3. Chapter Two
Chapter Two
ANDREA
“Carter, where are you taking me?” I ask for the fifth time.
Where I had wished for his silence; it’s now weirding me out.
I hate not knowing what’s happening. Even worse, I’m pretty sure he’s enjoying the fact that I have no choice but to follow his lead.
He’s had a stupid ‘know it all’ look on his face ever since we stepped into the Tower.
It’s the tallest building in New York and the residents are either millionaires or billionaires.
I have no clue what the hell I’m doing in it.
Forget what I said about making good money at Belinksy Ballet Academy.
It’s nowhere near enough to afford a place like this.
When we walked through the lobby, the floors were so shiny I could see my reflection.
I got a few odd looks at my stained t-shirt; not that I blame them. My hair has also seen better days.
Tapping my foot impatiently, I stare at the numbers in the elevator as they continue to go up. My armpits are sweating and I feel woozy, as if my body can tell how high up we are.
I glare at Carter’s reflection in the mirror. He continues to ignore me as he types on his phone. Getting antsy, I bounce on my toes to distract myself. I blow a raspberry as he smirks at something on his screen.
Inching closer, I let my nosiness win. I peek over his shoulder and cringe at the unfortunate mistake I’ve just made. My eyes land on a picture of a naked brunette. “Oh my god, my eyes!” I shout, slamming a hand over them and using the other to hit his arm.
“Your what—oh shit, sorry.” He laughs and doesn’t sound sorry at all. “You weren’t meant to see that.”
“Oh really?” I ask sarcastically. “That wasn’t for me?”
He laughs again, and I swing my purse blindly, only managing to hit the air.
“Weak form grandma, you’re going to pull something,” he remarks, and I sigh, giving up.
“I’m younger than you. If anyone’s pulling something anytime soon, it’s you,” I shoot back.
“You can open your eyes, you prude.”
I drop my hand to glare at him. “I am not a prude! I was caught off guard.”
He smirks. “Those are the best ones.”
I feign a gag. “You’re gross. I need to soak my eyes in bleach.”
A ding sounds in the elevator as the floor beneath us finally comes to a halt. I look at the number and my jaw drops. We’re on floor fifty-five.
“Carter, I’m getting really sick of being out of the loop here. What are we doing here?” I ask as I follow him down the hall.
I watch as he fumbles through his keys to find the right one. He hands me one of them and I take it with wide eyes as he explains, “You can stay here for a couple of weeks while you figure stuff out. You’ll need to be out before he’s back, but he won’t mind.”
“He?”
“A friend. He asked me to water his plants, so if you could do that while you’re here, that’d save me a lot of time.
Also, I had the front desk make a copy for you.
You’ll have to return it when you leave,” he drones on as the door clicks open.
I’m immediately captivated by what I see.
Before me, is the perfect view of Central Park and a 180 view of the city.
There’s a long dining table that fits fourteen chairs and a seating area that hosts soft colors of ivory and orange.
Green, vibrant plants take up space along the floors and side tables. Though they look pretty neglected.
I give Carter a knowing look. “You totally just remembered you were supposed to be watering the plants, didn’t you?”
He sticks his tongue in his cheek as he crosses his arms. “Yup.”
Snorting, I move my eyes around the room. The darkness that exudes from the artwork on the walls catches me off guard.
“Those are. . .interesting,” I say mostly to myself as I go deeper into the apartment to check out the floor plan.
I come across a hallway with a rounded archway that leads to the most beautiful kitchen I have ever seen in my entire life.
I don’t dare touch anything for fear of leaving a fingerprint.
The countertops are a shiny white marble, and the cabinets are a pale beige.
On the other side of the kitchen, there’s another dining table, this one smaller, giving it a more intimate feel, and a living room with a massive flat screen.
Exiting the kitchen, I’m faced with a long hallway that has four doors. The lights on the wall turn on as I pass them, triggered by my movements. “Is your friend James freaking Bond?” I call out my question to wherever Carter is.
I hear a chuckle and then footsteps approaching behind me. “Not a bad situation to be in, huh?” His voice is close, so I turn and find him standing there, looking smug.
He's right, it’s not a bad situation to be in, but. . .“Carter, I don’t belong here.”
His brows furrow, and he glances at me like I’ve lost my mind. “What do you mean?”
I chew on the inside of my cheek. “I mean, this morning I was on floor three and now I’m on floor fifty-five.” I drop my shoulders and run a hand through my tangled auburn hair. “Why can’t I just stay with you?”
“I only have one bedroom, and I didn’t think you’d want to sleep on the couch.”
I shrug. “That sounds more like my speed. Couches are cool. I could do that.” I’d no doubt complain the whole time, but that’s not the point.
He’s dropping me off into a stranger’s home without so much as a second thought.
Truthfully, I’d be acting a bit differently if it wasn’t for the part where I’m fifty-five floors high and afraid to touch anything.
Better this than a homeless shelter, I suppose.
He waves me off and jerks his head behind me. “Pick a room.”
I cross my arms. “ You pick a room.”
“Fine,” he says, pointing to the door next to us. “You can stay in that one.”
“Hmm.” I squint at the door. “No.” I walk to the third door, the one closest to the Master at the end of the hall. “I’ll take this one.”
His cheeks puff. “Great.”
When I open the door, I don’t know why I’m surprised. It’s just as breathtaking as the rest of the residence. It’s hard to believe a man could have taste, but I think I’m on my sixth eyegasm. Which still begs the question, who the hell is this man?
“I’m scared I’ll break something,” I say quietly. Everything seems so perfectly placed that I’m afraid I’ll ruin the masterpiece of this place.
Carter pokes his head over my shoulder, and his proximity makes me jump. He rolls his eyes at the scowl on my face. “Christ, only you would be cranky at the prospect of having to stay in this sweet ass place. Get a grip and relax.” He claps me on the back hard enough that I stumble forward a step.
I straighten my spine, rolling out my tense shoulders. “I am relaxed. . .and I’m not cranky, assface.”
He whistles. “Fooled me.”
Okay, fine. I’m a tad cranky, but he’s misreading the reason. It’s not that I hate this place. It’s that I’m afraid I’ll love it way too much and that I’ll never want to go back to the simple life I can afford.
Taking a deep breath, I try to talk myself into it.
I can totally do this without getting attached to the luxury.
I have two weeks to figure out my next move before his friend comes back; sooner would be better, but I have to be realistic.
I don’t want to be a burden to Carter, and I already feel awful that he’s done this much for me.
There’s the sound of the front door opening and I’m guessing it’s Billy and Tyler bringing up my clothes.
“Hello?” one of them calls out.
“Down the hall!” Carter and I say at the same time.
“Jinx!” I shout before he can. “Ha!” I point my finger in his face, which he smacks away.
He lets out a long, low sigh. “That’s right, I almost forgot you were twelve.”
I shrug. “Earlier I was a grandma. You’re only mad because I said it first.”
“Mr. Westwood, where would you like us to set these down?” The question comes from behind us and we both turn to see a stack of boxes with legs. They both refused my assistance and stated, “Mr. Westwood would ring our necks if we let you get your hands dirty,” but I still felt bad .
“You can put them in this one,” he answers, pulling me out of the way to give them space. “How many more are there?”
“Should only be two more trips.”
I eye Carter suspiciously. “Do you have somewhere to be?” There’s only one reason I can think of why he’d be in a rush—picture girl.
He lifts a brow, and I wave a hand through the air. “Forget I asked. You can go, uh, do your thing. I think I’m all right.”
“You sure?” he asks, hesitating even though his body is already turning to leave.
I shoo him away. “Yes, get out of here. You’ve done enough, trust me.”
He roughs up my hair like he’s done ever since we were kids. “It’s been a piss couple of days, but we’ll get through it, yeah?”
I nod, not trusting myself to speak for fear that I’ll start uncontrollably sobbing. The urge is quickly smothered by annoyance as he continues to hesitate, watching me closely.
“What?” I snap.
My tone startles him slightly. He rubs the back of his neck, awkwardness seeping out of him. “Did you, you know, need a hug or something?”
I press my lips together to stop myself from laughing. “I think I’ll manage without it.”
He purses his lips, nodding as he backs away. “Good, good. Text me if you need anything?”
“You know I always do.”
He points at me. “True.”
“Bye! I promise that I’m fine.”
“I’m holding you to that,” he says, and I watch his back until it’s no longer in my line of sight. I don’t move from where I stand until I hear the front door shut.
When Billy and Tyler go to move past me, I ask, “So, can I help you guys now?”
The older one, Billy, shakes his head. “I don’t think so.”
Tyler taps a knuckle against his chest. “Come on, boss, we can let her carry one box.”
Billy grunts and walks away. Tyler and I exchange a look and we both shrug before following after him.
I end up carrying two boxes, which has Billy constantly insisting he take one, but I don’t let him.
Without Carter around, they’re more talkative and relaxed.
Tyler talks about his Star Wars collection and I manage to win Billy over when I ask him about his shiny wedding band.
He talked about his wife for thirty minutes straight.
I’ve always loved getting to know people and more often than not, I find that if you ask enough about them, they never stop to ask anything about you.
People love to talk about themselves and luckily for them, I’m the type of person who prefers to listen.
When we finally finish bringing up the boxes, they seem almost disappointed. However, I’m dying to get in the gigantic garden tub too much to let them linger for long. I tell them goodbye and when I’m walking back to the room I’ll be staying in for the next two weeks, it hits me.
The quietness; the buzzing sound of nothing.
I’m alone again.