My Brother's Forbidden Touch::Ch-11

"I didn't know, Rae. You did make me promise to take you to Europe as payment for moving in together."

"Collateral damage, Dan."

"That's fair. As far as the bank goes, well, the condo belongs to one of the partners at my new job. He's been renting it out for years, but was thinking of selling it, so he offered it to me with owner financing. Three thousand down and three thousand a month, rent to own. At the end of two years I need to get financing and buy it. All the rent I pay over those two years goes toward the purchase as a down payment."

I could see out of the corner of my eye that Raven stopped reading and started typing.

She didn't type very long, then she put her machine on the seat next to her and turned her body toward me.

"That's perfect. When we buy it, it won't be a hassle to add me to the deed or loan."

It took all the concentration I could muster to keep my eyes on the road instead of my sister's bare legs, just across the console from me.

My phone alerted for a new text message, so I glanced down at it on the console between me and Raven.

The new text on my lockscreen said "Zelle: Raven Tipton sent you $3,000.00."

"Raven, what's that?"

"Three thousand a month is more than I would have thought, but since it's really like putting it in the bank I'm not going to complain too much about it. That was my half of the deposit and one month's rent."

"You know, to buy a house, the buyers need good credit scores. Right?"

I didn't know much about credit and getting loans, but had done a little research on home buying, so I knew that.

"Yeah. What's yours?"

"Seven hundred three."

I probably sounded a little proud of that.

"You're going to work on it in the next two years though, right, Dan?"

I know I scowled at that comment, but since she couldn't see me, I didn't think it was a big deal.

"I am. I have a plan."

I really thought that score was decent for a twenty-four year old guy about to start his first professional job.

"I can help," my sister offered, to my surprise.

"What's yours, dear sister."

I'm pretty sure my scowl was showing then, even without her seeing it.

"Last I checked, eight-ten to eight-twenty, depending on what credit bureau you look at."

"When was the last time you checked?" I asked incredulously.

"This morning. I check almost every day, to make sure nothing fishy is going on."

I hadn't checked mine since before I signed the lease on the condo, and I only checked then to see what my chances of finding a good rental were, and they weren't all that great with that credit score. In fact, that credit score would normally only get me a livable rental, not a nice one.

I didn't even know there was more than one credit bureau.

"Well, it's supposed to raise my score when I start paying rent and utility bills every month on time," I tried to defend my pathetic score compared to Raven's and prove I have a plan.

"You should probably get your own phone account instead of using Mom and Dad's. Or I could add a line for you on mine, but I have a really important question now," she sighed and rested the back of her head against the headrest.

The one about my credit score was stressful enough for me. I almost dreaded what a really important question would do for me, and the fact my sister has her own phone account kind of surprised me.

"Are we there yet?" she sighed, then giggled.

"You're in luck! I've been circling the block for an hour waiting for you to notice."

"Liar," she giggled at me.

"I, um, I think Boston needs a potty break."

Boston raised his head and thumped his tail on the seat at the mention of his name.

I didn't think Boston really needed a potty break; Raven probably needed one.

"Rest area coming up in..."

"Two miles," Raven interrupted me.

"Three," I corrected her.

"Slow poke," she insulted me with a laugh.

The fact that Boston's leash was on him and Raven had her coat and hat on at least a mile before the exit confirmed that it was, in fact, Raven wanting out of the car. Not that Boston didn't want out, because he always wanted out of a moving car.

I got out of the car and stretched. It wasn't warm outside, but for early December in Ohio, it wasn't bad at all. When I turned around, Raven and Boston were already making a beeline for the pet walking area, but as I watched Raven's cute little butt, I saw Boston slow then stop completely.