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“I have to test this out,” Malik said, amusement plain in his tone. He sat. And promptly cracked both knee caps on the shower door. “Ow. Damn.”
Shay couldn’t help but laugh. “You knew that was going to happen!”
“I know, but still,” he said, standing and rubbing his knees.
They returned to the main room when Shayna suddenly heard footsteps out in the hallway. A door opened and closed. She remembered the lady from the cave basement saying how sound traveled in old houses, and it was obviously true here, too. Still, that wasn’t so bad.
She peered around the space. “So, I’d put my bed there,” she said, looking at the nook created by the shorter side of the L. “And I could maybe do a loveseat-sized sofa and a small two-seater table. I’m not sure about my desk, though. Or where I’d store my camera equipment.” To say nothing of her hope to set up a darkroom space. “But I could probably figure something out—”
She’d barely pronounced the ‘T’ in ‘out’ when it started. A headboard banging against a wall and guttural moans.
Shayna froze. Someone was having sex. From right next door, it sounded like. She looked to Malik and found him wide-eyed and slack-jawed. But it was the realtor who most caught her attention. His face was beet red.
“Is this a regular feature of this apartment, do you know?” she managed.
Mark um’ed and shuffled and wiped at his brow before finally saying, “So, your neighbor is a very nice lady named Lacie, who, um, runs a business out of her, uh, room.”
“A business. What kind of a—” Which was when Shayna got it. “She’s a prostitute?”
“For real?” Malik asked, coming to stand at her side as she faced off with the realtor. She appreciated the support, too. Because this was…not gonna work.
“Uh, well, yes,” Mark finally said.
Her shoulders fell as she looked around at the quaint space. Her imaginary furniture layout poofed before her mind’s eye.
“Come on, Shayna,” Malik said. “You can’t put up with all that racket at all hours. And you have no idea what kind of people her johns are.”
She nodded. It was a good point and possibly the first time she was glad that Billy wasn’t with her. She could only imagine what his reaction would’ve been.
Outside, she stared up at the place and shook her head. “Too bad I didn’t pitch my apartment-hunting journey as a story. I wonder if anyone would even believe it.”
Malik gave her a sympathetic look. “You deserve a really nice dinner somewhere. Do you like Italian?”
“I love Italian,” she said, grateful for the distraction from her housing woes.
Thirty minutes later, they were seated at a table in a below-street-level Italian restaurant in Georgetown, famed for its celebrity sightings, over-the-top Victorian décor, giant portion sizes, and—Shayna stared at the massive devil and skeleton dog hanging from the ceiling just to her right—all-out holiday decorations. Despite the fact that it was only late September, the place was full-on Halloween. Everywhere she looked.
It was fun and ridiculous, and it gave the space a shadowy, candlelit atmosphere that was also kinda romantic. Which of course made her wonder if Billy had ever been there. Because Shayna was a glutton for punishment. Obviously.
“I wonder when their Christmas decorations go up?” she mused, peering around.
Malik chuckled as he opened his book-like menu. “Probably the minute these come down.”
She grinned as she flipped through the huge array of choices. Everything looked amazing. After they placed their orders, Shayna asked, “How’d your story go last night?”
“Got it done,” Malik said. “And my editor only had a few changes so I’m feeling pretty good about it.”
“Oh, good for you. What was it about?”
They talked shop until their dinners arrived. Her eyes went wide as she took in the absolute mound of gnocchi della mamma on her plate. “We could’ve shared this.”
“Or fed a small village,” Malik said, digging into his tortelloni stuffed with braised beef brisket in a sauce of pine nuts, mushrooms, butter, and cream.
“I’m a big fan of leftovers, though.” Shayna moaned around a bite.
“You’ll definitely get a couple meals out of this then. See? I knew this place would lift your spirits.”
“It really has. Thank you.” Shay grabbed a piece of Italian bread and dipped it in the amazing meat sauce. “Speaking of spirits…”
