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“Nah, you gotta be honest with me here. I need you to tell me what’s wrong with it that I can’t see.”
“Well for one, there aren’t his and hers closets.” I’m reaching for reasons, but they’re not necessarily unfounded either.
“That a necessity? I couldn’t share a closet with my wife?”
“I mean you could. But why would you? You have the money; you could give her something custom. Shelves for all her shoes and handbags. Space for her clothes that are dry-clean only to hang. Plenty of drawer space. Maybe even a nice little couch or ottoman in the room. And you could have your own. Hang up all your workout clothes, your suits, all your sneakers—and you could have a place to have your outfit for game day ready and waiting when you roll out of bed in the morning.” I try to paint a picture as his eyes get wider.
“That’s specific.”
“Again… it’s your house. Just making some suggestions.” It’s my turn to shrug. “And the bathroom too. That shower?” I wave in the general direction of the small, enclosed space. “No. You could have one that’s huge. Have a nice bench inside. You could even get one that’s big enough to put the tub inside it. Make sure it has a nice window with plenty of light.”
“Light’s important in a shower?”
“I mean your wife is going to have to spend time in here. A lot of the maintenance work happens in the shower.” I flash him a smile, and he returns it. “Plus, don’t you want the shower to be big enough for two?” A memory of the two of us that summer comes back to me, and I turn away from him, so he can’t see it on my face.
“You make good points.”
“That’s why you brought me—apparently.”
“Anything else?”
“We didn’t even look at the kitchen yet, but make sure you have plenty of pantry space with an extra fridge. Nothing ismore annoying than not having space for the food when you have a party. You being the quarterback means you’ll have to host them.”
“I didn’t in Pittsburgh.”
“Because you were the single guy. You’re going to change that, right?”
“If I can help it.”
“Then my point stands.” I shrug, but my stomach tumbles at his admission of wanting to be with someone.
“All right. A big pantry it is then.”
We walk through the rest of the house and see the yard before we go to two more houses, one of which is on a private lake, and I watch his eyes light up the same way East’s do at having his own recreational space.
“Is this important to you?” I point to the lake as we stand at the edge of it.
“Yeah. I mean. I didn’t even think about it. I’ve always lived in the city but having some place to roam seems nice.”
“East loves his. Goes for a walk or a jog around the property most mornings. I’ve gone with him a couple of times. It’s nice. If it’s something you want, you should make sure you tell her that. So she can try to find you something that fits all the things you want.”
“I feel like that might be difficult.”
“It might take a little longer than usual, but she seems eager to help you find something you’ll love. And there’s no Mrs. Undergrove yet so no rush to have it now. Besides, you like the loft right now, don’t you?”
“Right.” He nods, his eyes studying me carefully.
“All right then. It’s settled. You’ve got your list now for the realtor.” I grin, trying to keep the conversation light and my head from going into a spiral about watching Quentin walk down the aisle and buy a house with someone.
“Thanks for your help today. I appreciate it. You made goodpoints about a lot of stuff I wouldn’t have thought of if it wasn’t for you.”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
I need to get this guy on a date. Even if it is a fake one. Something to help me confront the reality that he’s off-limits for me. Anything that keeps me from wondering what it would look like if we bought a place together. Where we might live and raise kids. Because that’s a wildly dangerous imaginative path I can’t afford to be wandering down, even figuratively speaking.
13
Madison
