Page 49 of Why Not Both?

“I assume kitchen would be your number one priority when looking at a place to live?”

She nods and then tilts her head to the side. “Well. Tied with allowing pets. Having a parking spot would be important, too. I need a car to get out to visit my parents.”

“What else?”

She looks at me with that smile. The what-are-you-up-to smile. “Shouldn’t this be more about what you want? If you’re planning to spend over a million dollars on a condo, it should be about you. Not me.”

I shrug, trying to be as nonchalant as possible. I’m not certain I pull it off. “Just getting ideas of things to look for.”

“What do you want in a place?” she asks me.

I think about it. “I don’t have many must-haves. A few nice-to-haves, though. It would be nice to have at least two bedrooms. And a gym would be awesome. Or at least close to one.”

“I thought you liked hiking?”

“Grouse Grind is closed during the winter. And I can’t go hiking every day.”

“Thank God.”

I chuckle. “Two bathrooms would be good as well. Near the Seawall. Some kind of outdoor space.”

She turns back to the screen and clicks on another listing. She clicks through the information on it.

“I think this is the winner then,” she says. “It allows pets, two bed, two bath. Look at that kitchen. And it’s got those big sliding glass doors so you can almost open the living room right onto the patio. The building even has a gym.”

She gets more and more excited as she talks, pointing out everything I’ve just mentioned.

“It’s also a bit below my budget.” I watch as she scrolls through the pictures.

“That’s your budget?”

I check again to be sure, then nod. “Yeah. I could manage that. I’ve already run the numbers. Does it say what the maintenance fees are?”

We keep looking through the listing. It’s definitely one worth checking out in person. It’s a little smaller than I was hoping for, but not by much. And it comes with a parking space. Though I would maybe rent that out until I need it.

“Look at that view,” she says wistfully, stopping on one of the pictures. “There’s an open house on Sunday.”

“We’re really busy this weekend,” I say. “Two full weddings.”

“I don’t start until three on Sunday. I know you have to be here for set up, but maybe we could meet there around two and do a quick walk-through? If you don’t mind me joining you. It’s only a ten-minute walk from here.”

“You want to look at it with me?”

She turns back with a sheepish smile. “If you want.”

I don’t tell her I want her to like any place I consider. I don’t wonder if I’m setting myself up for heartbreak. I just say, “All right. Sunday it is.”

Chapter 19

Lis

Once all the food is served and the cleanup is done, I stay behind to prep for tomorrow’s rehearsal dinners. We’re doing two, one for each of the two weddings this weekend. By the time I’m done, the corporate clients have left and so has Vic, Derek, Adalie, and all the rest of the staff. Spencer and I are the last ones.

I stop by his office.

“Hey. I wondered if we could go over this weekend again. I just want to make sure I have everything ready.”

He nods. “We can do that. I’m hungry though. You want to order something?”

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