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“This place is beautiful,” she says. “And you only live here during the season?”
“I have a house in Vancouver near my family. Whenever I have time off, that's where I am.”
Her eyebrows stitch together in a look of concern washes over her face as her attention switches from looking over the house to glancing up at me.
"Wait, I don't have to go with you to Canada for the off-season, do I? We never discussed that as part of our agreement."
I get she has a business that she couldn't be away from for an entire summer, but the look on her face has me wondering if there's something else she doesn't want to be away from that long.
"I won't be leaving for the off-season. I can't spend that much time out of the US during the next two years while the K-1 visa is under review."
"Ok good," she says.
My answer seems to put her back at ease, and she begins to survey the penthouse again.
"Is there a reason you couldn't leave with me for an extended stay if something came up?" I ask.
Since me living in two countries has been an issue in past relationships, I'm curious to hear her answer.
Her eyes meet mine again. "My business is taking off right now. And even if Shawnie could manage it all herself… my brother—I can't leave him for that long."
I never made it clear to Amelia that Canada is always going to be a part of my future, but with Juliet, I want to make sure she understands.
"When my contract is over in four years, I plan to move back to Canada, where my family lives. I just thought you should know."
She doesn't seem phased in the least by my information.
"We'll be divorced by then, right?" she asks, though it's not really a question.
It's more of a polite way of reminding me that this relationship is temporary.
"Right," I say back.
Again, Juliet shows her willingness to put her brother's needs before hers. Not that she needs me or has any desire to move to Canada. But even if she did, she wouldn't consider them because her brother is her priority.
“This penthouse has two masters and two guest bedrooms. You'll have your own ensuite bathroom and the room is spacious, but you’re welcome to use any part of the penthouse. This is your home now, too. I want you to feel comfortable in it.”
She follows me down the hall, and I turn to our left into the first bedroom, which is the second and slightly smaller master bedroom.
We walk in and she looks around the space for a moment, her gaze wide-eyed.
“This is bigger than my apartment,” she says.
I know that can’t be true but I chuckle anyway.
“It's a large room. It should give you plenty of space. The bathroom and the walk-in closet are through that door,” I say, pointing to the double doors. “And if you want, this room is big enough for a small office space. I’ll buy whatever furniture you need for in here. Or you can take one of the guest bedrooms down the hall for an office space. Unless you already have—”
“No, I don’t have an office space. Shawnie and I have talked about it but Seattle’s office space rent is outrageous. We just work on our laptops wherever we meet up. An office space would be… amazing.”
If I had known the office was such a big deal, I would have mentioned it sooner when I asked her to move in.
“You're going to be here for two years. You might as well have a space to work in.”
“Thank you,” she says, spinning around to face me, a sparkle in those violet eyes that have me almost offering to buy her office furniture.
I’d better leave and head back downstairs before I offer up the penthouse.
I push the two pieces of luggage closer to the bed and then pull the straps off over my head from the bags I brought up. “This should be a good start. Why don’t you start unpacking while I bring up the rest?”
