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“Please don’t break Luca.”
“I’m fine,” Luca wheezed.
“Luna Barlow?” We turned to see a middle-aged woman walking toward us in the parking lot.
“Landlord,” Auggie whispered to me.
“Yep, that’s me,” I replied to her.
“Wonderful! August tells me you’re interested in the top-floor suite?”
At my nod she ushered us inside. The door guard was built like a linebacker. He greeted us politely and I was relieved he didn’t give me any ick vibes. Auggie’s landlord pointed out the other security features as we went, each one relaxing me a little more.
The elevator had a smooth ride, and I basked in the view when she let us into the suite. I had a decent view in my current place, but Auggie’s building overlooked a park and a lake that had an obvious excess of ducks using it.
The unit sprawled, probably a couple hundred square feet bigger than my current one, with soaring ceilings, a beautifully updated kitchen, and a nest on the upper level of the loft like I already had. While it wasn’t furnished, it was easy to imagine what would fill the space. It even had an alcove for a dining room, and for the first time I thought I might actually get to use something like that.
I had kept people out of my space for so long, and maybe it would be nice to let people in here. Allie and Sidney had been so kind. I should have them over when I moved in.
“What do you think, babe?” Auggie asked.
“I kind of love it.”
It wasn’t hard to think of it as mine.
“With a referral from one of our current tenants, it can absolutely be yours if you want it,” the landlord said. “Should I get you a copy of the rental agreement?”
Before answering, I turned to Luca. “Do you like it?” It wasn’t his decision to make, but I wanted him to weigh in regardless.
“I think it’ll be great for you.” His smile was soft, indulgent.
“I’ll take it.”
“Do you want to do anything for Valentine’s Day?” Luca fidgeted, pausing in packing up the box he was working on. “I know it’s kind of a couple-y thing to do, and we totally don’t have to, but maybe…anyway, I thought I would ask just in case.”
“I’m hosting a couples yoga night on actual Valentine’s Day, but we could do something the day before or after if you want. Tuesday is our regular day, anyway.”
“Cool. I’ll sort something out.” Luca scribbled down the contents of the box and stacked it with the others near the door.
My place wasn’t sold yet, but the new one was able to take me right away and I was eager to get settled. I’d spent the last week and a half sorting through what I wanted to keep, what I figured would be better destroyed, and what I wanted to donate. Luca stopped by when he could, but it was slow progress with everything we both had going on.
Stella had offered her basement when it was all finished, but I turned her down for a multitude of reasons. For one, I wouldn’t be able to set up my hoop in a basement, and for two, I had zero interest in living below a dayhome when I worked nights. Plus, I wasn’t ready for something like that. Having a neighbor I was friends with was the next easiest step, and far more manageable than a suite where my nieces would probably be in and out at their leisure. As much as I loved them, there were a million reasons I didn’t have children of my own, privacy being pretty close to the top of the list.
“Are the painters all done at your new place?” Luca asked.
“Yep. They finished yesterday and it looks so cute. I’m kind of glad you convinced me to do a different color so it would all feel totally fresh.”
Luca beamed. “Sunset colors seem so you. Are you going to do another trip to Nest is Best once you’re settled in?”
“That’s the plan. I need to get a bit of new furniture too.”
“Like what?”
“New bed for starters. But also a dining room set.”
Luca perked up at that. “You’re going to have people over?”
I sealed shut another box and let him pick it up for me. “I think it’s about time I let people in a little more, don’t you?”
