“We have spoken about it.” I squeal, rushing to her. “Plans have been talked about as we both own our own homes, but we wanted to wait until we spoke to you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Come sit.”
I pick up my glass, she collects the jug, and we go into the living area. We both sit on the sofa, and our glasses and jug are put down on the coffee table that I upcycled.
She makes me wait, while she gets comfortable and I sigh, causing her to give me a cheeky wide smile, knowing she is keeping me hanging on.
“So, Cale and I have been speaking about the house situation for a few months now. We love each other and want to live together, but Cale didn’t want to make you uncomfortable with a man suddenly living in the house.”
“He would never make me feel uncomfortable. He is like a father to me.”
“He knows that, but it is a big change, so he came up with a solution. I think it is a great idea, but with you being my niece, I think you will fight us on some conditions.”
“Oh, no.” I pretend to be worried. “I trust you both to know that whatever conditions you put in place will benefit me.”
“Good, my girl, keep that in mind.”
“I need a drink for this, don’t I?” She nods.
I stretch for our glasses and hand hers to her, then sip from mine.
“If Cale moves in here, he wants you to move into his condo.”
My mouth drops open in shock. No way would this man hand over a condo like his to me. I have seen it: it is lavish, on the tenth floor, and has a full wall of windows that has bi-folding doors and a balcony.
“Why? He could sell, and get mega bucks for it. Hell, even rent it out.”
Shaking her head, she replies. “No, he wants to keep it, have something to his name, ya know. He also owns one other property that he rents out. With you living there, he can add it to his estate profile.”
My heart is beating so fast in my chest at the thought of living alone and being away from my aunt, but both her and Cale deserve this; they deserve to live together without me interrupting their time.
“What are the conditions?”
Taking my glass from me, she places the two back on the table. Before looking at me, she takes my hands in hers, holding firm, keeping me on the sofa.
Oh, I am not going to like what she is about to say, yet I know neither of them will do anything to hurt me.
“You do not pay rent, but you pay utilities and any extras that you want to make the place your home. Like TV subscriptions and so on. You can also decorate it as you want, Cale wants you to see the condo as yours.”
I go to pull my hands away, the need to pace back and forth zipping through me, but my aunt holds firmly.
“No, do not freak out. He does not need the money, he just wants us to be happy. My girl, you make decent money at the hotel, and you help me around the house with bills and groceries. So it will be like it is now, but you will have a three-bedroom, two bath, and a balcony condo all to yourself. Can you imagine the sexy time that you could have without worrying about me cramping your style?” She winks.
“I do not know what to say.”
Words are stolen from me as I sit, letting what she just told me sink in.
I could have a place of my own. One good thing is that it is closer to my work.
My friends come here all the time, so that would not be a difference, as my friends love Aunt Cass. But… I never bring men home, and when I do actually hook up it is always at their place, not that there have been many.
Sucking in a deep breath, I square my shoulders and look at my aunt, who is beaming at me because she knows that I am going to take Cale up on his offer.
“Okay.
“Yay. I knew you would do it. This is huge but we both need this for the next part of our journey.” She kisses my cheek and runs to the door when the doorbell rings, letting us know that our food is here.
