Chapter Six

Mitch looked around the apartment, a bit stunned at how nice it was. Airy, lots of windows and light, good space, fully furnished with pretty great furniture. And the price was right, too.

He glanced at Reena. She was leaning against the far wall watching him and when their eyes met, she smiled.

“So,” she said. “What do you think?”

“It’s fucking great,” he said. “Better than I expected.”

God, watch the mouth, boy.

“I know, right?” She walked across the living room, and he felt his whole body lean a bit closer to her as she passed him. “This would be your room here. Would it bother you that it’s right off the living room and kitchen area?”

“Nope. I sleep like a rock.”

“OK. Take a look.”

He stepped into the bedroom and took in the huge wooden bed, the dark furniture, the window facing the Rockies. “It’s perfect, Reena. Really.”

“Yeah?”

“Fuck, yeah.” He sighed internally. “I mean, yes.”

She grinned at him. “The blue streak?”

“You know it.”

“Anyway,” she said. “You could walk in with a suitcase and be totally settled. Nothing at all to buy, which is awesome.”

“Dishes and stuff?”

“All included, plus I have some things of my own. A few throw-rugs for the floor, plants, stuff to personalize it a bit. Make it warmer.”

“I have a motorcycle… is there any place for me to park it?”

“We have one spot in the parking garage included in the lease, and I don’t have a car. Nothing on the street, though.”

“That’s OK. It’s better in the winter, anyway, for my bike to be indoors.” Mitch looked around again. “And where’s your room?”

“This way.” She led him back out through the living room and down the hallway, past the bathroom. “I’d have two rooms, one for my bedroom, the other for my painting studio. I’d pay more of the rent, which is part of the reason why your share is lower than a straight half. We can figure out how much you need to pay to use the parking spot, and then I think it’ll all be sorted financially.”

Mitch poked his head into the rooms and smiled. “Good light in here for a painter.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. It’s one of the main reasons that I wanted the place so badly.”

He walked back down the hall to the bathroom and took a look in there. It was a huge bathroom, with a shower and a separate bath and white and blue tile. It was all perfect. He wanted to move in here, and right away.

“I’d love to move in, Reena. The sooner the better. The flea hotel I’m staying in now is doing my head in.”

“OK.” She breathed a sigh of relief. “The landlord will be back in ten minutes to get the key, and we can tell him then.”

“What’s he like?”

“Eddie? OK.”

“But he threatened to take your ass to court.”

She blinked up at him. “Well, sure he did. I mean, if I bailed on this whole thing, he’d probably be out a whole three months’ worth of income. Who can go without income for twenty-five percent of the year?”

He stared down at her. “Wow, you’re understanding.”

She shrugged. “What Wendy did wasn’t my fault, but it wasn’t Eddie’s, either. And she was my friend, so it just came down to me to fix the problem. Thank goodness Adam and Nick helped me out with that.”

“Yeah.” Mitch looked around again, liking the warmth of the apartment, liking that he’d be sharing it with her. “They helped us both.”

****

Mitch set his duffel bags down on the ground and searched through his jeans pockets for his keys. Before he could dig them out, the apartment door swung open. He looked up to see Reena smiling at him, and his chest tightened up a bit at her beauty.

“Welcome home!” she said.

He grinned down at her. “Thanks, roomie.”

“Want a hand?” she asked.

“Nope, I got it.” He picked up the duffels again and walked into the apartment, inhaling deeply. The living room smelled of roses and sandalwood and something else, something pure and sweet. He thought it came from Reena herself and he longed to hold her close, to just breathe her in.

“Um. That’s it?” Reena gestured at the two bags. “That’s your whole life?”

“Well, most of my stuff is at The Rock.”

“Oh,” she said. “You didn’t have it with you at the hotel?”

“No.” He sat down on the sofa and settled back with a sigh. “I was there as little as possible. Didn’t even shower there, actually, since the hotel bathroom was such a fucking nightmare, I swear. I basically just slept at the hotel and the rest of my time was spent at the gym.”

“Awful. I can see why you wanted to get out of there so badly.”

“I sure did.” He looked around, taking in some of the changes. “So, you’ve been decorating, I see.”

She sat down next to him on the sofa, curled her feet under her. “Yeah, a little. What do you think?”

“I really like the painting on the wall. One of yours?”

“Nope. I wish.”

“I like the throw rugs too, in the kitchen. That space was a bit too white, I thought.”

“You noticed that too, huh?”

“Yeah,” Mitch said. “It looked like a doctor’s office or something… clinical.”

“Exactly what I thought!” Reena said. “No color, no character, and it’s a kitchen, for goodness’ sake. It should be warm, you know?”

“Totally agree.” He paused. “And what’s that… thing?”