Page 35 of Mismatched

“If you’d like to join us, there is a one-bedroom condo I can show you on the eighteenth floor,” the concierge says beside him.

My brother gives me a look as we enter the elevator and rise through the floors, and for a second I’m certain he knows I’ve been sexting my wife.

Then I realize he’d probably approve.

Eden leads us down a plush hallway once we reach eighteen and opens up a door all the way at the end. “This unit has been freshly vacated, but it will give you an idea of what we have available.”

Even my jaw drops when we walk into the residence. It’s an open concept where the kitchen, living, and dining areas all flow into one another, giving it a spacious feel. The floors are gleaming polished concrete, and while all the fixtures and appliances are sleek and modern, the space still feels warm and inviting. Very much like a home. Seth wanders toward the wall of windows across the room, and I duck through a door leading to a bedroom and bath off to the left. Which, as I expect at this point, is just as expansive and fully appointed, with high-end brass fixtures, a free-standing tub, and separate rain shower. I turn to ask Seth a question when I realize he hasn’t made it in here yet. I give Eden a polite nod as I walk back out to the living area, then join my brother standing by the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows.

“The view here isn’t one of the best or most private since it directly faces the other tower,” Eden says with a note of apology. “But you can still see the mountains if you look off to the southwest. And other units will be coming available.”

“I like the view just fine,” Seth mutters. He’s staring fixedly across the way toward the windows of the matching building, and though I catch a flash of movement, I can’t tell exactly what he’s focused on.

“Are you done playing?” I whisper to him under my breath. “This has been fun, but... maybe tomorrow we can find a more reasonable spot?”

“Bruno would sure appreciate these windows.” Seth works his jaw, gaze still focused on the opposite building. Finally, he straightens and turns to Eden. “I’ll take it.”

“You—wait, what?” I can’t help myself. Pretending was one thing, but this is a step too far.

“Yeah. I’ll take it.” Seth pulls his gaze from the window, looking somewhat annoyed. But he doesn’t speak to me. He just turns to the eager woman behind us. “I don’t mind the view at all.”

By the time my brother comes out of the real estate office, I have paced the entirety of the common floors, past the fitness center, in-house spa, multiple lounges and outdoor fire pits. But I still can’t understand what Seth is up to or why. I know he’s excited to get out of Dallas and start his life in Denver. Maybe this is a reaction to newfound freedom after essentially being a caregiver to our mom his entire adult life. I’m just worried about him getting in over his head, or at the very least, ruining his credit.

“All right. Should we grab Lydia and get dinner? I’m starved,” Seth says when he finds me in the lobby.

“What the hell were you doing in there?” I ask, rising from one of the buttery soft leather couches.

“Credit application, deposit, all the normal stuff.” He shrugs. “Turns out cute little Eden has a boyfriend. Probably for the best.”

“They let you put down a deposit? How? You don’t have a job here yet. You’ve never even rented before. And even if Mom’s house sells above asking price, it will never cover the price tag of even a studio here.”

“I guess my account balance was enough for them. Can we eat?”

I follow him out the doors, my throat dry as a desert. “Okay, so I guess they have no issues taking advantage of people. Fine. But I’m here to look out for you, and Mom would totally flip if I let you?—”

“Anton. I can afford it.”

He’s stopped on the sidewalk, looking me straight in the eye. My brother might be ninety percent showman, but we’ve never lied to one another.

“How?”

“Real estate’s been good.” He shoves his hands in his pockets. “I haven’t had to pay rent living at Mom’s the last four years, so I’ve been able to save up, and I made some smart investments. I’ve learned a lot. But this place isn’t an investment; it’s for me.”

I close my eyes. “I just... I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret.”

“I’ll regret not living here,” he says with a pointed look back up at the high-rise. “But you’ve got to trust me. The price tag isn’t an issue.”

We walk in silence back to my truck, and I try to wrap my head around all of this. I’m not sure what bothers me more. That my brother, who majored in philosophy at the University of Texas has apparently been killing it flipping houses. Or that I didn’t know.

“Let’s just pick something up,” he says, glancing at the clock. “Lydia must be starving by now.”

I glance at my texts and something curls in my gut. She never replied to my last one and I wonder if she thought it was hot, or if I pushed her too far. “Text her for me. Ask what she wants... and find out if she went home,” I say, starting the car.

Seth chuckles, fingers tapping over his screen, then blithely asks, “How are things with you guys?”

My grip immediately tenses on the wheel. Apparently Seth knows more about the ups and downs of my marriage than I know about his whole life. But I quickly exhale, guiding the truck in the general direction of our house.

“Uh, it’s been pretty good.”

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