really helpful,” Sully admitted.
“Mmmm.” Theo didn’t look convinced. “Well, I supposed Hue really isn’t a bad guy. Just don’t believe a word he says about women.”
Sully grinned. “I figured that out already.” Less than a minute in Theo’s company, and he already liked the man’s friendly nature.
“And what brings you to our humble Yucca Hills?” Theo asked.
“I, uh, was ready to make some changes to my life,” Sully said carefully. “And Hue mentioned the cost of living in Yucca Hills was really good and that real estate was appreciating quickly.”
“Don’t be so modest,” Hue boomed. He jabbed a thumb at Sully. “This guy just retired.”
Theo’s eyebrows jumped up his forehead. “What? You can’t be a day over 30.”
Sully shot Hue a look. He still felt uncomfortable using the wordretiredto describe himself.Financially independent was more accurate.“I’m 29, actually,” he admitted.
“How in the hell did you manage that?” Theo pressed.
“Easy,” Hue replied. “He became a fancy engineer.”
“Nothing fancy about managing a team of bickering engineers and tweaking code for a medical device company every day for nine years,” Sully explained, “but it paid well.” He shrugged modestly. “I kept my expenses low and saved as much as I could. The stock market has been good to me. As soon as I left my job in San Diego, I moved here where expenses are a lot lower. Now I’m using my savings to buy and fix up a few old houses. The goal is for the rental income to cover my expenses.”
“Wow, good for you, man,” Theo said.
