He figured he’d shower and go over to Maddox’s house. Seeing Maddox, Jada and Maya should distract him from the funk he’d fallen into when Harper saw that she’d accidentally called her ex-husband. Jada would probably invite him to stay for dinner. Her best friend, Tiffany Martinez, might also be there. While he didn’t have any romantic interest in Tiffany, who was also single, he liked her a lot. And she seemed satisfied with being his friend, so he could feel comfortable around her. She was one of the first to be kind to him when he was released from prison, and he’d always have a soft spot in his heart for her.

He had his head down as he approached the back of his house, almost didn’t see Carl standing in the shadows. When he did, he came to an abrupt stop. He hadn’t bothered to lock his house when he left. He hardly ever locked his house. But his mountain bike was worth quite a bit—almost as much as his truck—so he should be more vigilant in the future, especially now that Carl was around. Tobias had the sneaking suspicion Carl had been snooping through his stuff. He’d noticed that Uriah’s truck was gone when he drove in, so there was no one keeping an eye on Carl. And there was something about Carl’s body language that made Tobias leery.

“What are you doing back here?” Tobias asked.

A dark glower descended on Carl’s face. “What do you mean? I own the place. I can go anywhere I want.”

But there was no reason for him to be loitering in the little area Tobias considered his yard. There was nothing of particular interest here and nothing that could be done for the trees in the orchard or the pixie tangerines that grew on them. “Your father owns the property, not you,” Tobias said. “And you can’t go anywhere you want. I’d better not ever find you inside my house.”

Carl puffed out his chest. “Who the hell do you think you are? You can’t tell me what I can and can’t do. You’re just the renter. From what my dad told me, you’re not even on a lease. That means he could kick you out at any time, as long as he gives you thirty days’ notice.”

Tobias clenched his jaw. “And your point is?”

“My point is you’d better find someplace else to live, because my dad built this house for me, and I plan on moving back in.”

Although Carl tried to stalk past Tobias, Tobias stepped in front of him and lowered his voice. “You need to watch yourself while you’re here.”

Carl’s eyes narrowed. “Or…”