Chapter Four
DIANE
The next morning, I was on pins and needles waiting for Celia to wake up. I'd brought her breakfast, but she didn't even stir when I sat at the edge of the bed. I surmised that meant she simply needed to sleep more, so I came back to the living room.
I'd barely slept a wink. After Gabe left, I looked up apartment listings.
My options were slim, and his offer sounded more attractive by the minute.
But I didn't want to tell him anything before I discussed this extensively with my sister.
I wasn't sure whether she’d agreed with everything last night just because she didn't want to be rude in front of Gabe or if she really thought this was a good idea.
I jumped from the couch when I heard her moving around. "Good morning," I called from the living room.
"Morning. You've got your ‘I've prepped something delicious’ voice."
"I do," I admitted with a laugh.
God, I'd missed being with my sister. But though living together was cozy and brought us even closer, it wasn't feasible in the long term.
I went to the kitchen and pressed the button on the coffee machine as she came into the living room, yawning. "This is for you," I said, taking the cup from the machine and handing it to her.
"You've got good instincts." She took a sip and then sat down, admiring the food. "You don't have to prepare breakfast every day," she said, but I knew she loved it. "You’re not going to join me?"
"I already ate."
She took two spoonfuls of the oatmeal topped with nuts and honey and then looked up at me. "You're nervous. Did you sleep badly or something?"
"That obvious, huh? Listen, I wanted to talk to you about Gabe's offer."
"All right."
"Did you mean it last night? You think it's a good idea?"
She shrugged. "Well, I mean, he is my boss. I've known him for a while. He's a decent person. Between you living with a perfect stranger or Gabe, I'd take Gabe every time." She bit the inside of her cheek. "I just don't know how actually living with him might be."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Maybe he has a deep, dark secret."
That should have scared me, right? But I found myself yearning to know what that might be.
"I don't know him personally. Though I will say he likes to hook up," Celia continued.
I stilled. "But you two haven't…?"
"No, for God's sake. He's my boss, for one, and he's never even tried anything. He's very professional. He's got a reputation, but he never gets involved with anyone he works with. So I can't really say if it's hearsay or not. Maybe people just assume that because he's hot.”
I smiled. If he was a womanizer, even better. It would completely cut off my… appetite. "So you really wouldn't mind?"
"No, of course not." She smirked. "You want to take him up on his offer, don't you?"
"The rent his landlady wants is a bit higher than I was hoping for. But the location is so amazing that she could easily charge three times more."
She rolled her eyes. "It's just the attic, okay? Don't get your hopes up."
It was hard not to. I longed to have a little corner of my own. The past few months had felt like a roller coaster, and I needed someplace I could call home.
“And it'll be temporary. Once I have a good job, I can afford a place of my own.”
"You have my blessing."
I love my sister.
"Then I'm going to call Gabe today and tell him the good news. He said it might take a while for the landlady to process it all."
She nodded. "Great. I’m gonna get in the shower. Thanks for breakfast!"
Once my sister left for the bathroom, I dialed Gabe's number. It was nine o’clock in the morning, and I couldn't remember if Celia mentioned if he's an early riser or not, but this seemed like a decent hour.
"Good morning."
Ah, his voice was just as sexy on the phone as it was in person.
"Hi, Gabe. This is Diane, Celia's sister."
"I know who you are. I saved your number."
Duh. "Of course. So listen, I told you I need more time to think, but I've made up my mind. I'd love to take you up on your offer. But I’d like to see it first."
"Excellent. I'll set everything in motion with my landlady, and I'll keep you posted, okay? It might take a few days to convince my 'roommate' to let us look around."
I laughed. "You strike me as a man who can convince anyone to do what you want."
"Believe it or not, some people manage to resist my charm."
Oh yeah, I was definitely not one of them. I felt charmed already and the man wasn't even trying.
"I'm easy to live with, I promise," he continued.
"Do you get visitors?" I wondered.
"I see my family often. They haven't been here yet, but they'll make an appearance at some point."
What I meant was female overnight visitors, but I couldn't ask that.
It wasn't any of my business anyway. As far as I understood, the only thing I had to worry about was that staircase, as it was the only adjoining area where we’d possibly meet.
Judging by the layout of the house, it was right next to the entrance, so we shouldn't cross paths too often.
"All right, then, I'll leave you to it," I said. "Have a great day."
"You too. Diane, this is going to work out great for both of us."
I grinned. "Oh, I hope so."
I wasn't expecting to hear from Gabe at all for another few days, but I was surprised when he called me four hours later. I was with a group of tourists, but I didn't want to ignore the call.
I glanced at my group. They were taking pictures in front of the Boston Common, so I picked up.
"Hi, Gabe."
"Diane, hi." His voice was tight.
“Uh-oh. What happened?”
"Listen, I actually convinced my roommate to let me see the attic." His voice sounded ominous, and I had a sinking in my stomach.
"And?"
"You should see it before deciding to move in."
"It's that bad?" I asked.
"Let's just say it's nowhere near as fancy as the rest of the home."
That could mean a lot of things. Still, it was better to see it. "When could I drop by?"
"Do you have time right now?"
"Not for another ninety minutes. I'm doing a tour."
"That’s fine. I'm going to tell him that you're coming so he's aware and lets you in."
"Listen, Gabe, I honestly don't have high expectations. I'm sure it's going to be fine."
"Wait and see," he said.
Gabe struck me like an optimistic guy, but if he thought it was unacceptable, then maybe it really was. Though I didn't think it could be much worse than everything else I'd seen online.
I finished the tour on time and then headed to the subway. There was a station about fifteen minutes on foot from Gabe’s house.
I arrived a few minutes earlier, so I walked through the neighborhood at a leisurely pace. The brick homes simply dripped with wealth. It was a mix of colonial style and modern architecture, but somehow they all fit together.
I recognized Gabe's house from six feet away from the pictures he'd shown me.
Checking the address, I confirmed it was his building.
It was an older construction, colonial style with a tiled roof.
The facade looked a bit run-down, even more so than in the photographs, and suddenly I had an uneasy feeling.
I walked up the front steps and knocked on the door. A few seconds later, I heard footsteps, and then Gabe opened it. He was wearing comfortable clothing—a white T-shirt that showcased his muscles, paired with jeans.
"Hey," I said.
"Come in." His eyes were missing the twinkle I'd gotten used to.
"Stop scaring me," I teased him.
"Let's go up. The guy went out and said we should look around while he's gone."
"Wow, that's nice of him."
“By the way, all the furniture you’ll see will be yours. It belongs to the landlady.”
“That’s even better.”
I didn't even get to look into the main living space because the spiral staircase was right next to the door leading up to the attic apartment. It was wide enough to carry up furniture, but I imagined it was terribly difficult. Hopefully I wouldn’t have to buy much.
"This is good. It's almost like a separate entrance," I said, determined to focus on the positive. My breath came out in pants as we went higher and higher up. "You have your own staircase for getting to the upper floors?"
"Yes," he said.
I have a good feeling about this. It can't be too bad…
Not five minutes later, I changed my mind. It was…not good.
"Well, at least there's no mold that I can see," I said. There were a lot of downsides. For one, the main window appeared drafty and old, and there were several cracks along the walls and the ceiling. But the bathroom was decent.
There was a single bed against the wall. The dresser was rather small, but I had one of those mobile racks that I could easily set up next to it.
By far, the worst part was the kitchen area. It had no oven and only one electrical socket.
"I don't know how to spin this into a positive thing," I said, looking at the appliances and their obvious wear. “I like to cook, but I can’t do much here.”
“It also explains why the guy's always bringing up take-out food." Gabe sighed. "Listen, Diane, if this is your only deal-breaker, you can always use the kitchen downstairs. I don't mind. I don't cook at all, so it's not like you'd be in my way or anything."
He was right behind me. I almost felt his body—the heat of it, the strength of it. I was certain that if I touched his abs and arms, they'd be rock hard.
"But that's more of a roommate situation, not a separate unit," I countered. I didn’t want to intrude on his space, though I definitely would like to use the appliances.
He laughed softly, and his breath tickled my ear. “I would take you over this guy any day.”
“And he actually wants to move?”
“Fuck yes. He just couldn't find anyone to take over the lease.”
I turned around. "Hmmm… This place could be cozy.
I can put up lights by the window, and I can pad all the windowsills with something so there's no draft.” I glanced around again.
Fortunately, the floor was wood and easy to clean.
“I can work with this. I've lived in far worse places.
Honestly, I can't believe people would turn up their nose at this. "
“I don't know how hard he looked for someone to take over the lease.”
"I like the energy of this place," I said with a grin. “Oh, where are the washer and dryer?”
"Nothing up here, but you can absolutely use mine. They are downstairs."
"Thank you. Really, Gabe. This isn’t a dump. Not at all.”
I had to admit I’d been shocked when I first stepped in, but it grew on me.
He shrugged. "Didn't want you to get your hopes up."
I thought about the one-bedroom apartment Celia and I grew up in. Mom couldn't afford to rent anything bigger until I turned fifteen and Celia was twelve. It was probably one of the main reasons both of us preferred to live alone—we liked to have our space after having to share for so long.
"If you're sure about the kitchen thing, then I’ll take it," I stated firmly.
Gabe nodded. "Come on downstairs and I'll show you the kitchen, washer and dryer."
He gestured for me to walk in front of him, and I accidentally brushed his chest with my arm on the way out. Oh yeah, his pecs were even harder than I'd imagined.
But why was I even checking him out? Gabe was completely out of the question. My sister worked for him, and I would never want to put her in a bad position.
I went down the stairs quickly, and Gabe pointed through the double doors connecting the entrance to the living room. I stepped inside, looking around. It dripped of old luxury: high ceilings, chandeliers.
"This looks amazing," I told him. "But somehow I imagined you’d prefer a modern setting.”
“This isn’t my style at all. My house will be completely different, but this was the best I could get."
The kitchen was in the back and separate from the living room, which was even better. That meant I wouldn't be bothering him at all.
"This is gorgeous," I said.
The appliances were surprisingly new. The floors were old-school with intricate inlays, though they must have been polished recently based on the shine.
"I can do so much in here," I mumbled.
"All right, then, be my guest." A huge smile lit up his face. “And this door leads to the washer and dryer. Feel free to use anything you need. The detergent and dryer sheets are in the cabinet here.” Gabe moved over to show me everything. “It’s all standard.”
"This will be great. I'll finally be able to reevaluate everything and get my feet back on the ground."
He stepped closer. "You've had a rough few months, huh?" The concern in his voice warmed my heart.
"Yeah, but it's going to be fine.” I didn’t want to delve into that again. “So, did your roommate tell you how long it'll take before he can vacate?"
"He's moving in with his girlfriend, so he said he can be out of here by the end of the week."
"That's great! Oh, I have another question. How long is your lease?"
“I intend to stay here less than six months.”
I nodded. “That gives me enough time to get a decent job and look for another place.”
My stomach rumbled.
"Want to order dinner?" he asked.
I shook my head. “No, thank you. I want to start packing.”
And besides, I wasn't quite ready to spend more time alone with him, which was silly, since I was going to move in with him. Well, not with him—above him.
An image flashed in my mind—of the dirty variety. Damn it, this was not going well. But I knew that after some time passed, and he brought home female guests, I'd be singing another tune.
"I'll drop you off at home," he offered.
I shook my head. "Gabe, that's really not necessary."
“I insist," he said as we walked to the front door.
“I appreciate your concern, but it’s all right.” I turned to him just before I headed out. "I'm going to spend some time in the city before going home. I need to buy a few things."
"Do you have Mace?" he asked abruptly. It was barely dusk out, and I had plenty of time to do my errands before I got back to Celia's.
"I do. Thanks for your concern."
He was far too overprotective. To be honest, I wasn't used to it. I'd always been the one to care for my sister and myself.
“What day do you want to move in?”
“Is Saturday okay?”
He nodded. “Sure. I’ll give Celia a key as soon as the guy moves. On Saturday, I’ll be here to help you carry up boxes.”
“That’s not—”
“Diane, I’ll be here.”
I laughed, smiling coyly. “Thanks. Then I’ll see you on Saturday.”