Chapter Eight
Weston
“So, do you have a list of places you wanna check out?” I ask Brittany as we step out onto the New York City streets. “Or are we just winging it?”
“Mmm…” Her lips purse together as she digs into her bag. “I have a list of properties I’d like to tour.” I wait for her to pull out the folded piece of paper entirely, and then take it from her when she holds it out.
As I unfold it, my eyes widen. There’s a lot.
“There’s no way we can make it to all of these in a day.” I scan the list, seeing that it’s all over the city. “We should probably narrow this down.”
“Well, I want to make sure I have diverse options.” Brittany leans over my shoulder, and I catch a whiff of her perfume—some sort of mix between vanilla and orange?
I can’t pinpoint what it is, but I just know it smells like heaven.
“I guess I could eliminate the ones that are out of my budget?” She cuts back into my thoughts.
I clear my throat and lean away. “Yeah, that’s a good plan. Let’s start with the ones that are well within your budget and that maybe you have some favoritism toward the area?”
Brittany looks up at me, her pretty eyes intensely scrutinizing my face. “You’re thorough. I like that.”
I swallow. “Nah, just trying to be helpful. It’s a long list.”
“You’re underestimating my abilities.” Her tone shifts to teasing, and the way she sticks her tongue out at me causes me to chuckle.
“I can’t believe you’re related to Parker,” I joke, shaking my head, before starting in the direction of the first one on the list. It’s only a few blocks from Parker’s, and while I can’t really imagine Brittany living in this area, I’m not opposed to it either.
I wonder if she’d be around more.
“I’d have a long commute from here,” she mentions casually as we walk along the sidewalk, weaving around the slow walkers. “I don’t know that this is the best choice.”
I nod, ignoring the disappointment. “So … should we skip it?”
“Nah,” Brittany says. “I want to see it. It would be kind of cool to be closer to Parker. I’m not sure he’d like that idea though.”
“He might not outwardly show appreciation.” I guide her through the front door of the building. “But I bet he would inwardly be really happy about you being close by. I think he secretly enjoys you staying with him. He’s got the equivalent of the Wall of China up, but beyond that, he’s a softie.”
She’s quiet for a moment as I jab the elevator button. “I never really thought about it like that. But you know, he has his moments.”
I glance back at her as the door slides open. “I think he has a lot more of those moments than he lets on.”
She shrugs, and right as the elevator opens, there’s a real estate agent. I can spot an NYC agent from a mile away, based solely on their attire, and this lady is wearing a pink dress suit with sparkly heels. The pearly white smile she gives us confirms my suspicions.
Uh oh.
“Are you two here to take a look at Apartment 403?”
Brittany smiles, and I realize she can outshine even the most bougie of them all. “Yeah, we are, actually.”
“I knew it!” The real estate agent beams, sticking out her hand. “I’m Krystal McDella, and I actually just walked through it for one of my clients. Are you represented?”
I look to Brit. Please don’t tell her…
“No, I’m not.”
Ugh. Great. Here’s to being dragged around by Krystal all day.
“I’d love to help you out!” Krystal explodes with the opportunity, and I wince at the enthusiasm. There is such a thing as being too much.
And that’s exactly what Krystal is. Too much.
“I’d love to have the help.” Brittany sighs, and the relief in her voice causes me to feel a little guilty. She turns to me, holding out her hand. “Maybe we can give Krystal the list to sort through? She might know some of these places already?”
“Oh, I’m definitely up on rentals,” Krystal cuts in, her round cheeks looking painful at the smile she’s wearing. “I can help you for sure.”
I’m skeptical, but I hand it over.
“Thank you.” Krystal takes it from me and steps out into the small lobby.
“I see you work at the Miller Law Firm.” She hums, reading over the paper.
“Since you’ve got these sorted by their distance from work, are you wanting to live closer to the office?
” She looks up from the paper, her dark brows contrasting with her platinum-blonde hair.
“Um…” Brittany’s voice trails off. “I think I’d like to be closer, but I don’t mind a small commute.”
“Okay, but from right here”—Krystal motions around us—“you’d have a hefty commute.
The apartment here isn’t worth it…” She visibly chews on her bottom lip as she motions for us to step outside.
“My car is just outside. If you want, I’d be happy to drive you over to the apartment that’s closest to your office.
I actually took a peek at that one last week.
You might like it; it’s got better management than this place. ”
Okay, maybe Krystal will be helpful.
“Thank you.” Brittany’s gratitude is written all over her face and saturates the tone of her voice. It’s amazing how sweet she can be.
“Follow me!” Krystal waves us forward, and I motion for Brittany to step out in front of me.
I follow behind, making it a point not to look at Brittany’s backside.
The woman is just the epitome of everything a man could want, but she’s also the epitome of what could potentially get me murdered by my best friend.
Yikes.
I keep that in mind as I slide into the back seat, beside her. I reach for my seatbelt as Brittany takes the list back from Krystal, her eyes dropping to it.
“I know of a few others that are in your budget and close to work,” Krystal says as she pulls away.
“I manage a few of them. I actually know of one that’s even a little closer to your work than any of the places you have listed.
It’s at the lower end of your budget, too. Would you want to stop there first?”
Brittany nods eagerly. “I would love that.”
“Perfect.” She beams, and then bounces her eyes between us. “You two are cute. How long have you been dating? Is this your first apartment together?”
My brows skyrocket and I notice Brittany shares the same expression, only she looks much more mortified by the idea.
Ouch.
“Um … I … Um…” Brittany falls over her words.
“We’re just friends,” I clarify so she doesn’t have to. “I’m helping her search for the right place.”
“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry.” Krystal gasps. “I should’ve known better than to make that assumption. The two of you just look like the sweetest couple. I apologize.”
“It’s okay,” I say, grinning. Something about that assumption fuels my ego and I almost feel the need to puff out my chest a little. A woman as beautiful as Brittany dating me? Yeah, that’s a pipe dream.
Brittany lets out a quiet sigh, and I wonder what’s going through her mind right now. I have a feeling it’s probably not what I’m hoping for.
Wait … what am I hoping for?
I ride the next twenty minutes in silence beside Brittany, noting that she’s spending a lot of time staring at the paper with the addresses in her hand.
Her lips are pressed tightly together in concentration, but there’s something about her gaze that comes across as being blank.
She’s more zoned out than she is concentrated.
I nudge her knee gently with mine, grabbing her attention. “You okay?” My voice is nearly a whisper, too quiet for Krystal to hear in the front seat as she pulls over to park along the curb.
Brittany jerks her head upward, and the blank expression is replaced with a smile, but it’s not all that genuine. “I’m fine. It’s just a big day.”
“Yeah, but…” I nod slowly, unable to reassure her before Krystal starts clapping her hands together in the front seat. I wince at the noise, but Brittany seems to straighten, her face growing serious.
“We’re here. Are you ready to take a look?” Krystal turns around in the seat to meet Brittany’s gaze. “I really think you might love this place. Wouldn’t it be crazy to find the one during your very first showing?”
“That would be amazing,” Brittany drawls. “It would save so much time.”
“I hear you.” Krystal shoots her a wink then dramatically opens the door, sliding out in a way that you only see in the movies.
“She’s eccentric,” I mutter under my breath.
“I kinda like her.” Brittany giggles, and then follows suit, hopping out of the car. “Come on, this is gonna be fun.”
I don’t get a chance to respond, because Brittany is already practically running after Krystal to keep up. I let out a sharp breath, adjust my pullover, and then climb out. I break into a soft jog to catch up, and have no issue doing so, catching them at the elevator.
“This building is great.” Krystal is babbling away. “There’s a service elevator that’s twice this size. You can use it to move your things. It’s very convenient.”
“Oh, that’s nice.” Brittany hums as we all step onto the elevator.
“I actually lived in this building myself for a few years, so that’s why I’m a little partial to this place.” Krystal gives Brittany this genuine smile, and I can see it instantly works. “I loved it here.”
“Why did you move?” I ask, folding my arms across my chest.
“They moved my office across the city. I didn’t want the long commute.” Krystal answers me, just as the elevator dings on the seventh floor. She gestures for us to exit the elevator first, and then she follows us, guiding us to Apartment 714.
I have to admit, the building is nice. The floors are marbled, and the white doors are actually … white. That’s more than I can say about my own apartment.
Krystal punches a code into the door, and then pushes it in, letting us enter first. “I really think you’re going to love it. It’s a charmer.”
As soon as Brittany steps through the door, I can see the shift in her expression.
She’s in love with this place already.
“This is gorgeous,” she comments, running her hand along the granite countertop of the kitchen. It’s a one bedroom, and it’s decorated nicely. Well, except for…
“What an interesting piece…” Brittany reads my mind.
“The property manager has unique taste when it comes to staging apartments.” Krystal comes to stand beside us, staring at the same picture we are. It’s some sort of abstract painting of a … bear? It’s hard to tell.
“It looks kind of creepy,” Brittany says, placing a red nail against the dimple in her chin. “Are we allowed to change it out?”
“Absolutely. Any piece you don’t want on the wall can be taken down.”
Brittany nods, and then quietly proceeds to comb over the apartment, leaving me to stand there with Krystal, who is pretty much pretending I don’t exist. But I don’t try to make small talk; my attention is on Brittany. I won’t go digging into the place until she’s made up her mind.
And that doesn’t take long.
“I love it,” she says, her eyes bright as she returns to us. “Once Wes looks it over, I’ll take it.”