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He said it calmly enough, but the admission had me wincing inwardly in a different way. I searched Dimitris’s face for any sign of disapproval, but he just shrugged his hulking shoulders.
“Ah, well,” he said. “Whatever makes you happy. You see the living room—I should mention the air conditioning unit. Still very warm here in early September, so you’ll be using her for a bit longer. Sometimes she gives a little leak now and then. Like a dog, not totally trained yet. But everything else is working perfectly fine!”
I eyed the gray unit protruding from one of the living room windows, which didn’t appear to have piddled recently. I could handle mopping up an occasional puddle. No big deal.
At least it would only be water.
The space we’d come into was a tad dingy: the cushions on the narrow sofa worn in patches, scuff marks along the edge of the plain pine table. But at least ithadfurnishings.
Fresh country air flowed through the space. I sucked in a deep breath of it, and all I could think was that no one would come marching in to order me to doanythingas long as I was living here.
Yeah, I could get used to that. Who needed a mansion when you could have freedom instead?
Dimitris showed us the main bedroom on the ground level, the bathroom with its slightly yellowed but ample bathtub, and the concrete steps that led to a second bedroom in the basement.
Overall, it was a pretty small home, but bigger than the one room I’d had to myself back under Mom’s roof. And now I’d have a roof all my own.
“One tenant maybe ten years ago, he was writing a movie,” Dimitris told us as we climbed back up the stairs to the first floor. “He said he never got as good inspiration as when he was living here.”
“How did the film do?” I asked with honest curiosity.
Dimitris burst out into a guffaw, his great gut shaking. “Oh, it was a total flop. But I’m sure it wasn’t because of the script. Now, let's get this unpleasant paperwork out of our hair, yes?"
I’d already reviewed the lease when he’d emailed me a copy. I scanned the printed version quickly to confirm the contract looked the same as the one I’d already considered, with its month-to-month agreement and other basic stipulations, and then signed it with a flourish.
As I handed over the cash for the deposit and the first month’s rent, something I could only call joy sparked in my chest.
I’d done it. I’d finally broken from my chains and staked a claim on a life that was truly my own.
Dimitris thanked us with another emphatic shake of my hand, and then he waddled off with shouts over his shoulder about how we should contact him if we had any trouble. I waved him off and then hustled to the car to grab my things.
When I lugged my bags into the house, I found Rafael studying the lock on the door. I arched an eyebrow at him. “Does it meet your approval?”
“It’s not awful,” he said, which from him was high praise.
“You know, I hear that in small towns like this, most people don’t even bother locking their doors.”
Rafael’s head snapped around just like I’d known it would. “We’re keeping the door locked, Lou.”
With a roll of my eyes, I held up my hands. “No kidding. I was just saying.”
Sometimes it was way too easy to push his buttons.
He moved to the windows, inspecting the latches on them too. “I’ll take the basement bedroom.”
I paused. “Are you sure?” It was colder and darker, and the windows were tiny. I didn’t reallywantto sleep down there, but on the other hand I could see turning it into a cool little cave.
Rafael had given up his whole life to follow me here. This wasn’thisdream. I didn’t want to make him any more uncomfortable than he already was.
But he simply shrugged. “I’d rather you were close to the exit if you need to get out in a hurry.”
Well, when he put it in practical terms like that, it was hard to argue.
I hefted my bags onward to the main-floor bedroom, which had a picture window that was actually rather pretty and a double bed with a brass frame. The bedspread was a little frilly for my tastes, but I could always replace it if we stayed here long enough.
I could decide everything about how this house was decorated—with some input from Rafael, of course. The contract I’d just signed said it was allmine.
But the house wasn’t the only reason I’d come here. As I unpacked my clothes from my emergency bag, taking a weird pleasure from adding them to the hangers in the closet, my gaze kept snagging on my training duffel.
