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Trina gives me a wide-eyed stare. “You told us things were done and dusted between you and Des,” she whispers so Bailey can’t hear.
“They are,” I insist.
“Mm-hmm,” she says, arching a brow. “Is that why you’re avoiding us?”
I purse my lips, the metallic paint feeling oddly stiff on my skin. “I’m not avoiding you.”
She grins, winking. “Good. You can’t hide from us, Mia. We like you too much. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
That weekend,the day after a late evening trick-or-treating with Bailey (during which her costume was a huge hit and she got eight full-sized candy bars), I manage to get us packed and moved back to our apartment. It’s dark out by the time we make it home, and I’m bone-tired—until I walk through the door.
“Whoa!” Bailey cries, dropping her bags just inside the back door. She rushes into the new space, spinning in a circle. “It’s huge!”
It’s far from huge, but it’s definitely bigger. The sink and appliances are in the same locations, but a partition wall has been knocked down to make the kitchen, living, and dining spaces an open-plan L-shape. There’s extra counter space where a useless nook used to be, and when I poke my head inside the bathroom, I audibly gasp.
There’s a huge walk-in shower with a rain showerhead and clear glass partitioning it from the rest of the bathroom. New toilet, new vanity, new faucet, new sink…this looks incredible.
He did this in a month.
“Is this all for us?” Bailey whispers near my elbow, wrapping an arm around my hips. “We get to stay here?”
The hushed wonder in her voice makes my heart squeeze and expand. I wrap my hand around her shoulder and pull her close. “It’s all ours,” I answer.
Bailey beams at me. “I’m going to go unpack my things.”
“Okay,” I answer, throat tight. If I could put that smile on her face every day, I’d know I was doing something right.
Desmond put that smile on her face.
The realization hits me, and I grip the wall for balance. Huh—new tiles, too.
For the next hour, Bailey and I inspect our new space. The floor has been replaced with good-quality, hard-wearing, wood-look vinyl instead of old laminate. The hallway carpet is the same, but it looks like it’s been steam cleaned. The kitchen counters are some sort of engineered stone and are way nicer than any rental I’ve ever had. The cabinet doors have been replaced, but the cabinets themselves are the same. Even the appliances are new. Bailey spends time making faces in the distorted reflection of the stainless-steel fridge while I laugh at her antics.
Desmond did this. Day after day after day, he came into this apartment and renovated it—for me. For us.
I could have guests here. Sure, it’s small, and it’s tucked at the back of my barbershop…but it’snice. I could invite the girls for a dinner party or just drinks and nibbles at my place, and I wouldn’t be ashamed. Desmond gave that to me.
Or maybe, he’s just fixing it up to sell it? He wants to gouge more rent out of me? This is all an effort to push me out of my home?
My phone dings.
Desmond:Did you make it to your apartment? Is everything okay?
I’d texted him earlier to let him know we were gone from the Seventh Avenue condo, so he was free to schedule the cleaners. I stare at his message, heart thumping. That’s not what he’d write if he were planning on raising my rent again… Is it? It almost sounds like he’s nervous about my reaction to the renovations. Or am I reading too much into this?
I should call him. Thank him properly. My finger hovers over the call button, trembling—and my phone rings.
Colin’s name blazes across the screen, making me flinch. I’d emailed him back when he first contacted me, telling him I was willing to let him meet Bailey if she was open to it. The only problem is, I haven’t brought it up to Bailey yet. With the move, and the extra work, and Halloween, and basketball practices, and dentist appointments, and, and, and…
Okay, yes, I’m making excuses. I swipe to answer.
“Colin?”
“Mia,” he says, sounding relieved. “I didn’t think you’d answer.”
“You’re not that scary.”
He laughs, and I’m transported back in time. We laughed a lot together. I remember many nights cuddling on the couch, making plans for our future together. It was always full of travel and adventures, spontaneous weekend getaways. We’d laugh and plan and dream together.
