Chapter 9 #2
“Is this satisfactory?” he asks.
“Satisfactory?” I repeat as I look around, still stunned by all of it. “Yeah, I’d say so.”
“We’re still figuring that out,” Willow interjects. She thrusts her hand out at him. “I’m her legal representation.”
He looks confused as he shakes her hand. “You brought a lawyer?”
“My sister,” I whisper.
“And lawyer,” Willow says in a forceful tone. “Before we commit to anything, I’ll need a full written record of any maintenance requests logged for this unit in the past two years.”
“I can provide that,” Cynthia says with a tight smile.
“And we’ll require the contact information for the previous tenant.”
Cynthia snorts. “That’s not going to happen.”
“Why not?” Willow says, sensing weakness and getting ready to pounce. “What are you hiding?”
“We do not give out our guests’ contact information. Ever.”
“Interesting,” Willow says, tapping her lip. “Has this building ever been featured in any litigation?”
“You certainly have a lot of questions for someone who won’t even be living in the apartment,” Cynthia says with a big, fake smile.
“What about the doormen?” Willow says, ignoring her comment. “I’d like to see their background checks.”
“You should go check out the pool,” I tell her.
“Great idea,” Willow says, marching to the door. “What’s the protocol if a water quality issue is flagged?”
Cynthia squeezes her hands into fists as she follows her.
“Water quality is tested twice daily,” Cynthia says, her voice perfectly smooth, “by a certified pool technician with full documentation available upon request to any tenant.” She holds the door open with a smile that has begun to show just the faintest signs of wear.
“We take our pool water very seriously here at the Warndorph.”
“I’d like those records,” Willow says as she walks past her.
“Of course you would,” Cynthia says so quietly I almost miss it.
The door closes, leaving me and Owen alone.
It’s so quiet I can hear my heart beating.
“This place is beautiful,” I whisper as I look at the view. The setting sun is changing the sky by the second. The sun is now a vibrant pink. It’s so breathtaking, I’m getting emotional.
“I didn’t…” I whisper. “This is… too much, Owen. I wasn’t expecting… this.”
“What were you expecting?”
“I don’t know,” I say, my head spinning. “Not this. I almost signed a lease to sleep in a hallway with eleven roommates.”
He looks horrified.
“The money has been wired to the administration and is on the way,” he says, “so it’s a done deal.”
My legs go weak. I feel dizzy. This place is actually mine. This is where I’m going to live. It’s unreal.
“Thank you,” I whisper. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”
He just smiles and nods.
“The place is yours as of tonight,” he says all calm and cool like he hasn’t just completely rocked my world. “Once they return, I’ll sign the lease, and you’ll get the key.”
I let out a long breath as I turn back to the window. For a minute, we just stand there in silence, watching the sun setting.
“Why the quick need for an apartment?” he asks. “Did you just break up with someone, or something?”
“No,” I lie. “I’ve been staying on my sister’s couch, and I… desperately need my own place.”
I don’t like lying to him, but just because we’re entering a business arrangement doesn’t mean I have to fill him in on my humiliating dating history.
“Any luck deleting Love Bot?” I ask, changing the subject.
He sighs low and long. “Unfortunately no. Even a team of supposed IT specialists are failing to root out that stubborn program.”
“So, it’s still wreaking havoc?”
“I prefer not to think about it, but yes.”
The bright pink in the sky begins to fade into dark blue as the sun gets lower.
“And what about this weekend?” I ask, full of questions. “What’s the plan?”
“I’ll drive,” he says, his shoulders tightening. “We’ll leave Friday afternoon. Before traffic, if that’s possible.”
“I can finish early,” I say. Honey will cover for me. She’s always looking for more hours. “What about the rings?”
“What rings?”
“The wedding rings,” I say. “We’re supposed to be married, remember?”
“Right,” he says, biting his bottom lip. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“And we should probably have our story ready.”
“What do you mean?”
“How we met, how long we dated, where we got married,” I say. “Our personal histories. We should know everything about each other.”
He winces. “Everything?”
“Enough to convince people we’re married,” I say. “It has to be believable.”
He runs his hand through his hair. “This is more complicated than I thought.”
I put my hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down. “We’ll have a good three hours in the car to figure it all out. It will be okay.”
He looks at me with those trusting blue eyes and it sends a tingling jolt through my body.
The door bursts open behind us and Willow and Cynthia return, arguing about something.
“It’s a simple pool inspection certificate,” Willow says as she marches over. “I don’t see why that’s so hard to obtain.”
“The Warndorph has maintained a perfect water quality record for eleven consecutive years,” Cynthia says, marching beside her. “The water is fine.”
“We’ll let the pool inspection certificate be the judge of that,” Willow says with a smug look.
“We’ll take it,” Owen says. “I’m ready to sign.”
“But I haven’t even inspected the electrical panel,” Willow says, starting to panic. “And we haven’t gone over the building’s insurance certificate.”
“Right this way, Mr. Lavoie,” Cynthia says, shooting Willow a triumphant look as she guides him into the kitchen.
My sister grits her teeth as she watches them go.
“It’s fine,” I say, exasperated by her over-the-top diligence. “It’s either this, your couch, or moving into a hallway with a dozen guys just out of high school. The pool could be filled with piranhas and it would still be an upgrade.”
“I know,” she says with a deep breath. “Maybe I’m just a little sad to see you go.”
“Aww,” I say, hugging her as I watch Owen sign the lease. “I’m going to miss you too.”
Cynthia comes over, grinning smugly at Willow as she hands me the keycard. “Welcome to the Warndorph, Miss Hamilton. It’s so nice to have you staying with us. The apartment is yours for three years, after which you will have the first option to renew.”
Yeah, that won’t be happening. Hopefully Isaac will still have a cot available in some dark hallway I can rent. I’d never be able to afford this place without a rich fake husband sugar daddy.
“I think I’ll stay here tonight,” I say, still in disbelief that it’s mine.
It still hasn’t sunk in even after Cynthia and Owen leave.
“You good?” Willow asks when she heads out. I walk with her to the elevators.
“Yeah,” I say. And for the first time in a long time, I mean it.
“Text me from Muskoka,” she says. “Every day.”
“It’s a fake marriage, not a hostage situation.”
“Same thing,” she says, pushing the button. “He’s cute. I can see why you like him.”
“Just as a friend,” I correct.
She raises her eyebrow. “If you say so.”
The elevator arrives and Willow lingers, not ready to step into it just yet. She pulls me into a hug that goes on longer than her hugs usually do. She pulls back and looks at me for a moment with that older sister look—protective, loving, a little jealous.
“Just be careful,” she says quietly.
“It’s just a business arrangement,” I say with a laugh.
She steps into the elevator and turns around. The doors begin to close.
“That’s not what I meant,” she says, tilting her head.
The doors shut before I can answer.
I stand there in the hallway for a long moment.
“It’s just a business arrangement,” I whisper to myself.
With a deep breath, I go back inside and stand at the giant window in the dark, watching the city light up for the night with my palms and forehead pressed flat against the glass.
I have a home.
An actual, real, beautiful home.
I owe Owen Lavoie a very good cup of coffee.