Seth's Chance [Brac Pack 27] Read Online Free PDF Page A

do too badly. Oscar kept up most of the day, but tired out toward the end. Thomas, the counselor who ran the rec center, had given Seth and Oscar a ride home in his small Honda.
    With his sleeping nephew cradled in his arms, Seth reached into his pocket for his keys. He should have taken them out in the car. That would have been the wiser thing to do. Now he stood at his apartment door, bundle in his arms, and trying desperately to dig his keys out.
    “Do you need help?” Tyler asked as he walked out of his apartment and closed the door behind him, smiling at Seth. “I could hold your son for you.”
    Seth blinked a few times as he looked at his neighbor and then shook his head. He didn’t even know Tyler that well. Why would he entrust Oscar to a stranger, even if it was to open the door. He shoved his right hand down deep into his pocket harder, trying desperately to keep a hand on his nephew as he fished for his keys.
    His fingers curled around them, pulling the set of keys free as he turned to face the door. “I have it, but thank you anyway.” Seth slid the key into the tumbler, glancing over his shoulder to see a strange look pass over Tyler’s face, and then it was gone, that quickly. He didn’t think Tyler wanted him to see that look, but Seth had. He just wasn’t sure what it was.
    Tyler grinned. “Have a good night.”
“You do the same.” Seth pushed the apartment door open, closing it quickly behind him and resting his back against the wood. He let out a deep breath. What was it about Tyler that sent all of his warning bells into frenzy? Seth jumped when someone knocked on his door.
    He backed away, hurrying to Oscar’s room and tucking his nephew in. He closed the bedroom door, keeping the door between Oscar and whoever was knocking. It was late evening, and Seth didn’t get a whole lot of company. Who could it be?
    The knock came again, making Seth jump once more. Damn, he was nervous. It was just a knock. It wasn’t like there was going to be a psycho killer on the other side. This wasn’t the city. Brac Village was a place to raise a family, with nice, friendly townsfolk who would help their neighbors out in a pinch. It was a place where people could walk down the streets safely and not worry about being mugged or worse. So why in the hell was he so worked up?
    Crossing the room, Seth took a deep breath and then looked through the peephole. He prayed to god it wasn’t Tyler. The man hadn’t honestly done anything wrong for Seth to feel that way, but Seth felt his skin crawl every time the man was around.
    Leaning forward, Seth peered through the hole. He sighed when he saw Mr. Nimble standing there in the hallway. The man lived upstairs, directly above Seth. The guy was always polite, always smiling. Seth liked the man. He opened the door, receiving one of Mr. Nimble’s ever-ready smiles. “Hello, Seth.”
    “Hi, Mr. Nimble,” he said as he stood in the doorway. “How can I help you?”
Mr. Nimble brushed back his shoulder-length brown hair, revealing a very handsome face. His blue-grey eyes dazzled as he smiled at Seth. It had to be a trick of the lights. No one’s eyes dazzled . Not that Seth had ever seen before.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, but my bathroom sink overflowed. I was wondering if I could check your bathroom to make sure there isn’t any water damage.”
As a rule, Seth didn’t let any strangers into his home. Call him paranoid, but it kept him from being robbed. He was about to tell Mr. Nimble that he would check and let him know when he saw the door across the hall from him swing open, Tyler stepping out into the hallway.
“Sure, come in.” Seth wanted his door closed quickly. He just didn’t trust Tyler. It was either tell Mr. Nimble he would check and get back with him, slamming the door in the man’s face—which would be rude—or hurry his upstairs neighbor inside and slam his door in Tyler’s face. He chose the latter.
“Is something wrong?” Mr. Nimble