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Julie strolled to the sofa and sat, Noah perched on the edge a good distance away from her.
“So, we’re both going to NYU,” she said.
“Yeah, but the Grossman campus is up on East Thirty-first.”
“I know. And Uncle Scotty said you are going into your third year of med school. I’m still an undergrad. He said you wentto Brooklyn College for undergrad? I’m just starting my junior year. I took some time to travel or I’d be farther along.”
“Where did you go?” he asked.
“Paris, Rome, Greece. It wasn’t all fun and games. I went to some international design and fashion shows and then met my father to attend a conference where he was a speaker.”
“Sounds great.” Noah had never been out of the country. When he wasn’t in school he was working to bring in money for what his scholarship did not cover. The strange part was…his usual resentment for rich kids did not surface when it came to Julie. She was so honest and fresh and unassuming.
Julie interrupted his thoughts. “Uncle Scotty said you are one of his best students and that he selected you for a special project this year and wanted to make sure you have a quiet place to study. You must be really smart for him to take such an interest in you.”
One shoulder went up. “I try.” Noah was feeling more hesitant by the minute, but the apartment was fantastic, the price great, the neighborhood safe… “I do need a lot of quiet. Is that going to cramp your lifestyle?”
“I don’t think so,” she said. “I play music and movies sometimes, but not often. I’m used to studious men like my father and brother who both need a lot of quiet time. I also have my own school projects to do and I often use the 3-D computers on campus. And even though I do like to party, I usually go out to the clubs or to friends’ places, so you won’t have to worry about that.”
His eyebrows came together. “Couldn’t you get a lot more money for the room from somebody else?”
“I don’t need the money. I would let you live here for free, but Uncle Scotty said you would be insulted if I did that. I trust his judgment of people. He said you are a good solid guy, trustworthy, and would have a stabilizing influence on me.”
What in hell did that mean? “Makes me sound kind of boring.”
After one of those same breathy laughs she did in the hallway, she said, “I didn’t mean it the way it sounds. He only meant that seeing you studying all the time might make me take my schoolwork more seriously. And having a guy living with me will help me appear less available to some of the creeps out there.”
Oh, boy. The last thing he wanted was to play bodyguard to a rich girl. “Are you saying I’m supposed to protect you from—”
“Stop. That is not going to happen. In fact, I want to have rules around bringing anyone home. I’m not talking about a known friend. I mean a hookup. Not here, okay?”
He was too embarrassed to admit his sex life was pitifully lacking. So he said, “Okay. Does that go for you too?”
“Yes. Absolutely. There are always options. Their place, the dorms, even a hotel. But this is my little sanctum and I don’t want anyone ruining the vibes, much less stealing or damaging my things.”
“Actually, that is another worry for me now that you mention it. I can’t afford to replace one of your art objects if I accidentally break it. Or what if I spill coffee on your expensive furniture?”
“Not the same, Noah. I’m talking about people who are disrespectful. Or even criminal. I experienced some people like that in boarding school and I can tell that you are not one of them.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m saying I can tell you’re not an asshole. That you would treat me and what belongs to me with respect.”
“But accidents happen.”
“And I would never blame you for one. Or expect you to replace what broke. I’ll put it in writing if you want, as part of ourrental agreement. I love all my things, Noah, but they are just things. It’s how people treat each other that matters.”
When Julie said that, something in Noah melted. And the way she reached out and touched his hand when she said it made him drop all the trust issues he’d built up over his young life.
And suddenly they were making plans for him to move in.
4
Present time…
The Beachview Country Clubwas relatively new on the South Fork when compared with the older clubs that catered to the blue bloods of the Hamptons, and because of that it attracted a slightly younger membership that could find just about anything it wanted here. Swimming, golf, tennis, squash, even pickleball. A fully equipped gym, yoga, meditation, arts. Discussion groups, dinners, parties and special events. Plus a full roster of programs for children.
On a sunny Saturday afternoon Julie was bringing Molly in for a two o’clock dance class with Tricia Soltera-Vaughn, her new sister-in-law. As she walked toward the fitness center where the dance studio was, she saw Tricia and her best friend, Kaylee Johnson, sitting at an outdoor table eating burgers and fries.
