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I wince at her message. She’s right about that. I don’t deserve her gratitude, this whole thing was orchestrated by me. But she guessed another thing right—she’s mine.
SEVENTEEN
She’s really moving in. Ken and Lori meet us in the underground garage of the Elevate Tower, and I grab a cart so we can take her things up in one go. While I’m doing that, I let her say her goodbyes. It’s not really goodbye since she won’t be far away from them and they still plan on getting together. Though Sunday dinners will probably be hosted here for a while. I won’t always be able to make those due to my game schedule. They open the trunk and unload her things onto the cart. When they pull out of the garage, it’s a bizarre feeling having her here without them.
“Where’s the rest of your stuff?”
She looks around her to make sure she’s not missing anything. “This is it.”
“Five boxes and a couple of suitcases? That’s it?” I observe her belongings. Each box is labeled with its contents next to the shipping labels.
“I left most of my things with Micky when we lived together; I didn’t need them anymore.”
“You and Micky still close?”
“She’s my best friend. In fact, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. She was planning on visiting at some point. Maybe during her spring break. Would it be okay if she stayed with me? If I’m still living here, I mean.”
“Of course. This is your condo too.”
She rolls her eyes as she heads toward the main elevator.
“Actually, we’re taking this one,” I say, walking around the backside of the brick elevator shaft. I swipe my keycard and push the cart into the elevator, keeping my hand on top of the box to make sure it doesn’t fall. “This one takes you to my condo. 1-0-0-5-1-4-9 is the code you’ll need to enter.”
“You have a private elevator?”
“I’ll program the number into your phone but try and memorize it.”
The front desk and homeowner’s association have already added her as a resident. I’ve explained they need to apply my same security measures to her, as well. However, I didn’t tell them why. They assume she’s my girlfriend. I haven’t corrected them.
“Why do I need to remember the code, won’t you be with me?”
“Not always. I’ll be traveling a lot, and I’m not going to keep you inside like a pet. You are free to come and go as you please. I want you to be independent here. Go explore, feel free to do whatever you want.”
I need to get her a car. The more room she has to fly, the less she’ll feel like she’s in a cage.
“I don’t know where I would go.”
“That’s okay, I’ll show you around the neighborhood. I’ve got a few different vehicles, so feel free to take whichever is available.”
She nods, and her shoulders are less tense than they were ten minutes ago. When we reach the top floor, my stomach clinches. I hope she doesn’t find my home as unwelcoming as I do. The elevator doors open to the penthouse foyer, and I become hyperaware of every piece of furniture, every windowpane, every floorboard. Does she like it?
“Holy shit,” she whispers under her breath. She drops the suitcases and slips her shoes off, moving down the hall toward the floor-to-ceiling windows that wrap around the main level.
I roll the cart into the entry hall and grab the two rolling suitcases she’s abandoned.
“Holy fuck. Your kitchen...” she shrieks.
That makes me smile, and I kick off my shoes next to hers.
“Why didn’t you tell me it was so big? I would have agreed to move in a lot sooner!”
“That’s what all the girls say,” I say, stealing her joke. “Will it work for you, chef?”
“Yes. Yes, this will do nicely.” Her fingertips glide over the marble countertops, and she examines the eight-burner stove.
I shake off the image of grabbing her curvy hips and setting her bare ass on the cold stone island. It’s going to be hard living in such close quarters. Literally. At least the hot water bill will be lower—I predict many cold showers in my future.
“Feel free to look around; I’m going to drop these boxes off in your bedroom.”
