Chapter 10
Ten
They had the usually clogged Baltimore-Washington Parkway all to themselves on the way back to Baltimore. The closer they got to the city, the quieter Juliana became.
“How’re you doing over there?”
She shrugged.
“You should probably tell me where you live.”
“Butchers Hill. Collington Street.”
He laughed. “You do not!”
“Why?
“I live on Chester.”
“You’re kidding me! I can’t believe we’ve never seen each other in the neighborhood.”
“I know. How long have you lived there?”
“Four years. It used to be Jeremy’s mother’s house, but she got remarried and moved to Texas. He bought the house from her. What about you?”
“I lucked into an amazing rowhouse about a year ago. I lived in an apartment across the street, and I got to be friends with the guy who owned the rowhouse when he was renovating it. He got transferred unexpectedly and needed to sell it fast, so he gave me a sweet deal on it. He said he wanted it to go to someone who would take good care of it.”
“What a great story.”
“It’s way too big for just me, but when I bought it I thought Paige would live there with me eventually. Oh well.”
“You wouldn’t be interested in…” She stopped herself with a shake of her head.
“What?”
“Nothing. Just a ridiculous thought.”
“Tell me. Come on.”
“I was going to ask if you might be interested in a roommate, but that’s insane.”
“Why?”
“We barely know each other.”
“I meant why do you want to live somewhere else?”
“With everything that’s going on now between me and Jeremy, I can’t stand the thought of spending even one night in the house he pays for. If I went to stay with one of my friends, I’d have to explain why I’d left our place.”
“I’m sure you contribute your share.”
She looked down at her hands. “Here and there. I pay my mother’s mortgage, so I don’t have a lot of extra money. That’s why I shouldn’t have mentioned being roommates. I can’t afford it.”
“Why do you pay your mother’s mortgage?”
“It’s a long story,” she said, hesitating. “Basically it’s either that or she ends up homeless. When my father split, he cleaned out the bank account. We hired an investigator to try to find him, but he’s long gone.”
“For what it’s worth, I’d love to have you as my roommate,” Michael said, sensing she didn’t want to talk about her deadbeat father.
“We already get along better than most of the people I’ve lived with, and I’m hardly ever there anyway.
I’ve got a big place, and I only use a fraction of it.
You’re welcome to it if it would help you out for a while. ”
“You’re sweet, but it’s a crazy idea. Besides, I really can’t afford it.”
“I don’t need the money, but I wouldn’t mind the company.”
She turned to look at him. “You’re serious.”
“Sure I am,” he said, taking the Inner Harbor exit off Interstate 95.
“I’d have to pay you something.”
He shrugged. “Whatever. I don’t care. So is that a yes?”
After a long moment of silence, she suddenly said, “Yes. Yes, I’d love that.”
“What’s wrong now?” he asked when her smile faded.
“It’s kind of… you know… embarrassing.”
“What is?”
“The reason Jeremy and I are taking this break. I’ve decided not to tell anyone about it because then people would know I wasn’t… well… enough for him,” she ended on a whisper.
Michael reached over to squeeze her hand. “He’s a fool.”
“Maybe I’m the one who’s been the fool.”
“I don’t think so. Shall we go home?”
“Now?”
“Why not? You’ve got stuff with you, right? Will anyone be trying to get in touch with you tonight?”
“No, we both have cell phones. We don’t have a phone in the house.”
“Cool. You can get whatever else you need tomorrow then. And after work we can go get your car.”
She laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“I just feel better all of a sudden.”
“Good.”
“Oh, Michael, this place is amazing!” Juliana ran a hand over the exposed brick wall in the living room. Like most rowhouses, it was tall and deep. The living room fed into the dining room, which led to the kitchen. There were gleaming hardwood floors and a fireplace with a mahogany mantle.
“Thanks, but I can’t take any of the credit. The guy who owned it before me did all the work. Check this out.” He opened a door where three stairs led to a small bathroom with dark red walls and the tiniest pedestal sink Juliana had ever seen.
“It’s so cute!” She did a double take. “Is that a phone?”
Michael chuckled. “He put one in every bathroom. You’ll never miss a call in this house.” He led her to the kitchen where cabinets were suspended from the ceiling over slate countertops.
“Oh, wow! What a great kitchen.”
“Isn’t it?” He opened the stainless steel fridge and peered inside. “I have beer, water, and beer.”
“Um, I’ll have a beer.”
“Good choice.”
He opened two of them and handed one to her.
“Don’t feel like you have to entertain me. I’m sure you want to get to bed.”
“I’m kind of keyed up, actually. Let’s go upstairs.”
The stairs were in the living room. On the second floor, he showed her to a guestroom with a bathroom. “The sheets are clean, and there’re towels in the bathroom.”
She dropped her bag on the bed. “Thanks.”
The second bedroom was a combination home office and gym.
“Do you use the Bowflex or does it collect dust like ours does?”
“I haven’t used it much lately,” he confessed. “Come see my view.”
She followed him up another flight of stairs to his bedroom on the top floor. The room took up the entire third floor along with an adjoining bathroom. “This is beautiful.”
“It’s my favorite part of the house.” He walked over to slide open the door to a deck and gestured for her to come out with him.
“You can see the whole city!”
“It gets better.” He pointed to wooden stairs and took her up to the roof deck.
Gazing down at the lights of Fell’s Point and the Inner Harbor, she said, “What a view.”
“Sometimes I still can’t believe I live here. I grew up in a tiny house crammed with people. I feel like I can breathe here.” He stretched out on one of the lounge chairs and invited her to take the other.
She kicked off her shoes and sat down. “Having something like this to show for it must make all your hard work in law school and now with your job worth it.”
“Yes,” he said. “It does.” He took a long drink from his beer. “Do you know what Paige said the first time she saw this place?”
“What?”
“That the basement was smelly and the carpet was ugly, but she could make it work if she had to.”
Juliana snorted. “And you didn’t smack her?”
“She never would’ve seen it the way you did, how having something like this makes all the hard work worth it.
” He picked at the label on his beer bottle.
“She’s never had to work for anything in her life, so she doesn’t appreciate anything.
Sometimes I felt like I was just another thing she had to have. ”
“Seems like you did the right thing calling it off with her.”
“I know I did. All day today I tried not to think about what happened last night, but then it would come back to me with this rush of pain. It’s strange. She made me so mad, yet still it hurts so much. Why do you suppose that is?”
“Because you loved her, and she let you down. You’re probably disappointed more than anything.”
“Probably.” He finished his beer in one long swallow. “She hit me.”
“What? She hit you?”
“After the party when she finally got that I meant it when I said it was over between us.” He brushed a hand over his face. “I can almost still feel it.”
“Someone needs to smack her,” Juliana said with indignation.
“We’re quite a pair, huh?”
She laughed. “We’re a two-person support group for losers in love.”
He rested his head back against the lounge chair and smiled at her. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“I am, too.”
Juliana woke up disoriented the next morning in the strange bedroom with the blue walls and curtains—until the events of the day before came rushing back to her.
What am I doing here? I can’t stay with a guy I met on an airplane!
I must’ve lost my mind while I was in Florida.
She got up to make the bed, straighten the room, and get dressed.
Tossing the last of her belongings into her bag, her hand brushed against the ivory silk nightgown she bought just last week with Jeremy in mind.
An intense ache streaked through her when she imagined him with the faceless Sherrie.
Had he acted yet on his newfound freedom?
Juliana sat on the bed to catch her breath and fought the urge to call him.
Was it too much to want to hear his voice like she had every morning for so long?
“You will not call him.” Determined, she stood up, zipped her bag, and went downstairs.
In the kitchen she looked for some paper to leave a note for Michael and instead found one from him sitting next to a key on the counter.
“Good morning! I made coffee for you. All you have to do is press start on the coffeemaker. There’s cereal in the cabinet over the stove, otherwise it’s slim pickings.
Here’s a key for the front door. Make yourself at home.
Feel free to use the roof deck and anything else you want or need.
I should be home by eight, and we can deal with your car then.
Call my cell phone if you need anything (the number is on the card I gave you). Have a good day! M”
Juliana read it again. He was such a nice guy, and it made her mad all over again to imagine his fiancée hitting him.
He didn’t deserve that. What he did deserve was a friend.
Standing there with his note in her hand, she thought of some things she could do to help him out while he was working crazy hours.
Since she couldn’t pay him much rent, she could do the grocery shopping, cooking, and laundry.
Maybe this would work out well for both of them.
He’d give her a place to hide out for a while, and she would make his life easier during the trial.
She put the key in her pocket and hit “start” on the coffeemaker.