by Amy Brent
“I… I guess that makes sense. But still, I think you’re spoiling me.”
“Maybe you deserve to be spoiled.” I offered her my arm, which she promptly wrapped her own arm through.
“We’ll see if you keep thinking that when everything is said and done.”
“I doubt my mind will change much.”
“Uh-huh, that what everyone says at first, but then reality comes in swingin’.” I was going to protest further, but then she was hauling me towards the shopping area of the mall and I just decided to let her think what she thought. Time would give me the chance to prove her wrong and I was certainly intent on doing that. I didn’t care if we were getting a divorce; I still wanted good things for Nicole.
And, as far as I was concerned, she was going to get them.
***
In a strange turn of events, shopping without buying anything actually was… fun. We set up several registries in different shops, putting things we liked or thought useful in and generally having a great time.
Somehow, Nicole was even more hilarious than usual. Although I knew that could just be the friendship forming between us that made me appreciate her dry wit more, I had a feel that she was growing more relaxed around me and being far more candid. Funny, how after sleeping together twice, it was a good ol’ fashioned trip to an outlet mall and terrible fast food that really started to make us close.
It was strange to think, but I couldn’t wait to divorce her so she could move on from our mistake in Vegas and go on the crazy path she had in front of her. Despite her wise cracks and her unwillingness to trust anyone, there was this fire in her eyes. Something that told me that nothing could get in her way and she would blaze through any obstacle.
I got the feeling that, even if I hadn’t showed up, that she would have made it back onto her feet anyways. Sure, it probably would have taken her longer and been a lot harder, but she would have made it.
Honestly, if she wasn’t pregnant, I would have asked her out for a night cap, so we could wind down and have some more laughs. But, as we were heading back to the car, I could tell that she was exhausted and probably wouldn’t appreciate watching me drink.
“Wow, what a day,” she murmured as we headed back to the hotel.
“Yeah, it certainly was productive.”
She chuckled slightly, but her head was leaned against the back of the chair and her eyes were closed, I guess I would let her rest; she had certainly earned it.
But as we drove along, I was reminded that in just a day or two I would be going back home, and she would be on her own. Who would be there to watch her back? Who would she call if she fell or started having contractions early?
That thought followed me all the way up to the elevator and into our room, continuing to escalate as she showered and got ready for the night. I was still going to sleep on the couch, but I didn’t mind. If I wanted, I could just get my own room, but I didn’t want to be separated from her when our time together was so limited as it was.
But when she came out of the shower, her skin slick with water and her long hair in a bun on top of her head, I couldn’t keep my thoughts to myself any longer.
“Hey, I know you said your mother wasn’t very supportive, but since your father’s out of the picture and she’s cooled down, maybe you should tell her about the baby. You need someone you can trust around just in case.”
She froze in the middle of the room, one foot towards the bedroom. Slowly, her head turned towards me, and I could see her moth moving repeatedly as if she was trying to figure out exactly what she wanted to say.
“Uh… I… I guess I’ll think about it once I have a place. Right now, that should probably be my biggest priority.”
Well, it wasn’t a yes, but it certainly wasn’t a no either. I guessed that was the best I could expect considering the situation.
“Alright. Logical, I approve.”
“You would, wouldn’t you,” she said with a slight laugh before heading back into the bedroom. Once I hear her staring to settle, I got myself comfortable for the night. I was sure tomorrow was going to be another jam-packed day, and I wanted to be ready.
Chapter Eighteen
~Nicole~
I was practically vibrating with excitement as we headed to the first apartment on the list. True to Stacy’s challenge, she had a list of four places in James’ email by seven thirty am. I had thought it at least ten times, but I couldn’t believe all of this was happening. I was going from being homeless and living in my car on Friday, to having a place on Sunday and being more financially secure than I had been in my entire life.
I didn’t even care what these places looked like, I was so happy. But I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of apartments did meet his expectations.
I guess that question was going to be answered soon, because according to the GPS, we were only ten minutes away. I hadn’t even eaten breakfast, I was so nervous, and right now those nerves were growing that much more persistent.
We were definitely in the nicer part of the city, where tourists went to treat themselves to nice lunches and overpriced dinners and was definitely out of my price range. But not out of James’, apparently, because he didn’t seem to be even sweating about all the money he had just agreed to spend every month for the next eighteen years.
We pulled into a sub division, and I was surprised as we went past townhouse after townhouse before finally reaching a large building at the back of the development. It had to be at least ten stories tall and overlooked the water of the Mississippi just far enough away not to be a flooding hazard. It was obviously brand new, maybe a couple of years old at most, and I could practically smell to new-development-scent.
“Wow,” I said, heading out of the car. Only belatedly did I realize that James was coming around the car to open the door, but I was already on the ground. Damn, I didn’t know if I would ever get used to that.
“I’m glad you approve. Let’s see if you like the inside just as much.”
“I can’t imagine I won’t.”
He offered his arm again and lead me to a much smaller building that was just to the side of the apartments. If I had to guess, I would think that it was an office.
Turned out I was right. But it was the nicest office that I ever walked into. Almost the first step in the door a receptionist came to greet us and asked if we wanted a drink. I just requested water, but James asked for a full on complicated coffee drink and the worker simply nodded then hurried off.
I stood there awkwardly, not sure where to go, but before I could even ask James, someone else in a nice business get up approached us, clipboard in hand.
“Hello, Mr. Hines, is it?”
“Yes,” he said, releasing my arm to shake the woman’s hand. She was quite professional looking, with her thick curls pulled back into a bun and umber lipstick on her full lips. “So glad to meet you. I assume you’re Miss Kenyo that Stacy told me about?”
“Please, call me Pamela.”
“Of course, Pamela. Is the apartment ready to see?”
“Indeed, it is! And I think you’re going to like it!” She looked to me and her smile was both broad and genuine. “And you must be Mrs. Hines!”
“Oh, no. I’m-” I froze mid word, my brain catching up. “Actually… yeah. I guess I kinda am.”
The woman gave me a bit of a confused look, but James interceded so smoothly I had to wonder if he had a script in front of him. “We’re getting a divorce,” he said, not sounding ashamed in the slightest. “Sometimes, even after so much time spent loving each other, sometimes you realize that you’re not the right fit. So, we’re finding my best friend a place to live where I know she’ll be safe.”
The woman’s eyes slipped down to my stomach before a pleasant smile crossed her face. “How wonderful that you could stay on pleasant turns. If only my ex an I could be so civil!”
“Yes, that’s the word for it…” I murmured, feeling a bit embarrassed. If I had just kept my mouth
shut, we might have looked like a normal, mega-rich couple buying another apartment that we would never use.
But thankfully, the woman was supremely professional and moved on, leading us back out of the office and towards the apartment building.
It was even more beautiful close up. The lawn was impeccably manicured and there was a small flower garden all around the edge of the large building. I could smell it faintly on the breeze, and it just made me that much more excited.
Pamela punched in a code on the entry way then held the door open for us, and from the first moment I stepped in, I was in love.
The temperature inside of the hall was perfect, not too cold, not too hot, and there was the slightest of breezes that carried a barely perceptible hint of vanilla.
Huh, now I was hungry.
But besides my sudden craving for a glazed donut with some ice cream on top, the carpet was thick and luxurious under my flats, and the walls were neatly painting in alternating stripes of silver and white.
“So, as you see, we have the stairs if you’re in the mood for a little cardio, or even in case -lord forbid- there’s a fire. But, for most of your days, we have two elevators. Right this way!”
We followed her to behind the staircase and I saw that there were two vending machines there too, one with snacks and one with soft drinks. Wow, already this was a hundred times better than anything I could ever hope to afford on my own and we weren’t even in the apartment.
The elevator ride was smooth and uneventful, with James and Pamela making slightly flirty small talk. I felt the tiniest sliver of a negative emotion as I watched them go back and forth. Was it jealousy? What reason did I have to be jealous? It wasn’t like James and I were in a relationship, and he was an incredibly hot, charming, intelligent billionaire that had just the right hint of danger to him.
I had no claim to him, and yet I could still taste some bitterness on the back of my tongue. I needed to get a hold on myself or otherwise this was going to be more of a mess than it already was.
We finally reached the seventh floor, which was apparently where the apartment was. We stepped out into the hallway and the first think I noticed was a patio outside of a glass door at the end of the hall overlooking the Mississippi river.
“Is that what I think it is?” I asked, beelining straight for it.
“Unless they changed the word for what a balcony is, I would hope so,” James countered, laughing ever so lightly at me.
“You know what I mean,” I chided, reaching for the handle. “Is this open to the public?”
“Of course,” Pamela said, smiling like she knew she had me hook, line and sinker. “Why don’t you go look?”
But I was already out the door and onto the patio. It was just high enough to make me nervous, but not so much that I wanted to puke. The wind caressed my face, the slightest spray of water to it, and I could hear birds chirping off in the distance.
“This is… nice.” I breathed, not caring if Pamela heard. I figured it was mostly James’ choice or not.
“It is. But how about we actually go into the apartment now?”
I continued to look out at the expanse, breathing deeply, before turning to face the hall again. “Hey, you can’t blame me for wanting to stop and smell the roses.”
“Interesting you should mention that,” Pamela said. “We have over twelve different species of roses on premises.”
“Great factoid, but please, apartment now.” I guess I couldn’t blame James for being in such a rush. We still had three more places to go and I was moving on along at a snail’s pace. But these were places that I had only ever dreamed of being able to afford. I didn’t want to lose a moment of it.
“Of course. Right this way, Mr. Hines.” Pamela took off, walking at a good pace considering her high heels, and we followed along behind. This time we didn’t take any detours, and only stopped when we were at the apartment door.
“Here it is,” she said, opening the entrance and stepping back for us to go in. I flounced past her, my belly bouncing slightly, and was ready to be amazed.
And boy howdy was I amazed.
Once more there was no carpet. I didn’t know if James and I just agreed that carpets were far more trouble than they were worth as well as huge bacteria houses, or if he had noticed how much I appreciated the carpetless floor from the one place we had gone to the day before.
The place was spacious, nearly twice some of the apartments I grew up in. The living room was massive and faced out to the river again, and the dining area was cute with a little half-wall separating it from the hallway that lead to the bedrooms. But I skipped the sleeping areas, and made straight for the bathroom, which to me was the best part of the house.
I practically threw open the door and stepped inside, flicking the light switch in one smooth motion. Or, at least I tried to be smooth, but I was thrown through a loop when my hand hit three switches and a dialer.
I paused, looking to the side, and I was reminded of how James struggled with the lights in his suite in Vegas. The memory caught me by surprise, and I smiled to myself as I figured it out.
There. The bathroom lit up and I looked around.
“Oh geeze…” I murmured, eyes wide. The tile was blue and white, and there was a long, deep tub with a detachable showerhead. It was one of those big ones, with about a billion different spray patterns and pressure settings.
The sink was massive too, with plenty of space for toothpaste, makeup and whatever the hell else I wanted to put on there. There was also an entirely additional set of light bulbs all around the mirror, and when I turned those on, I was nearly blinded by the white light.
Wowza. I could make some real great looks with that. And now that I was actually going to have money, I would be able to resupply all of my used up or expired products.
I heard James walk to the doorway behind me, and I turned to face him with a happy expression on my face. “This place is amazing!”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“So am I,” Pamela said from behind him. “I also wanted to mention that there’s central air and heat, so you will never have to worry about being too hot or too cold. The thermostat is in the kitchen, would you like to see that as well?”
“You bet your bottom I do,” I said, sliding past James and following after Pamela once more. Once again, I was not disappointed as I stepped into the room and looked at the wonder.
Everything was chrome, so very chrome, and obviously the cleaning crew had spent a good time polishing up in preparation to show this apartment off. There was a large, double welled sink, a fridge that had one of those fancy water and ice dispenser, apparently, a garbage disposal judging by the switch right next to the sink.
I had no words. All I could do was stand there and appreciate the beauty of it all. There was even one of those overhead hangy things that I had no idea what they were called.
“So, any questions?” Pamela asked, looking pleased as punch with my reaction.
“No. I think we’re good here.” James said, stepping forward and offering me his arm again. “We have three more places to see, so we’ll be in touch tomorrow.”
“Oh…” Wow, I could hear the disappointment from where I stood. “But Mrs. Hine here seemed quite enamored-”
“I’m just that way with everything,” I said, trying to step up since I had probably given her the wrong impression. “I do absolutely love it here, but I need to see what else James went through the trouble of finding.”
“Of course! Best to make sure you’re absolutely sure.” She walked past us to the door, where she handed each of us a packet that I guessed was info that Stacy had probably already given us. “Anything else I can answer for you on the way back?”
We sank into regular conversation, and it was surprisingly unpressured considering that we were probably a huge commission for her. And just a few minutes later, we were walking out to the car and heading out to our next destination.
Man, if that w
as the first place, I couldn’t imagine what place number two was like.
***
I never knew that you could get fatigued from being impressed, but that was exactly where I was at the moment. My back hurt. My feet hurt. Even my eyes hurt. And as we slid into the car after the last appointment, I was more than ready to curl into the hotel bed that James was still generously providing to me.
“So, what are your thoughts?” James asked as we drove. “Or do you need the night to think it over.”
“Well…” I said, trying to order my thoughts. And honestly, they were a hot mess at the moment, a scramble of things I liked and things I didn’t. “I really loved that first place. I think it was about a ten-minute drive from my work and the balcony was just to die for. I can imagine having cook outs on that with my neighbors, watching the fireworks show above the arch during the fourth of July.”
“Huh, you have quite the vivid imagination with that already.”
“Yeah, I guess. But I also love the deep hot tub in the third place. The gym at the forth place and the pool were out of this world too.”
