Page 4 of A Little Light

“Fine. Yes. Let’s go to a bar.”

Chapter 2

Rachel didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as she walked through the gates on the dock and towards the building Andi had given her an address for. The humiliation of last night still sat at the front of her mind, reminding Rachel that she had to curb the attitude she seemed to have developed recently. Andi had only been trying to help, and Rachel had practically flown off the handle. Unnecessary and certainly uncalled for.

She stopped outside another set of gates, looking up at the old building. She had studied pictures online of these loft apartments and had wanted to take a closer look for quite some time. But nobody seemed to want to give these particular homes up…until now.

She’s some kind of friggin’ Christmas angel.

Rachel put their initial meeting to the back of her mind and squared her shoulders. Everyone had bad days now and then, and she’d apologised to Andi already. If Andi was still offended, she wouldn’t have invited Rachel over for a first look at the loft. Okay, it’s time to find your forever home.

Rachel had a feeling this loft was going to be exactly what she had been dreaming of for so long. Now more than ever, she desperately craved a fresh start. With a love life that eluded her and a heart that was slowly beginning to mend, she needed to find something that felt safe. She wanted to be in a home that she could turn into her forever.

Okay, it would have been ideal if she was viewing this loft with a significant other by her side, but Rachel was still very lucky to be in this position at all. She had worked hard, saved every penny she could, and this was the outcome of her dedication. Some may say that her job wasn’t ‘respectable,’ but those people didn’t matter to her. She had done well for someone who came from nothing…and she was going to make the most of it.

With excitement building in her chest, Rachel pressed the button beside loft nine. Part of her had expected Andi to ignore her call this morning—karma, if you will—but she hadn’t. Andi’s gentle voice hadn’t held a single hint of attitude. Unlike Rachel, who didn’t know how to speak to people these days.

“Hello?”

That was Andi’s voice. Rachel recognised it instantly. It was calm and soft. It was the kind of voice that had the hairs on the back of Rachel’s neck standing. Sultry, perhaps.

“H-hi, it’s Rachel.”

“Oh, hi. Come on up. I’ll leave the front door open for you.”

“Perfect, thanks.” Rachel pulled the main door open and rushed towards the lift. She didn’t want to waste another second. This home could be really what she needed. She was fed up in the place she lived in, and it only reminded her of a woman she’d tried to have love her in return. Juliet. Rachel had to smile at the thought of her. Still, it wasn’t to be.

It hadn’t mattered that Juliet had only been to her place on a very small handful of occasions; it was the fact she’d been there at all. Rachel had foolishly fallen for her client, all while her client was in love with another woman.

Story of her life, really.

She reached the top floor of the old dock building, noting how quiet it was. Exactly what I need. Peace and quiet. She strode down the hallway, her breath catching when she realised it was the last door and the corner plot. It could only mean great views of the river and dock area.

With a deep breath inhaled, Rachel pushed the front door open, taken aback by her initial impression. “H-hello?”

“Come on in,” Andi called out, but she was nowhere to be seen. “Help yourself to looking around. I’ll be with you soon. No rush or anything.”

Rachel dared to take another step forward, her legs shaking. She adored exposed brick walls, and this loft had several. The enormous open-plan kitchen with the long island caught her eye immediately, but it was the living area that she moved towards. She’d never seen a corner couch like it in all of her days. Soft, dark brown leather. It had to be at least an eight-seater…maybe more. It separated the living room from the rest of the space alone. The hardwood flooring had to be worth a fortune, and it had been maintained very well. Perhaps even recently re-varnished.

“Hi.”

Rachel placed a hand on her chest at Andi’s voice. She spun on her heel, knowing full well she was wearing a ridiculously huge grin, and focused on Andi. Oh, wow. Had Andi been so attractive last night while Rachel had her own head up her arse? That wasn’t important right now. Rachel was here for one thing only… “Who the hell would want to give up a place like this?”

“You like it?”

“Oh, I adore it, and I’ve only seen the living room.” Rachel shoved her hands in the pockets of her jeans, slowly taking in each and every feature. The floor-to-ceiling windows let in monumental amounts of light, even on a cold and dreary Liverpool winter’s day. “This is something else, Andi.”

“Could you see yourself living here, though? That’s the big question.”

Could Rachel see herself living here? Without a shadow of a doubt. “Can I move in today? Does that give you an idea of how much I love the place?”

Andi smiled, lowering her eyes to the camera in her hands. Only as she did so, Rachel realised she wanted to be looking into those huge brown eyes. Andi was a very attractive woman. “Maybe you should have a look around the rest of the place first. It’s only a two-bedroom loft, but they’re a good size. The third bedroom was turned into an office and reading space by the previous owners. I guess you could turn it back. It depends entirely on what you and your boyfriend, husband, partner want to do with it.”

“First of all, I don’t have a boyfriend. Nor do I plan to find one who will come in here and take over my space. Also, I’m into women…thankfully.”

Something flashed in Andi’s eyes at those words. And then she nodded. “Then this couldn’t go to a more perfect person. The previous owners were a married lesbian couple.”

Rachel threw up her hands. “I should have known the moment I walked in here. It’s tastefully decorated, so that explains a lot.”

---