Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
LEAH
I t’s ten before I drag myself out of bed. I switch on my phone and make the mistake of listening to Vince’s voicemails.
Leah, stop being so childish, answer your goddamn phone.
Leah, answer your phone, now.
Leah, I never realised you were this petty. I hope you’re happy that you got me banned from Tristan’s. Your bitch friends ? —
The voicemail cuts off before he can finish.
Leah, fine if you want to be like this... two weeks. Then I want you out of the apartment.
The voicemail cuts off again, my heart sinking this time. I shouldn’t have turned my phone off. I’ve clearly poked the bear.
Leah... bloody hell, answer your fucking phone. I’m taking legal advice. Yasmin and I will move in in two weeks, so you need to leave.
The phone clicks this time, indicating he’s finished the call. I run a hand over my face and rub the centre of my chest. He mentioned them moving in last night, that he decided against selling. But two weeks... I’ll never find somewhere in time. Not anywhere I want to live. I’ve already received a message about three of the apartments I am scheduled to view. They’re no longer available, having already been snapped up. I called the estate agent, only to be told, decent apartments are few and far between. “Anything decent goes on the day,” she says. “There’s no dallying, especially if you’re on a tight budget.”
Kind of her to tell me after the event. Especially as I am on a tight budget. Gabriel pays me well, but it still won’t stretch very far with bills and taxes. Not on my own.
I sink onto the sofa and drop my head in my hands.
“No,” I say out loud. “Get your act together, Leah. No more moping.”
I straighten my back, pulling my hair into a topknot. Time to speak to the girls and get to these viewings—the ones left, anyway.
I pull up our group chat and dial. It takes seconds for Stella and Nat to connect.
“Hey, beautiful lady, how are you doing this morning?” Stella asks.
“I’m okay,” I say, realising I mean it, even after Vincent’s latest bombshell.
“Really?” Nat sounds incredulous.
“Honestly, Nat. I’m more embarrassed than anything.”
“Why? What have you got to be embarrassed about?” Stella asks.
“I got back to the office, and Gabriel turned up... I wasn’t a pretty picture.” I sigh, thinking back to the black eyeliner and mascara streaks that made me look like a reject from an eighties heavy metal band. “Think disastrous makeup job, and you might be somewhere close.”
“Oh.” Stella coughs, well, it sounds more like she’s choking .
“I take it something happened after I left,” I fish. “Vince left me a few angry voice messages.”
“Er…” It surprises me when Nat speaks up. “That was my fault. I heard what Yasmin said, and I kind of got into it with her.”
My mouth drops open. Sweet little Nat got into it . My pacifist friend, who has never argued about anything with anyone.
“She smirked and I saw red,” Nat continues.
I stare at the phone in my hand, not quite sure what to say. My friends are loyal to a fault. “Thank you, Nat, both of you. I’m not sure what I’d do if you weren’t in my life.”
“Vince is a lowlife. I can’t believe he’s knocked her up. Not after all his excuses,” Stella says.
A pain lances through my chest. “I know, but it is what it is.”
I tell them about Vince’s voicemails and my two-week notice period.
“Can he do that?” Nat asks.
“It’s his apartment. He can do what he wants,” I say, knowing I need to be practical. Fighting him won’t make a difference. It will only prolong the inevitable and cause me more distress in the long run.
“You know I’d have you stay here, but with my new flatmate, I’ll be opening a can of worms,” Stella says.
A new tenant moved into her spare room. She’s been pushing the boundaries of their tenancy agreement, with Stella finding different men in the kitchen every morning. She’s told her it must stop, or she’ll go to the landlord. It’s paused. A temporary truce. But I understand if I move in, it might upset the apple cart.
Nat stays quiet. She and her long-term boyfriend live in a House of Multiple Occupancy, so they have strict restrictions on guests. It’s not surprising, given there are already seven of them and only two bathrooms. I’m not sure I could live like that, not after living here. It reminds me of my student days. But then, that’s what they are. Nat has gone back to study law, and Rory has just qualified to be a nurse.
“Don’t worry,” I say. “I’ll sort something out.”
“ We will,” Stella says. “What time are your viewings?”
Five hours later, we sit in a coffee shop.
“Oh, my god. That last place.” Stella groans. “I feel like I need to bathe in antiseptic. It looked like the furniture was trying to escape. When the agent said, they’d have the place deep cleaned, I’m not sure even she believed it was possible to make that place habitable. You’d require a hazmat suit.”
I giggle. It’s that or sob in despair.
“Or the apartment where that dodgy deal was taking place on the front lawn? They looked really shifty,” Nat adds.
We all nod in agreement as the waiter delivers our coffee and a slice of commiseration cake.
“My absolute favourite was the shared bathroom,” I add.
I laugh at Stella’s look of absolute horror. “Can you imagine sharing a Jack and Jill bathroom with a man and his son? Having to remember to lock their door every time you wanted to pee.”
Nat shudders. “Or the fact someone would always leave the toilet seat up!”
A constant complaint of hers from her own house-sharing experience.
“Or the pee on the seat and floor. I have yet to meet a son who can take aim,” Stella adds, and we all groan in agreement.
“That certainly discounts that option,” I say with a grimace .
At this rate, maybe I will need to ask Gabriel for some time off, especially now I only have two weeks.
“So, what’s next?” Stella asks, taking a large forkful of the chocolate cake.
“I keep looking. Gabriel said he’d give me some time off if I need it,” I say, digging my fork into the cake and stuffing it in my mouth. The chocolaty goodness explodes on my tongue and lifts my mood.
“Speaking of your boss,” Stella adds. “His brother is H.O.T. and the way he stepped in.” Stella fans herself dramatically. “You should seriously tap that now you’re single.”
I shake my head and laugh. “Never going to happen. Caleb is a friend and my boss’s brother. He’s also the biggest playboy in the city. No way, never going to happen.”
Caleb is gorgeous to look at. Both brothers are. Their dark Italian heritage makes them more model than businessman. Something Caleb plays on. He hasn’t made Most Eligible Batchelor two years in a row because he is mediocre. But it’s not him I find myself wanting to talk to. It’s my quiet, introverted boss, the man who sought me out, simply to check I was okay. As such, he most definitely is off-limits. He always has been and always will be. My job is too important to risk. Plus, he’s never looked at me that way.
“Really?” She looks at me in utter amazement. “Well, if you don’t want him...don’t mind if I do.” Stella laughs, and Nat rolls her eyes.
My phone rings, interrupting our conversation.
“If that’s the jackass, ignore it,” Stella says.
I check the caller ID, surprised to see Gabriel’s name.
“Hold on, it’s Gabriel, my boss,” I say to the girls, shushing them as I accept his call.
Stella bites her lip, and Nat focuses on the cake. Cake that is almost all gone.
“Gabriel,” I say. “What can I do for you? ”
“Leah,” his deep tone comes across the line, setting off little butterflies low in my stomach. “How’s the apartment hunting going?”
Typical Gabriel, straight to the point.
I sigh. “It’s been a bit of a disaster,” I admit, unsure why I’m not just telling him everything is fine.
“I have a solution,” he says. “I have an empty apartment.”
I pause. Unsure what to say to his declaration. I know the properties Gabriel invests in. I couldn’t possibly afford the rent on one of his.
“Leah, are you there?”
“Er, yes,” I say, not sure what to say.
It’s quite an embarrassing situation. He must understand that I live nearby solely because of Vince’s salary. I can never afford somewhere like that in a million years on my own.
“What do you think?”
Maybe I’m mistaken. Maybe he has a tiny shoebox somewhere. One of his first properties.
My stomach tingles in anticipation. “Where is it?” I ask, holding my breath.
“It’s in my building.”
My heart sinks, and I bite the inside of my lip to smother my disappointment. “That’s very kind, but there is no way I could afford the rent.”
A lengthy pause leaves me questioning if we’ve lost connection.
“I can work something out. The apartment is currently empty and has been since I bought it. I use it as somewhere to house guests.”
A multi-million pound plus apartment sitting empty, only for guests. Oh, how the other half live.
I smile, pleased he can’t see my response.
“We can work out a rent that suits you. If I’m honest, you’d be doing me a favour. Only one person has ever stayed in it, and I haven’t tested everything. The builder has sent a final warning on snagging lists.”
His words warm my heart. I’m aware Caleb’s company constructed the building, and thus, would readily address any issues.
“Have a think about it and let me know. If you want to have a look. I can show you around.”
I cough to clear the lump that’s clogging my throat.
“Thank you. Can I take a moment?”
“Take as long as you need. Call me when you’ve decided.”
The phone goes dead, and I sit and stare at it.
When I glance up, Stella and Nat are staring at me wide-eyed.
“Did he just offer you an apartment in El Castillo?”
I look back down at my phone and nod, my head spinning.
“He did, but there’s no way I can afford that.”
I sigh.
“What did he say when you said that?” Nat asks.
“He said we could work something out. The apartment is empty, and I’d be doing him a favour.”
Stella grips my hand over the table. “Is your boss a creep?”
“What? No... why?”
Stella laughs at my wide eyes.
“Well, if he’s not a creep and ‘work something out’ is not code for you selling your body, why aren’t you snapping his hand off?”
I slouch back in the chair, placing my phone face down on the table.
“Because...” Both of my friends give me expectant looks. “He’s my boss.”
“And?” It’s Nat who raises the question.
I shrug. “It doesn’t seem ethical.” I huff out the words. Knowing I sound stupid. “Gabriel’s kind and thoughtful. I don’t want him to feel I’ve taken advantage of him.”
“Gabriel pays your wages?”
I give Stella my best, really look, and she laughs.
“Well, it’s not like he doesn’t know what you earn,” she adds.
“I hate to agree with her,” Nat says, smiling, as Stella shoves her shoulder. “But Stella is right. He knows what you earn. He knows what you can afford.”
I shake my head, wrapping my arms around my churning stomach.
“Look,” Stella says. “How about accepting it, in the short term? Move out of Vince’s. Give yourself time to breathe, regroup.” Stella leans over and grips my forearm, pulling it away from my body and clasping my hand in hers. “Let someone do something nice for you. Gabriel is trying to help. Is that so wrong?”
I huff out a breath before scooping up the last piece of chocolate cake and stuffing it in my mouth.
“Fine,” I say when I finish my mouthful. “I’ll take it, but only to get myself out of my current predicament. When I find somewhere else, I’ll move out.”
Stella and Nat clap hands. “Well, that’s a relief. I’m not sure I could take any more viewings,” Stella adds.
While Stella and Nat order more drinks, I drop Gabriel a message.
ME:
Are you sure?
GAbrIEL:
Have you ever known me to do anything I’ve not thought through?
ME:
True
ME:
Okay.
I pause, not sure what to put next. Three dots appear to let me know Gabriel is typing.
GAbrIEL:
You can view the apartment tomorrow. 2 pm?
ME:
I’ll be there.
GAbrIEL:
Get reception to call me.
ME:
See you then.
My heart is in my mouth as I type the last message. Am I truly doing this?
Nat and Stella return with a bottle of wine. Stella pours three glasses, raising hers in the air. “To Leah’s new home.”