Chapter 21
MAX
There’s still a lot I need to figure out, and while I’m supposed to be relaxing here, this somehow feels just as important.
Sure, I can’t see the faces of the people who will one day live in my apartments, but it gives me hope that I’ll be able to help someone like Avery and her family soon.
I finally have all the paperwork from Richard and for Avery’s rent on the apartment and coffee shop. Her name is on both, and I wonder what the connection is with the sister and if she helps pay—or if Avery does it all. Not that it’s my business.
With all that’s going on with the remodels and the fact that she paid for the construction of the coffee shop, I want to do something nice, but I know she’ll say no if I ask her directly. I’ve got to figure out a way to make sure she gets a discount or some money back.
That’s a later decision, though.
I stop at a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant down the road for dinner and then start walking back as evening settles over the town.
It’s idyllic, even if I only have an air mattress and a pillow I found at a little décor store. Well, technically it’s a throw pillow, but it’ll work for what I need right now. Avery also promised to bring over a few blankets. There’s not much else I need for now.
I don’t know if it’s because I’m distracted or because I don’t recognize the coffee shop without the reflective tape, but I make it almost an entire block before I realize I’ve gone too far have to turn around.
How crazy is it that one minor change can make such a vast difference?
The lights are all off inside, but I want to celebrate with Avery. I don’t know why this feels like such a big deal to me, but maybe it’s because she listened when I was sure she wasn’t going to.
I just hope the changes I suggested help her business instead of making me the target of her anger if they don’t.
I unlock the outside door and head up the stairs to the second floor. I hesitate outside Avery’s flat, wanting to say something about how great the shop already looks, but I decide against it.
Instead, I unlock the door to the flat I’ll be staying in.
The squeak of the hinges echoes throughout the room since there’s nothing to absorb the sound.
It took Talia a bit to find the door, but she got it put back up, which gives me some security.
I still think Avery is crazy for leaving her door unlocked, but that’s just me coming from New York and having to lock everything.
I’ve stayed in a lot of different places before, but this is definitely the first unfinished flat I’ve lived in.
At least there’s power, so I can pump up the mattress and charge my phone. Although, it’s kind of nice not depending on it as much as I used to. It almost feels like I’m recovering from a phone addiction.
Honestly, I’m okay with that.
My nervous system is finally getting a break from the constant barrage of phone calls, texts, and emails. But that won’t last forever. I got a text from Aiden earlier that my father called again. I’m going to have to call him soon.
I’ve just gotten the mattress blown up when I hear a knock on the door.
I look up to see Avery standing there with worry in her eyes. She’s carrying a stack of blankets and a large pillow, and while I’d resigned myself to making do with the throw pillow, I can’t help but sigh with relief at the sight of a real one.
“Are you really sure you want to stay here?” Avery asks, glancing around the room.
“I’ll be fine,” I say, waving a hand around me.
“Are you sure you’ll be fine?” she asks. “If anyone tries to break in, you won’t have anything to throw at them.”
I don’t know why that comment makes me laugh, but I chuckle anyway. As hard as Avery tries to keep a straight face, she finally cracks and laughs along with me.
“Says the woman who leaves her flat unlocked.”
She laughs, tipping her head back slightly. “True. I don’t usually worry about it, but you have been suspected of having a criminal background.”
“I think Lila needs a little less true crime and a little more unicorns and rainbows in her life.” My cheeks hurt from laughing.
“I can just see the look she’d give you now if she heard you,” Avery says, grinning. It brings such a brightness to her eyes and her expression. And I want her to look at me like that always.
It would be easy to get caught up in this, to live a different life. But would that only be a dream I’d constantly wake up from? I can’t hide from my family forever, even though it’s peaceful without the constant demands.
I gesture toward the blankets, trying to ground the emotions that are spinning away from me. “Are these for me?”
I step closer, leaving only a few feet between us. She walks forward and hands them over.
“You know, you can come sleep on our couch. We have a nice pull-out. It’s even got a decent mattress.”
“That sounds like it’s coming from someone with a lot of experience.”
She gives me a small smile. “My sister is in town, so I usually sleep on the pull-out.”
“There’s not enough room for you in the flat?” I ask.
She smiles. “Sweet Lila takes the other room. It was just easier to give everyone space. And since my sister travels so much, it works out well.”
“Not on the weeks when you have to stay on the pull-out couch. Where do you store your clothes and personal belongings?”
“In the hall closet and then the dresser in the main suite.”
“You need a three-bedroom apartment with a walk-in closet.” I’ll have to find a way to get her into one of the newer ones so we can fix the one she’s in right now.
“That will be for another time in our lives. Right now, with my sister traveling so much, and me barely getting started with the coffee shop, this is the best we can do. We’re keeping costs low while still being mostly comfortable. And I can’t complain about my commute to work.”
She grins, and I laugh again. “Yeah, that’s for sure. There are times I wish I didn’t have to travel so much to get to my office.”
“Where do you live?” she asks.
I’m surprised this is the first time she’s brought it up. I mentally retrace my steps, trying to make sure I haven’t already given myself away completely.
As much as I want to be honest with her and the people of Penrose Beach, I don’t need anyone drawing attention to the fact that I’m here. At least not yet.
I want freedom for a little longer.
And I want to keep helping the town. It’s the first time in my life that I’ve felt real purpose instead of just duty toward my family.
“New York. I’m from Munich originally, but I work for a company in the city.” I consider saying more but stop myself there.
“Is this the company that sent you out here?” she asks curiously.
I nod. “The very one.”
“What happened? How did they not know things weren’t getting done here?”
I let out a long breath. “The owner thought everything was handled. He’d been given assurances by several people that things were going well and that he wouldn’t have to worry about any of it. Then he got alerted to some issues, and now I’m here.”
The part about the alert didn’t happen until I got here, but it’s a matter of timeline.
“Did you eat already?” she asks, changing the subject.
“I did, thank you. At that Mexican place down the road.”
“Oh, was it Juan’s?” she asks.
“Yeah. It was really good.”
She brightens immediately. “It’s one of the best places I’ve ever been, and I’ve had some really good Mexican food in my life.”
We stand there awkwardly for a few seconds before she gestures vaguely around the room. “Oh, sorry. I should probably let you settle down and relax as much as you can in a place like this.” She spreads her hands and looks up at the unfinished ceiling with a frown.
“I appreciate that,” I say with a grin. “It’s not the most convenient setup, but it’ll do for now.”
Then, as if she suddenly remembers something, her eyes widen. “Wait. Do you have a working toilet?”
I laugh. “Talia took care of that for me this morning. I even grabbed toilet paper and a few snacks from the store.”
She blushes immediately. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know why I brought up bathrooms.”
“Well, that’s pretty much all I need. A place to sleep and somewhere to go to the bathroom.”
“But what about entertainment?”
“I’ll just see what I can find on my phone.”
“Come on,” she says, waving me toward the door. “You can come hang out with us for a little while before bed.”
“You want me to invade your personal space—I mean, your flat? Lila might not come out of her room.” I try to cover up the first part by grinning so she’ll only think about her niece’s opinion of me.
“She’s actually come around to the idea that you might not be a criminal.”
“That’s comforting.” I look around and then back at her, trying to gather my thoughts.
She shrugs. “I’m going to head over, but come if you want to. I mean, it’s not like it’s a date or anything. I just didn’t want you to be completely bored in here.”
She looks a bit flustered before giving me a small smile, then steps backward into the hallway. “Just knock if you want to come over.”
Then she walks out of the flat.
I plug the mattress in and it starts blowing up. A quick look at the emptiness of the room makes the invitation very appealing. I’ll put together my bed so I can sleep once I’m done hanging out in her flat.
I don’t mind sleeping here at night when I’m exhausted, but the idea of sitting alone in this room for hours before falling asleep makes me feel like I’m in an institution.
I might as well spend time with people I enjoy instead of driving myself crazy.