Chapter Eight
Oliver
After I drop Ally off with a good chuckle and a better understanding of her job, I get a call from my brother Ty. He doesn’t usually call during the day because of his crazy client schedule, so I immediately answer.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“I’m coming home!”
“You’re coming to visit?” I ask.
“No, not to visit. To live!”
“No way! That’s awesome! When?”
“As soon as I can find a place. Can you help?”
“Of course! What are you looking for?” I inquire.
“I need something big enough that I can put in a home gym for clients, and then I can look for a retail space once I get there.”
I’m standing outside Ally’s door when a woman carrying flyers comes out of the door across the hall.
“Yes, Mr. Genova. I’ll send out these flyers and keep you posted when we have showings. Thank you.”
“Hey Ty, let me call you back.” I disconnect with Ty and approach the woman. “Excuse me, did you say showings? Is that apartment for sale?”
“Yes, sir. Are you interested?”
“I might be. Could I see it now?”
“Yes. The owner has already moved out so showings are available at any time. Follow me. I’m Shirley Keys.” She’s a woman in her forties with a medium build, brown hair pulled back in a bun, and kind brown eyes.
“Oliver. Nice to meet you.” We shake hands.
She knocks on the door before entering. “Mr. Genova? I just ran into this gentleman in the hallway, and he’d like to look around.”
“Terrific,” the silver-haired, burly gentleman says. “I’ll leave you to do what you do best. Please let me know if you have any questions after you’ve taken a look. I’m just grabbing the last box of things to take to my mother.”
“Thank you,” I say, peeking into the doors and out the large picture windows. There’s good light and open space for all Ty’s equipment.
“Let’s start with the bedrooms. We have two bedrooms and two full baths. One is an en suite and the other is for guests,” Shirley explains.
The size of this place is impressive for an apartment in New York. I have an idea of what Ty can afford and hope the price is right.
“The kitchen is a decent size, but I think you’ll agree that this big open space is worth it,” Shirley continues. And I couldn’t agree more. Ty will love the area to set up all the weight equipment.
“This is great. My brother is moving here from California. I’ll take a flyer and give him the information and get back to you. I can’t speak for him, but I like what I see.” Mr. Genova nods his head in understanding before heading out the door with the box in his arms.
“All right. Thank you for your interest. Let me get your information,” Shirley says.
I share my contact information and tell her I’ll be back in touch. The flyer has a website link for Ty to view the online slideshow. We shake hands and I head back to my apartment.
When I returnto my place, I send Ty the info. Over Zoom, we look at the website together.
“What do you think?” I ask.
“The open space is amazing. I’ve been looking online but everything’s been so small with more focus on the bedrooms.”
“That’s what I thought when I saw it. Mine doesn’t have that big of an open area. We’re pretty lucky we can afford some nice places.”
“Yeah, but I’d rather have Dad.”
I’m surprised by Ty’s comment. After our dad passed, we each got an inheritance that helped us move out and set up our own businesses. He took his to California to avoid the memories, and I stayed close to Mom. I know not to say much more on the subject and continue.
“Me too. Anyway, this place just went on the market, so you might want to scoop it up. Plus, it’s only a five-minute walk from my place.”
“Let’s see if they’ll come down in price. That will help with the moving cost. I’ll call Shirley when we get off the phone,” he says.
“Are you going to tell me how I’m getting you back here?”
“I’ve been talking to some of my clients, and they want a ‘me’ in New York when they travel back and forth for work. So, I talked to Ben, and he’s going to run the LA location, and I’m going to start one in New York.”
“That’s so cool. Have you told Mom yet?”
“I wanted to wait until I found a place and surprise her.”
“I’ll keep it under wraps but, bro, I’m so excited.”
“Me too. I love LA but I’ll be happy to be able to work on both coasts. It’s an exciting opportunity. Hey listen, I’m going to go call this realtor, and then I’ll let you know what happens.
“Okay, good luck! Talk soon!”
I disconnect with Ty and get back to my manuscript, but it’s hard to focus. Between meeting Ally and the idea of my brother living in the same city again, it has made it hard to think about murder plots. I close my notebook to look up restaurant choices for Friday night but quickly realize I know just the right one. Then I search for backup apartments for Ty.