Page 16 of Enchanting the CEO

I recognized Gabe's house from six feet away from the pictures he'd shown me. Checking the address, I confirmed it was his building. It was an older construction, colonial style with a tiled roof. The facade looked a bit run-down, even more so than in the photographs, and suddenly I had an uneasy feeling.

I walked up the front steps and knocked on the door. A few seconds later, I heard footsteps, and then Gabe opened it. He was wearing comfortable clothing—a white T-shirt that showcased his muscles, paired with jeans.

"Hey," I said.

"Come in." His eyes were missing the twinkle I'd gotten used to.

"Stop scaring me," I teased him.

"Let's go up. The guy went out and said we should look around while he's gone."

"Wow, that's nice of him."

“By the way, all the furniture you’ll see will be yours. It belongs to the landlady.”

“That’s even better.”

I didn't even get to look into the main living space because the spiral staircase was right next to the door leading up to the attic apartment. It was wide enough to carry up furniture, but I imagined it was terribly difficult. Hopefully I wouldn’t have to buy much.

"This is good. It's almost like a separate entrance," I said, determined to focus on the positive. My breath came out in pants as we went higher and higher up. "You have your own staircase for getting to the upper floors?"

"Yes," he said.

I have a good feeling about this. It can't be too bad...

Not five minutes later, I changed my mind. It was...not good.

"Well, at least there's no mold that I can see," I said. There were a lot of downsides. For one, the main window appeared drafty and old, and there were several cracks along the walls and the ceiling. But the bathroom was decent.

There was a single bed against the wall. The dresser was rather small, but I had one of those mobile racks that I could easily set up next to it.

By far, the worst part was the kitchen area. It had no oven and only one electrical socket.

"I don't know how to spin this into a positive thing," I said, looking at the appliances and their obvious wear. “I like to cook, but I can’t do much here.”

“It also explains why the guy's always bringing up take-out food." Gabe sighed. "Listen, Diane, if this is your only deal-breaker, you can always use the kitchen downstairs. I don't mind. I don't cook at all, so it's not like you'd be in my way or anything."

He was right behind me. I almost felt his body—the heat of it, the strength of it. I was certain that if I touched his abs and arms, they'd be rock hard.

"But that's more of a roommate situation, not a separate unit," I countered. I didn’t want to intrude on his space, though I definitely would like to use the appliances.

He laughed softly, and his breath tickled my ear. “I would take you over this guy any day.”

“And he actually wants to move?”

“Fuck yes. He just couldn't find anyone to take over the lease.”

I turned around. "Hmmm... This place could be cozy. I can put up lights by the window, and I can pad all the windowsills with something so there's no draft.” I glanced around again. Fortunately, the floor was wood and easy to clean. “I can work with this. I've lived in far worse places. Honestly, I can't believe people would turn up their nose at this."

“I don't know how hard he looked for someone to take over the lease.”

"I like the energy of this place," I said with a grin. “Oh, where are the washer and dryer?”

"Nothing up here, but you can absolutely use mine. They are downstairs."

"Thank you. Really, Gabe. This isn’t a dump. Not at all.”

I had to admit I’d been shocked when I first stepped in, but it grew on me.

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