I had the sense not long after he moved in that he was angling to replace the Ex… dropping “not-quite-hints”… asking questions like “did he ever cook dinner for you(as he was cooking dinner) or did he ever take me dancing, and saying he needed to find a woman who “appreciated his attributes”

• and I of course told myself things like I was “overreacting,” and why would i think he would be interested, and so what if he had a crush on me, was that so bad?

he does the icky look-up thing. and, yes, the REALLY OFFENSIVE THING about the look-up is that sense that you’re not entitled to be offended, because he’s “just looking”

• and it makes us uncomfortable because it’s meant to make us uncomfortable

he was doing work for our friend, who he wasn’t supposed to be charging, and then extorted money from her by leaving a big hole in her roof, and expected her not to tell us…. after she rebuffed his attempt to lean in for “a little kiss between friends”