Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
MARIAM
“ B rian hooked you up with this place?” Gemma blinked at the sleek, modern building we found ourselves parked outside of.
I nodded, but I was too awed by the sight we were staring at to say anything right then. For the next couple months, this fancy building would be my home, and I was finding it really difficult to believe that.
Tucked into the side of a mountain, it wasn’t the largest apartment block I’d ever seen. It had only four stories, but it was gorgeous. Glass fronted and with neat, tidy lines. It was surrounded by bright yellow Aspen trees that crawled up the gently sloping landscape around it, and its design was contemporary but somehow still warm—probably because of the greenery creeping along the walls.
The plants might’ve been fake. I didn’t know, but they sure didn’t look it.
“Wow. It really sucks to be an only child sometimes.” She pulled her coat tighter around her, looking up and down the street I would be living on once she’d torn her gaze away from the building. “If I want a place like this, I’d have to find it myself.”
Restaurants, cafes, a few stores, and some more apartment buildings were scattered along the sidewalk, the street clean and a little wet, as if they’d gotten rain last night. Then again, the sky above was light gray, blue only visible every once in a while when there was a brief break in the clouds.
I had a feeling it was going to rain again later, though what did I know? I’d literally only been here for a minute.
“I was basically an only child growing up,” I said, glancing at her. “You know that. It was nice of him to set me up here, though.”
More than nice, considering how expensive this building looked and how much pricier it would’ve been during the peak winter season. Brian had assured me that he had me covered from the moment I’d agreed to come here to help him out, though. Technically, he was doing me a favor by giving me a job in the first place. I’d wanted to come visit anyway, but he’d acted like he was indebted to me for agreeing to come.
Fourteen years older than I was, he and I didn’t share many childhood memories. Heck, he hadn’t even been a kid anymore when I was born.
We shared a father, but Brian had been much more of a fatherly figure to me as a child than Dad had been. Thanks to our parents being very much hands-off, always busy with work or traveling, Brian had cooked most of my meals. He’d taken me to kindergarten and reminded me to brush my teeth before bed. He’d been the one who’d read me bedtime stories and tucked me in.
Although I had only been four years old at the time, I remembered how devastated I had been when he’d gone off to college. For the next few years, the highlight of my year, every year was when he’d come home during school breaks.
Convinced he’d come back to Austin after graduation, I’d counted sleeps that final year before he received his degree in business, so excited that my brother would finally be back by my side. One day, shortly before my ninth birthday though, Mom and I had been in the kitchen and I’d asked her when he was getting in. I hadn’t even considered for a second that he wouldn’t be there for my party. He’d never missed my birthday.
Mom had frowned at me so deeply that day, seemingly genuinely shocked that I hadn’t already known. With her next sentence, she’d broken my heart for the very first time. “He didn’t tell you? Oh, honey. I’m so sorry. Brian accepted a job offer in Nevada. He’s going out there on your birthday weekend to take a tour of the company and sign all the paperwork. I really thought you knew.”
I hadn’t known, and for a long time after that, I’d hated him for it, not only skipping my party, but also for taking a job so far away. It was only as I’d gotten older that I’d started to understand why he’d done it.
First, the offer had been amazing. When I’d been facing my own college graduation, he’d talked to me about his first job hunt and I’d learned that the company in Nevada had beat all the other offers he’d received by almost a full fifty percent.
No soon-to-be graduate would turn that down, nor should they.
Moreover, it had also occurred to me that from ages fourteen through eighteen, Brian had been thrust into the role of single parent far too often. Obviously, he’d wanted to get away from all that, and instead of going back, he’d chosen to go someplace where he couldn’t be asked to babysit—for a quick week or two.
With my newfound understanding had come forgiveness, and though he and I didn’t see each other or even talk very often, he had set me up with this opportunity—and gotten me an amazing condo to stay in.
My fingers tightened around the handle of my suitcase and I grinned at Gemma. “Should we go check it out?”
“I’m definitely not about to make you ask twice.” She grabbed my duffel and her own small overnight bag and practically sprinted for the front doors.
I laughed, only restraining myself when I saw the doorman look at us funny. He stepped out of Gemma’s way and held the door open. Shedding the shadows of the past, I rushed after her, absolutely loving this place so far. It already felt like the holidays here, with decorations up in the streets and lights twinkling in all the windows.
I adored the huge mountains in the background and the snow starting to arrive. It was so different to everything and anything I was used to, and staying in this building was just the cherry on top.
“Hi.” I stopped in front of the doorman and offered him my hand as well as an excited smile. “I’m Mariam Walker. My brother said he left keys for me?”
The man’s expression softened. “Ms. Walker. Of course. Right this way.”
He took my bags off my hands and carried them to the elevator doors before he popped over to a counter, produced a set of shiny keys, and gently pressed them into my palm. “You’re on the top floor. Number 4B.”
“Thank you!” I chirped, climbing into the elevator Gemma had already called and feeling a surge of joy shoot through me.
For the next two months, this was home. Unbelievable .
All my doubts, worries, and trepidation melted away, replaced in their entirety by gratitude and excitement for my new adventure.
Gemma smiled knowingly. “Shut up. I’m so jealous right now.”
I laughed. “I didn’t say anything.”
“Yeah, but you’re thinking so loud, the words are splashed all over your face,” she joked, eyes widening when the doors slid open to reveal a wide, tiled corridor.
There was a large window on the far side overlooking the cheery street below, and from what I could see, only four doors leading into apartments. Gemma glanced at me. “I think you may have a quarter of this entire floor all to yourself.”
I scoffed. “That can’t be right.”
Though I couldn’t argue with the logic.
We stumbled out of the elevator, too excited to worry about a little thing like tripping over our own feet, and easily tracked down the correct door. She let me walk in first and my jaw dropped when I got a load of the place.
The ceilings were higher than I’d expected. All the exterior walls were made entirely of glass. That part didn’t surprise me, though, considering that I’d seen that from outside, but the sweeping views it offered of the town were incredible.
As if the designers had done the inside without wanting to detract from the beauty of the world outside, the furniture was minimalist but beautiful. White, glass, and raw wood, with an open-concept kitchen on one side of the main area and an elegant living and dining area on the other.
Gaping as I left my things in the foyer to take a look around, I wandered from where I was to the door that had to belong to my bedroom since it was the only other one in here. Pushing it open, I strode in to find the most exquisitely appointed bedroom I’d ever been in.
A huge, four-poster bed with soft white curtains tied to the posts sat in the center of the space, placed to provide a view of the snow-capped mountains outside. My adjoining bathroom was all metal and stone, with a tub big enough for four and a picture window beside it, a full-sized shower, and a his-and-hers vanity.
Gemma let out a disbelieving grunt as she took it all in. “You’re officially the luckiest girl I’ve ever met.”
“Says the girl who made out with Noah Parks,” I retorted on instinct, but honestly, right then, I would take this place over any popstar in the world any day—and twice on Sundays.
“Are you sure you only want to stay here until January?” Her voice was hushed with awe. “If I was you, I would get in that tub and never leave.”
I chuckled, but I found myself nodding in agreement. “Screw all the other places I wanted to see, right?”
“Precisely.”
I winked at her. “We’ll see.”
She scoffed down laughter and retreated from the bathroom. I followed reluctantly, though I also hadn’t had nearly enough of the rest of the condo either.
I didn’t know yet exactly where I would be headed after Sun Valley, but I had a list of all the places I wanted to hit on my travel adventure and a reason I wanted to see each one, but I’d decided that I would only finalize my next stop when the time came.
Although I was a type-A, rule-follower kind of girl, I’d always loved the idea of traveling. All I knew for sure was that my next lodging definitely wouldn’t be this nice. I sighed happily as Gemma and I walked back into the living area, and I went over to the little fireplace in the corner, lighting it before I glanced at her. “Should we put on some music while we unpack?”
“Is that even a question?” she shot back.
I laughed. “No, I suppose not.”
Gemma loved music. Wherever she was, there it was too. I loved music as much as the next person, but I also enjoyed silence. Gem? Not so much.
After I’d tracked down the built-in sound system, I connected my phone and scrolled to one of the playlists she’d sent me, and for the rest of the afternoon, she helped me get settled in while we rocked out.
She would be on a red-eye flight back to Austin that night, and as we worked together without even having to talk about who was going to do what, I knew I would miss her when she was gone. We’d attended elementary, middle, and high school together, gone to the same college, and then started our business almost immediately after.
I couldn’t remember a time in my life when Gemma hadn’t been there, right by my side. It was odd to think that in just a few hours, she would be going so far away. Breathing through the discomfort of that knowledge, I went back to it. By the time the sun was setting outside, we were finished.
“We should go into town before I grab an Uber to the airport,” she said. “I’d love to take at least a quick look around and we can grab a bite to eat while we’re there. It’ll save you from having to get to a grocery store tonight.”
“Are you sure you’re up for that? I mean?—”
“Don’t make me talk you into it.” She waggled her eyebrows. “You already know you’re going to say yes, and besides, aren’t you dying to get out there? This is the cutest town ever.”
Darting forward, she grabbed my arm and dragged me to the door without waiting for a response. I giggled as I grabbed my handbag on the way out. She was right. I was looking forward to exploring.
Icy air met us when we emerged into the twilight outside, and I breathed it in, getting a kick out of the way it felt as it filled my lungs. Gemma tucked her arm into mine, both of our heads on swivels as we started down the street.
After just wandering around for a bit, we popped into a local restaurant and ate some delicious food quickly, too eager to see more of the town to sit for long after we finished. It was completely dark out now, but the yellowish splashes of light from the streetlights combined with all the festive lighting meant the street was well lit and cheerful.
Gemma spotted an adorable little pub and convinced me to have a celebratory drink. She would have to leave right after and I dreaded the arrival of that moment. Once she was gone, I would be on my own and my adventure would begin.
The future was scary but exciting, and I couldn’t wait to see what it held in store for me.