Page 195 of The Last Good Man

She gives me a tour of the property and gestures to the windows, pointing to the serene water view.

I can’t argue with her. It’s a selling point.

The view is nice, but the place seems more suitable for a college student.

I can tell she’s not happy that I’m distraught. I wish things were different.

“So, that’s it,” I say, leaning against the kitchen counter and looking outside.

The water view filters through the living room windows while the kitchen window faces a narrow street with littered sidewalks.

This is New York.

Nothing is perfect, and this shouldn’t be a deal breaker. The real deal breaker is that I can see myself in this space.

Pursing my lips, I ponder my options while Angela excuses herself, walks away, and chats with someone on the phone in the hallway.

A strategy to give me time to think.

I quickly realize my house hunting resembles my dating life. I struggle a lot, and the more places I see, the less convinced I am I’m on the right path.

But here, I don’t have an Aretha Stenson to guide me, so I’ll need to suck it up and keep looking.

I didn’t expect to find something suitable on day one, but I’ma littledisappointed that nothing looks even close to what I want.

Angela’s footsteps trail inside.

“So, what do you think?” she asks, looming in the doorway while I push off the kitchen counter and take in a long breath.

“I think we should keep looking,” I say, reaching inside my bag and checking the time on my phone. “How does that sound?” I ask, dropping my phone back and looking at her.

“It sounds good,” she says, erasing the distance between us, stopping next to the kitchen island and retrieving her tablet from her purse.

She taps the screen and peers at me.

“You said nothing over two million dollars.”

I nod.

“Yes. I thought two million dollars would be a good budget,” I say softly before tellingherwhat I told Mina––that I don’t plan to raise a family here.

She tips her gaze down and starts searching on her tablet.

“Okay. So, uh… Is there any way you can be a little flexible with your budget?”

She lifts her gaze to me.

“If I understand correctly, you’d like a place that makes you feel at home. Make it your little sanctuary…”

I tip my chin in agreement.

“Something like that. I want to come home and unwind. Recharge, if you know what I mean, not deal with my landlord.”

A smile stretches across her lips.

“It makes sense. I’d want that too if I were you.”

She sets down her tablet and slides it to me.

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