“Ouch,” he chuckled. “I see how it is.”
All too soon, the car pulled up to my building, and we had walked all the way to my front door. I hoped he didn’t want to go as much as I wanted him to stay. I wasn’t the kind of girl to invite a guy in after one date, though.
“Thank you,” I said, unlocking my door.
“It was my pleasure.” He slowly began backing away, a smile on his face as always. “I’ll call you. You can count on it.”
“All right,” I laughed, opening the door and stepping inside.
“Keep your phone on,” he said, mock seriousness etched in his features. “I mean it. You never know when I could do it.”
“Okay,” I giggled again.
“Goodnight, Mara,” he muttered softly as I began to close the door, keeping my eyes on him.
“Goodnight, Chris,” I replied sweetly, letting the barrier between us finally close all the way with a soft click.
Chapter Five
Another shift at Olive Garden awaited me the next day, promising to be as busy as ever. People were flooding into the city to take part in the celebrations surrounding our nation’s birth. I didn’t mind it so much, because work went much faster when we were packed full, but I was always worn out by the time I made it home.
“Hey, Lizzy,” I said with a smile as I locked my belongings into their cubbyhole. “How are you?”
“Frustrated,” she said shortly, shoving her own things into their space and slamming the door shut.
“Wow. Do you want to talk about it?”
“I’m just trying to find a new place to live,” she said with a sigh. “My landlord refuses to hold up his end of things and I’m tired of living in a dump. The only problem is, I can’t afford anything! My old place was rent controlled and barely in my price range. I got a job here, so I could have something besides ramen noodles to eat every day.” She laughed and rolled her eyes, pulling a hair pin from the pocket of her black jeans and pulling her red, curly bangs back with it.
I thought back to my conversation with Chris the night before and smiled.
“Would you consider having a roommate?”
“I have, but I don’t know anyone looking. Even my own brother doesn’t have room for me with all of the guys he lives with.”
“Well, I know we don’t know each other really well, but I’ve been thinking about asking around for a roommate.”
“Are you serious?” She spun around to look at me, hope in her eyes. “Where do you live?”
“Harlem. It was the best deal I could find for what I had right now.”
She bit her lip, seeming to think it over while she pinned her name tag to her white, button up shirt.
“Can I come see it?” she finally asked.
“Of course,” I said with a smile. “Anytime you want.”
“Great! Thank you so much, Mara. You must be an answer to prayers.”
“It’s no big deal,” I laughed.
“Is tomorrow morning a good time?”
“Sure.”
“Awesome.” She smiled at me again and then rushed over, throwing her arms around me. “You have no idea what this does for me.”
“Make sure you like it first,” I laughed, hugging her back.
“I’m sure I will. Thank you so much!”
The rest of the day went in mostly the same manner. I’d never realized how friendly Lizzy was. She had opened up at my offer, shocking me with her funniness and quick wit. Hopefully, she really would like the apartment. She reminded me of a couple of my friends back in Arizona. We’d never gotten the chance to hang out like we’d wanted because of our work schedules, but it looked like I might have finally found my friend in the city.
The next morning I put off going to the gym, deciding to wait for her to show up. We hadn’t picked a specific time, so it looked like I was staying in for the day until she arrived.
I pulled one of my favorite movie musicals, Oklahoma!, out and turned it on, wishing I would either hear something back from my audition, or at least be able to go to another one soon. Things kept popping up whenever I thought I had a chance to get out there again. Determined to make it, though, I’d asked for a couple days off after the holiday, so I could really get into the swing of things.
Just as the second act of the show began, there was a peppy knock at the door. I paused the film, a cowboy and his girl frozen in their dance.
As I expected, Lizzy was on the other side, jeans and a tank top hugging her fit form, her hair in a messy up-do. Her green eyes sparkled with excitement as she bounced on the balls of her feet.
“Good morning!” she said in a sing song voice, holding out a coffee to me.
“Same to you,” I laughed, taking it from her. “Come on in.”
“Oh, it’s a loft!” She walked past me, taking in the space around her.
“Yeah, I forgot to mention that. I hope it’s not a problem.”
Walking towards the kitchen, I set the cup on the counter and took a seat on one of the barstools.
“It’s fine with me,” she said with a smile. “I have one of those beds that fold up into a closet type thingy. It’s been a lifesaver to have. Is that okay with you?”
“The place came furnished, so I don’t have a problem with anything. We can move whatever to fit you in as well.”
“Awesome! I think it’s amazing. Let’s talk finances.” She strode over to me and plopped her purse on the counter, settling into the seat next to me.
“It’s not too bad, actually,” I said. “Rent and all the utilities is only about sixteen hundred a month.”
“I can totally afford half of that,” she beamed, nodding. “What about food and stuff?”
“I don’t mind sharing,” I replied with a shrug. “I’m bad about buying more than enough, anyway. With someone here, I won’t have to worry about eating the same thing three nights in a row, so it doesn’t go bad.”
“I’m so grateful for this,” she gushed, a hand over her heart. “You have no idea how much this will help me. And it’s nice! No mice or bugs. That’s a big seller for me.”
“Me too,” I laughed.
“So, when can I move in? Do you need a deposit or anything?”
“As soon as you want and, uh, no. When you move out we’ll see if there’s anything that needs to be fixed. I already paid the full deposit, so I don’t see any reason in making you pay some, as well.”
“This is fantastic!” she squealed, throwing her arms around me again. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can’t wait to call Evan and tell him.”
“Evan?” I asked, chuckling at her excitement.
“Oh, he’s my older brother. I tried to see if I could move in with him first, but he lives with a bunch of guys from work.” She pulled her phone from her purse and tapped out a quick message before I heard the swooshing sound that meant it was on the way to its destination.
“That’s nice that they all live together,” I said nonchalantly.
“It works well with their schedule,” she agreed.
“What is it they do?”
“They don’t all work at the same place, but they’re each part of the running crews for the theatres.”
“Really?” I asked, my interest instantly peaked.
“Oh yeah, you’re a theatre nut!” She grimaced at her words. “I didn’t mean that in a bad way,” she explained.
“It’s fine,” I laughed. “Where does Evan work?”
“I have no idea,” she laughed. “He’s always moving around. I think he likes all the shows and uses it as a way to see them all. He’s usually only with a company for a few months at a time. Except for last year—he spent eight months on tour with American Idiot. I missed him a lot.”
“It sounds like you guys are pretty close,” I said with a smile.
“Most of the time,” she replied with a shrug.
Her phone dinged and she opened the new message, scanning it quickly.
“He says he can help
me move all my stuff over in two days, is that okay?”
“Isn’t that the Fourth of July?” I asked.
“Yeah. I guess he has the day off. He’s doing something with his buddies the other days.” She slid her phone back into her bag, picking it up and tossing it over her arm once more as she stood.
“That’s fine,” I said, rising as well.
“Great! I’ll see you at work tomorrow then, roomie!”
She hugged me once more and then waved as she walked out the door, her curls bouncing as she pulled it shut.
I shook my head and walked back to the couch, turning my movie back on. Lizzy was definitely not what I’d expected. When we first met, she was very business-like and taught me how to do my job very well. It seemed that was not who she really was, though, which was surprisingly a welcome realization.
I wonder if she has any theatre experience, I mused, not really paying attention to the show.
The day came for my new roommate to arrive and I waited with excitement. We’d seen each other at work the past two days, visiting and getting to know each other a little better. Luckily, we both had today off, even with the holiday rush. I could have used the extra pay, but this was a good trade off in my mind.
As it turned out, Lizzy wanted to open her own restaurant someday. She’d told me how excited she was to have money for some real food, because she knew how to make lots of tasty, healthy things. My stomach practically growled at the thought of it. I wasn’t a bad cook, but having someone who was practically a chef in the house? I was going to have to work out more to stay in shape, I just knew it.
Right on time, there was a knock at the door, and I hurried to open it. Lizzy was standing on the other side, bags lining her arms and a giant smile on her face. Someone holding boxes was behind her.
“Hey!” I said, a huge smile of my own shining through. “Come in. Do you need help with anything?”
I moved out of the way, holding the door open as they came in.
“You don’t have to help if you don’t want to,” Lizzy said, setting her stuff down on the couch.
“It would be nice if you did, though,” a baritone voice said from behind the packages as he set them down on the counter.
“Oh yeah! Mara, this is my brother, Evan.”
Her brother turned around, and I almost forgot to keep my mouth from gaping. He was extremely fit, his black shirt stretching across his muscles and showing them off perfectly. A chiseled jaw and light green eyes drew me in, making me instantly positive that Lizzy had put up with most of her friends crushing on him her whole life. His brown hair was short and somewhat spikey. He definitely knew how to style himself.
“Hey,” he said, holding his hand out to me.
“Mara,” I said, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.
“Evan.”
A look at Lizzy confirmed my previous thoughts. She looked like she was trying to hide a snicker of her own.
“There’s a couple more boxes in the truck,” he said, not noticing. “I’ll probably need both of your help to get the bed up here, too.”
“No problem,” I said with a smile, walking out the door. “Just tell me what to do.”
“Oh my gosh, I forgot to tell you,” Lizzy said excitedly as we walked out into the hall. “Evan got us theatre drapes to hang up and separate our rooms! That’s okay, right?”
“Yeah!” I said, sharing her excitement. “I love that idea. Thank you so much. I’d forgotten all about getting extra curtains to make your room up with. I even moved all my stuff over to the one side and still forgot.”
“You were probably just excited,” she giggled. “Like me!”
“Okay,” Evan said, motioning for us to follow him down the stairs. “There’s a few more boxes and then the bed we need to bring up.”
“Right,” I replied, following him. “Let’s do this.”
Once we reached the van outside, the talking stopped and we carried the rest of Lizzy’s items up into the loft, setting most of them on the kitchen counter until it could all be put away. Finally, only the bed was left, and we gathered around the opening of the vehicle to get it out.
“You each take a corner,” Evan instructed, sliding it towards the opening. “I can handle this side on my own.”
Lizzy and I did as instructed, trying with all our might to keep a grip on the heavy piece of furniture.
It was slow going. I could hardly speak, concentrating on not dropping my side. Evan seemed a little annoyed it was taking so long, but didn’t say anything.
We were halfway up the stairs when I heard a voice behind me, coming from the next floor.
“Is that you, Mara?”
“Chris?” I said, tightening my grip as the bed slipped in my sweaty palms.
“Whoa, let me help you out there!”
I could see him out of the corner of my eye, coming between Lizzy and I and lifting the burden from us. A breath escaped me and I immediately wanted to thank him profusely as my burden was lifted.
“Thank you,” I said, moving out of the way and up to the next floor with Lizzy.
“No problem,” Chris said, looking back at me with a smile.
The men moved the bulky bed the rest of the way with ease, Lizzy and I leading the way and making sure there was nothing in their path.
“Thank you so much,” I said again as they sat it down in the spot we’d cleared for it before going back down.
“It was my pleasure,” Chris replied, smoothing his suit jacket. “I was in the area and thought I’d stop by and see you. I was more than happy to help.”
“Thanks,” Lizzy’s brother remarked, holding out his hand. “Evan.”
“Chris.”
They shook and a silence filled the room.
“Evan, let me walk you out,” Lizzy blurted out loudly, walking over to her brother and taking his arm.
I was positive she winked at me as they went into the hall, the door closing behind them.
“New roommate?”
“Yeah,” I confirmed, blushing. “Thank you again, really.”
“It was nothing,” he said, waving it off.
“So you wanted to see me, huh?” I questioned, my tone flirtatious.
“I did,” he laughed, stepping closer. “I wanted to see if you’d like to go to the fireworks show with me tonight, maybe get a little something to eat.”
“That sounds nice,” I answered, my heart skipping a beat at his smile.
He continued to grin at me, making my stomach go crazy with butterflies.
“I’ll pick you up. Sound good?” He slid his hands into his pockets, his gaze locked on mine.
“Yeah, that sounds great,” I said breathlessly.
“All right, let’s go.”
“Right now?” I asked in shock.
“As long as you don’t mind coming back to my place, so I can change,” he chuckled.
“I guess that’s okay,” I said, flustered. “Let me run a brush through my hair real quick.”
I practically ran to the bathroom, trying to remember where my deodorant got left that morning. Helping with the bed had made me a little sweaty. Thankfully, my makeup wasn’t messed up and my hair was still holding a curl. In a few minutes and once more check in the mirror later, I was ready to go.
“Do I need to bring anything?” I inquired as I came back out into the living room.
“No, I’ll take care of everything.”
His smile made my knees go weak and my heart thud in my chest. If tonight was anything like our last date, he was definitely someone I wanted to keep around.
I opened the door and Lizzy jumped back in alarm on the other side, an embarrassed grin on her face.
“I didn’t want to interrupt,” she confessed sheepishly.
“I’m going out for the night. I hope that’s okay?” I said to her.
“It’s fine!” she chimed enthusiastically.
Chris passed by me, waiting in the hall as I grabbed my phone of the desk b
y the door and slid it into the pocket of my jeans.
“I’ll see you later,” I said.
Lizzy’s head nodded furiously, a huge grin on her face as she shut the door behind me.
“She seems nice,” Chris laughed.
“She is,” I replied confidently. “We work together, so I know her better than I would have a complete stranger.”
“You should have told me you were serious about the roommate, I could have helped.”
“I didn’t even think about it,” I said honestly.
“Maybe next time,” he replied smoothly, holding the building door open for me.
“Maybe,” I acknowledged with a smile.
He waved a cab down for us and soon we were darting through the streets towards his house.
“So, I was thinking of something more intimate than last time, if you don’t mind,” he said casually.
“What do you mean?”
“I have a really nice penthouse I’m working with right now that’s completely vacant. It will be the perfect spot to watch the fireworks. I thought we could have dinner on the terrace. It’d be just the two of us.”
“That’s fine with me,” I said with a smile.
My phone buzzed and I looked down to a message from Lizzy. She was gushing over how cute Chris was. I laughed and put the device back in my pocket. It seemed certain that she would want to know everything as soon as I got home.
We pulled up to a majestic high rise and a doorman opened the car door for us, greeting Chris by name.
I looked around in awe as we entered the building, feeling underdressed for such a fancy lobby.
Chris led me to an elevator and we rode several floors up before finally stepping off.
“It’s down the hall,” he said, stepping out onto the velvet red carpet.
I followed behind him as he pulled his keys out, looking at the art on the wall in wonder. Because I wasn’t paying attention, I ran right into him when he stopped in front of his door, causing him to drop his keys on the floor.
“I’m sorry,” I laughed.
“It’s fine,” he grinned, bending and picking them up.
He fiddled with the lock for a second before cracking the door open and turning to smile at me.
Taking Chances: A Sweet Contemporary Romance (Dreams) Page 5
