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“I swear this dog is crazy. We’ve just been for an hour-long walk and he’s still got endless amounts of energy.”
“Where’s Nash?” I ask as I pull on my Converse, seeing that she’s finally managed to get the leash off Max.
“He went to Sophie and Cade’s place to help move some of their heavier furniture. They’re hoping to move in completely over the weekend, and with Sophie being pregnant, she can’t help with any of the lifting.”
“If they need any help, I’m happy to pitch in.”
“Thanks, Tay. Ready to head to Eden?”
I nod and follow her out of the front door and onto the driveway. I wait while she locks up and we walk arm in arm through Hope Creek toward town. When we reach Eden, we head inside and straight to the bar. Seb’s working, and he tips his head in acknowledgment of us while he finishes serving a couple of women their drinks. I watch him as he tosses a cocktail shaker in the air, catching it and emptying the contents into a glass. The women he’s making the drinks for are equally enthralled, and I can’t say I blame them. He looks hot.
“Hey, what can I get you both to drink?” he asks, wiping his hands on a cloth as he makes his way over to us.
“Just a Diet Coke, please,” I tell him, hoping he didn’t catch me staring at him.
“Same for me,” Paisley says. “I had enough alcohol yesterday to last me a lifetime.”
Seb laughs while he pours our drinks. “Don’t say that too loud in here. I kind of hope people keep coming back for the alcohol.” He winks as he slides the drinks across the counter to us. “Take a seat and I’ll grab the keys to the apartment.”
There’s only us and a couple of other people in the bar, so there are plenty of tables to choose from. We decide on one of the booths and I slide into the seat, Paisley sitting next to me.
“How’s work?” she asks before taking a mouthful of her drink. “Do you have anything going on at the moment? I haven’t seen you with your laptop since you got here.”
Suddenly feeling warm, I pull my sweater over my head and toss it onto the seat next to me. “I have a couple of things scheduled for next week, but I purposely left this week free thinking I’d be settling into my new place.”
“Hopefully the apartment is good and you can move in over the weekend.”
“Hopefully.” I take a swig of my drink before putting the glass down heavily on the table. “Shit! I never asked Seb if the apartment comes furnished. If it doesn’t, I have nothing.”
“It does come furnished,” a voice says from behind me, and I turn in my seat to see Seb. He looks hotter than ever this close up, and now that he’s not behind the bar, I can see he’s wearing dark jeans and a tight black t-shirt, the Eden emblem sitting on his chest. His inked arms bulge from his t-shirt, and my eyes drop to them, tracking over his tattoos. “I might need to get a new mattress,” he says, pulling me from my perusal of him. “Ryder always complained it was uncomfortable, and I never really took much notice. I thought he was being a pussy. Bring your drinks and we can have a look.” He gestures to our half-drunk sodas.
I nod and stand, picking up my drink. Paisley does the same, and we follow Seb through the bar and down a hallway marked,staff only. I’ve only been in Eden a handful of times, and never out the back. This place is way bigger than it looks from outside. Seb stops in front of a set of stairs and turns to face us.
“This is it,” he says.
I pull my eyebrows together in confusion and look up the stairs. “There’s not a separate entrance?”
He points to a door at the end of the hallway. “You don’t have to go through the bar. That leads outside, where there’s a parking space if you have a car.”
“I don’t have a car right now, but I was going to look at getting one, so that’s good to know.”
He starts to climb the stairs, and I follow him, trying not to check out his ass. When he reaches the top, he opens the door and stands to one side, letting me and Paisley go in first. My eyes widen when I take in the space, and I glance at Paisley, who’s having the same reaction. The doorway opens onto an open-plan living room, with a small kitchen off to the right. The walls of the apartment are painted white, making it look even more spacious than it already is, and dark wooden floors are laid throughout. My eyes go to the pale gray kitchen cabinets and the bright white countertops. Despite not seeing the rest of the apartment, I’m already in love with it and know for sure I want to live here. A large gray corner sofa sits in the middle of the living room with an entertainment center housing a large flat-screen television on the wall opposite. There are a couple of small tables dotted around the space, but that’s it for furniture. It’s enough for me, though, and I can feel my excitement building as I continue to look around.
“This is the living room and kitchen, as you can see,” Seb says from behind me. “The bedroom and bathroom are through that door.” I turn to see him gesturing to a closed door on the other side of the room. “The only bathroom is off the bedroom.”
He crosses the space and opens the door. I follow him into a good-sized bedroom, where a double bed sits against one wall and a nightstand on either side. On the opposite wall is a large dresser, and next to that is a door, which I’m guessing leads into the bathroom. I leave Seb in the bedroom and push open the door, finding myself in a large bathroom with a freestanding tub and a separate shower.
“Seb! This is incredible,” I exclaim, the words dying on my lips when I poke my head back around the doorjamb to find him lying on the bed.
“I’m glad you like it,” he says, patting the space next to him on the mattress. “Come and lie down. See if this is comfortable. It feels okay to me, but I can get a new one if you don’t like it.”
“Okay,” I say quietly, willing my cheeks not to flush with heat.
I cross the space and sit down on the edge of the bed, bouncing up and down slightly.
“It feels good,” I say, my back to Seb.
“Lie down. You can’t tell from sitting on the edge.”
