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She looked over her shoulder at him and bugged out her eyes in a gesture of frustration.
So Elsa could be cute when she was angry.
He shot her an understanding smile.
She turned back to the window. “Okay. Again. I. Can’t.Talkaboutthisnow. I understand you’re in a bind, but I have a one-bedroom apartment that’s tiny. Even if you slept on the couch when I was there, we’d be living on top of each other. And that doesn’t even get into the fact my apartment is so small, you couldn’t even sleep on my couch because it isn’t big enough.” Pause then, “The fact I’m hardly ever home is beside the point.”
Another short pause before she lost it.
“Mom! I said no!”
Hale crossed his arms on his chest.
“I’m sorry I shouted at you,” she went on. “I understand you’re anxious about this. I’ll call you tomorrow. We’ll see if we can figure something out. But that’s my home, Mom. If you were on the street, which you aren’t, it’d be a different story. Adam is giving you time. We’ll figure something out.”
She looked at him again and he could tell how much she didn’t want to say her next before she said it.
“I’ll call Oskar and get in touch with Emilie. We’ll sort this out.” Another pause and, “Promise. Talk to you later. Stay positive. There’s a solution, we’ll find it.” One final pause, and, “Yes. Love you too. Bye.”
She hung up and turned fully to him.
“C’mere, Elz,” he murmured.
She went there, he opened his legs, she walked right between them and collapsed against him.
He put his arms around her.
He gave it a few beats, and then he offered, “You want me to find someplace for your mom to live until the settlement goes through?”
“This isn’t your deal. It isn’t even my deal. But it isn’t yours. So, no. We’ll figure it out,” she told his neck.
He gave her a little shake. “Baby, I’m loaded. And I own a residential building in Brooklyn. I can see if an apartment in your place is open or coming up for rent.”
She leaned back on that, her hands on his chest. “Oh, please God, Hale. Don’t put her in my building.”
His lips tipped up. “Right. Then second option, you let her stay at yours, and you stay here, even when I’m not here.”
She blinked and her head jerked.
“Sorry?”
“It’d be good this place was used when I’m not around. I feel guilty, owning something like this and it sits empty so much. It has to be maintained. The utilities paid.” He gave her another little shake. “You could see it as doing me a favor.”
“You want me to…move in?”
“Sure. Temporarily. Until your mom gets on her feet.”
“I’m not sure I’m…are we…? I mean, is that something…? We’re…is that…?”
His eyes narrowed because she was never, not ever, one to have trouble finding her words.
“Spit it out, Elsa,” he ordered. “You know you can be straight with me.”
“I’m just wondering…if we…” When she saw his frown at her continued stammering, she said quickly, “We’re still very new. That seems like a lot when we’re so new.”
“Did you unpack five days ago, knowing you’d be here with me for a month?”
“Yes.”
