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“Probably my behavior in the Poconos, which I owe you an apology for, was the catalyst. She’d gotten sick of my shenanigans, but Lisa is long suffering. I finally couldn’t stand it anymore either, so I left last week.”
Jolene had the decency to look shamed since she had initiated the encounter, but she didn’t say that. “So it’s new.”
“It’s not that new. We stuck it out for the last year, and it was probably a mistake. The kids were showing signs of stress.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. You have a big family, don’t you?”
“Lisa has four, and two are mine.”
“Gotcha. What are you doing for work?”
He told her, also the short version.
“Wow, so you’re on that TV showRescuing Old New York! I think I might remember you from a few years back.”
“Yeah, they let me come back. But the commute is killing me.”
“Good luck finding a place. I’ve heard it’s impossible right now to find anything affordable.”
“I’ll have to get something unaffordable, then, because I can’t do this every day.”
“Are you still living at home?”
“No. I have an apartment in Babylon.”
Traffic finally thinned out enough that he could pull away from the curb. “Do you have a place in mind for dinner?” he asked, hoping to avoid sitting in her apartment because of the self-control it would take not to jump her.
“You know, it’s Friday night, which sucks to get a table without a reservation. Do you mind going to my place? I havesteak in the fridge I was going to cook tonight. It’s big enough for two.”
Ryan grinned in the dark car. He’d have to use all his restraint. “I’ll have dinner in with you. Have time to talk. We really don’t know each other.”
“No, that’s true.”
She gave him directions to an apartment two blocks from Tiffany’s pigsty. He decided not to mention the failed attempt at moving.
“I like this block,” he said, finding a parking place on the street.
“Leave nothing in your car, though,” Jolene said. “We have a garage, but there’s no guest parking.”
Everything he owned was in the back of the car, but she didn’t ask about it.
“Okay, I’ll bring my briefcase in. The rest of the stuff can stay under the sheet.”
They walked up to the entrance, and a doorman greeted Jolene.
“Nice, a doorman,” Ryan said.
“It’s a great apartment. This is a co-op, by the way.”
“You don’t have a spare bedroom, do you?”
She looked at him as she pushed the elevator button for the tenth floor. “I do. It’s full of junk, however.”
“I have a strong back,” he said. “How much?”
“Ha! I never said it was for rent. I don’t know if I want to have a roommate, especially one that might have romantic possibilities. Living together would put us in the friend zone, and I have enough friends.”
“Um, we were just going to have dinner,” Ryan said, snickering.
