Page 11 of Enchanting the CEO

Diane sighed. "My company downsized, so they've reduced my hours to only part-time. I couldn't really afford my rent, and my landlord was quick to ask me to leave. He didn’t even give me proper notice. I had to move in a week."

"That’s illegal," I said.

She shrugged. "It is what it is. Anyway, I'm searching for a shared apartment or something, but in the meantime, I'm crashing here with my sister."

"You know I love having you here," Celia countered.

A dangerous idea formed in my mind, and I put down my fork. My brothers often teased me for being impulsive, and they were right. Sometimes it got me into trouble, but I didn't care one bit. I followed my instincts.

"I have a proposition." I looked at Celia. "As you know, I'm currently living in a rented house that has an unwanted guest." I said the last two words through gritted teeth.

Diane jerked her head back. "Meaning?"

Celia laughed softly. "Gabe's building his new house in the Seaport District, and because he's a bit of a control freak—”

“I am not. I just like to oversee some things.”

“Anyway, Gabe wants to monitor the construction crew more closely, so he's rented a house on the same street. And the landlady insists on renting the attic apartment to someone else.”

“And it’s not really separate from the rest of the house," I added. "That guy goes up and down the stairs at least fifty times a day, which wouldn't be a problem if he wasn’t so obnoxious."

"And you can't get the house all for yourself?" Diane asked.

I couldn't help but smile. "No. Believe it or not, Diane, I'm not all-powerful."

"Hmm," she said, looking at Celia. "Not according to my sister." She laughed, then locked eyes with me again. "So, what's your proposition?"

"How would you feel about moving in to replace him?"

Diane’s jaw dropped, and Celia frowned.

"Is that even possible? You said you couldn't get rid of him before," Celia said.

"I wanted to take over the entire lease so I could live there by myself. The landlady said she prefers having two tenants so she still has at least a bit of an income even if one leaves. But I'm sure she won't be opposed to switching tenants. As far as I remember, the guy wants to move out but couldn’t find a replacement to break his portion of the lease.”

"But I don't think I can afford it," Diane said in a very small voice.

I shook my head. "The rent is really not a lot. That’s why the whole thing is frustrating."

"How much is it?" she asked me. I told her the amount, and she nodded, narrowing her eyes. "All right, that really isn't that bad."

"The attic is basically one room, but it’s bigger than what you have here and is fully furnished with its own bathroom."

"It would be an improvement over this tiny bedroom," Celia said.

What was I thinking? Living with Diane would be challenging. I could barely keep myself from flirting with her when her sister was around. I stood no chance when we were alone.

"This actually does sound like a good offer," Celia added.

"I agree," Diane said. "Can I think about it?"

I nodded. "Sure."

"Do you need my bio to check me out or something? I can give you recommendations from my boss."

I chuckled. "There's no need for that. I’ll ask the landlady if she does, though."

"I can't believe you’d just ask a perfect stranger to move in with you."

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