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When it came to Jamie, she’d always been like a moth to a flame. It seemed that the years and distance between them hadn’t changed much of anything for her. There was no way that she was ready to pursue anything, but even the entire time that they’d been talking on the phone, she’d wanted nothing more than to curl up against him.
She needed to pull back from this friendship before it began. She was going to end up hurting them both.
Chapter Four
As Jamie pulled into the parking lot of the small office complex, he nodded slowly. This was the third property that Patty had taken him to see today. On paper, it had been the most promising of the five that they were scheduled to look at. The first one had been too small, the second one had been at the top end of his budget, but didn’t have a security guard, or a kitchenette.
The parking lot was clean, and there were plenty of open spots. That alone was a rare thing in Los Angeles. He hoped that the inside would liv
e up to his expectations. The pictures had boasted a large room that would be great for a conference room, a slightly smaller office, some storage, a small bathroom and a kitchenette. Other than the hideous mint green paint, it had been damn near perfect.
Taking out his cell phone, he leaned casually against the side of his car and checked for text messages. When he saw that one waited from Cora, he couldn’t help but smile.
Last night they’d stayed on the phone for hours. She had always been really easy to talk to. He was glad that she was back in his life, even if it wasn’t in the exact way that he wanted. Whatever happened, he knew that he would have to let her take the lead.
When he opened his text messages he saw her question, “How’s the office search going? Good, I hope.”
He tried valiantly to wipe the smile off his face as his real estate agent and sister-in-law pulled up next to him in the parking lot, he quickly typed, “At the most promising of the five now. I’ll let you know how it goes.”
Patty got out of her car, eyed his cell phone and asked, “Need a minute?”
Jamie shoved the phone back into his pocket and said, “Nah. I’m ready.”
The knowing smile that she gave him, made him slightly uneasy, but he shrugged it off. Instead he tossed his jacket into the car, locked it, and followed her up to the entrance.
He stopped for a moment to scan the names. It looked like mostly accounting firms, and a couple of dentists on the first floor. Before he had a chance to look any further, he heard the elevator ding.
He followed Patty into the elevator as she went over the amenities of the complex. They had dry cleaning that came around to all of the offices, which was a nice bonus. Twenty-four hour security. Ample parking. Each office space had its own bathroom, which was nice.
When she unlocked the door, she said, “The paint was a little sketchy and the landlord is replacing the carpet with hardwood flooring next week. If you wanted to paint, you’d be better off doing it quick here.”
Jamie’s nose was assaulted with the scent of nag champa incense and pot. He wrinkled his nose and said, “It smells like my college dorm room in here, Patty. Christ. What were they doing in this unit?”
Patty cackled and said, “Medicinal marijuana. The owner of the building thought it was only a doctor’s office. He kicked them out when he realized they were getting high in here all day.”
Jamie looked at the huge stain on the carpet and said, “Gross. I’m assuming that’s why he’s replacing the carpet. Someone spilled their bong?”
He heard Patty’s laughter ring out from the office and followed her in. The scent aside, he could picture his desk in this room. It was large enough for a couch, a few chairs, and a desk. Some bookshelves to line the wall. It was perfect.
As he continued through the office, he was more convinced that this was the place. Tearing out the rug and painting should get rid of the stale pot smell. The rest was just cosmetic. A new coat of paint in some sort of neutral tone, the dark cherrywood furniture he was looking at yesterday…and this place would be perfect.
When Patty finished showing him the space, he said, “I’ll take it assuming the landlord guarantees the pot smell will be gone once the carpet is done.”
“He’s going to get the air ducts cleaned too. There are other professional offices close by and the smell bleeds over. From what he says, the dentist next door threw a fit because he was losing clients.”
“Yeah, I can totally see why. I don’t know if I’d trust a dentist that reeked of pot either,” Jamie laughed.
Patty giggled and then asked, “You sure you don’t wanna go look at the other ones?”
He shook his head and said, “The price is right, the space is perfect. I love the location. I’ve got a great feeling about this building.”
“Me too,” she said, grinning.
When he turned to look at her, she said, “It had everything that you wanted. I’ve got several other clients in the complex that I’ve placed. They’re all really happy with their spaces.”
“Let’s head back to your office and do the paperwork then.”
Forty minutes later, he was in Patty’s Culver City office, signing his name on the dotted line. He’d come prepared with checks, so less than an hour later, he had space rented.
