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She thought maybe Max would be home by now, but the building was eerily quiet when she returned. She realized he was probably returning tomorrow, like the others. She spent her afternoon grocery shopping and then reading for a bit. By the time dinner rolled around, she was feeling stir-crazy. She had plenty of food she could cook for dinner, but she felt like getting out of the house. She decided to follow in her aunt’s footsteps and head out to dinner on her own.
She wore an oversized black cashmere turtleneck sweater over dressy jeans and black leather boots. She thought about bringing a book along with her but thought it might be better to read on her phone instead. The only restaurant she felt comfortable going to by herself was the Italian restaurant where everyone was so friendly.
Richard and Tony welcomed her warmly and didn’t bat an eye when she said she was there alone and was going to head to the bar.
“Of course. Patrick will take good care of you,” Tony said.
The bar was u-shaped and had about a dozen or so seats. There were several open and she chose the one against the wall, where she could easily watch people coming and going. Patrick came right over and handed her a menu. She ordered a glass of red wine, an Italian super Tuscan, and sipped on it while she looked over the menu. It was early still, not quite six, so the restaurant wasn’t too busy yet. She knew it would be soon, though.
She decided on eggplant parmesan with a single meatball on the side. Patrick returned a moment later with a basket of warm Italian bread, seasoned olive oil for dipping and softened butter. She tore off a piece of bread, buttered it and dipped it in the spicy oil. She sipped her wine and watched people coming and going. An older couple two seats down paid their check and left and another couple took their place. A few minutes later, a single guy who looked to be a little older than Sophie, sat next to her. He glanced her way and nodded as Patrick came over to help him.
He looked vaguely familiar, but Sophie couldn’t figure out where she’d seen him before.
After he placed his order and had a glass of red wine set in front him, he took a sip, then glanced at Sophie and smiled. “This is going to sound like the cheesiest pick-up line ever, but you look so familiar.”
Sophie laughed. “I was actually thinking the same thing. I work at a real estate office, have you been in there by any chance? I’m fairly new here so am not sure where else I would have seen you.”
“Fulton?”
She nodded.
“That’s it then. I was in a month ago and met with an agent, Tessa. My lease is up soon, and I was looking to find a new place. My name is Sean.”
Now Sophie remembered. She and Caroline had been making coffee in the kitchen when Sean walked in. He had the kind of looks that made you stop and take notice. Sandy blonde hair, hazel eyes, pillowy lips and a strong jaw. They’d walked by him in the lobby and chatted with him for a minute, asking if he was all set, as the receptionist had disappeared for a minute. They’d asked Tessa about him later, asking if he was single.
“No such luck. He was looking to move into a new rental with his girlfriend and told me he was planning to propose soon. Obviously, that was disappointing. He was gorgeous.”
Sophie smiled. “I remember now. Did she find something great for you?”
Sean’s smile faded. “No, she showed me a bunch of places, but none were what we were looking for. I don’t think she really understood what we wanted.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah. I have a little time, so I put the search on hold. I need to start it up again soon. I just can’t waste my time again, though. It’s time consuming to look at places.”
Sophie nodded sympathetically. “It is.” She wondered what he was looking for that was so difficult to find. Maybe his budget was too low. Manhattan rentals were expensive and there weren’t many great options unless you were willing to spend for them.
A few minutes later, Patrick delivered Sophie’s eggplant. It was so hot she could see the steam coming off it, so she gave it a few minutes to cool off. As she took her first bite, Sean’s dinner was served—a big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs. His looked just as hot but he didn’t hesitate and dove right in.
“I love the food here,” he said. “My girlfriend is still away at her parents’ for the holiday weekend, so I decided to come in. Didn’t feel like cooking.”
Sophie smiled. “Same here. My roommates aren’t due home until tomorrow. My aunt used to live nearby, and this was her favorite neighborhood restaurant.”
“This is the area my girlfriend and I are hoping to find something in. But there haven’t been many new rentals lately it seems. I check online every few days.”
Sophie felt a rush as she mentally ran through their newest rental listings. She checked them every morning and they’d just added a new one Wednesday before everyone left. It was one of the more senior agent’s listings, Sue Evans. And it was a stunning unit.
“What are you looking for?”
“Three bedrooms ideally as we both work from home. Washer and dryer in unit, elevator and doorman. We also want to be on or near Fifth Avenue and walking distance to the Met. I guess it is a lot.”
“You may want to give Tessa a call on Monday. We had something new come in Wednesday and it’s an incredible unit. Right on Fifth. It’s a lovely, doorman building and it’s literally right across from the Met. It’s a two bedroom, but the living room is massive. You could easily convert part of it to a third bedroom or office. I’m not sure if it will work for your budget, but it’s worth talking to Tessa about. I think it will probably go fast.”
Sean had put his fork down and was listening intently. When Sophie finished telling him about the rental he immediately said, “That sounds perfect. And our budget is fairly open as we’ll be splitting the cost. Can you show it to me?”
Sophie hesitated. Sean wasn’t her client, he was Tessa’s and she’d just been trying to help. She shook her head and smiled. “You’ve already been working with Tessa. She can show it to you. I’m sure she’d love to.”
He nodded. “I get it. You don’t want to step on any toes. I’ll call her first thing Monday.”
