Page 81 of Why Not Both?

I grin. “I could add more. Maybe remind you all the times I did things for you? Or get down on my knees and beg?”

“You idiot,” she finally says, shaking her head and turning back to her computer. “Of course the answer was always going to be yes. I just wanted to know why. Let me know what time.”

#

The weekend passes by in a blur. We are so busy with all the events, I don’t stop to think about the apartment until Monday morning. Vic and I go there before work and look around the place while the home inspector does his thing.

Vic agrees that the place is perfect for me, and we return to work. It’s a relatively easy day compared to the chaos of the weekend. Since it’s the last Monday of the month, we all go to Derek’s after to unwind. We’re too exhausted to play a game and so we just sit on his rooftop deck, Abyss lounging in her catio in the corner while we chat and drink.

It’s Lis’ first time up here and she chooses to sit next to me on the outdoor couch. It’s small enough that her leg and shoulder brush against mine. I refrain from draping my arm around her shoulders and pulling her against me, but the thought is there. And when she looks up at me, I note that her eyes have darkened to green.

I make the decision that, once this next week is over, I’m going to ask her out on a date again. After the bar and my office, she has to be ready for this. Right?

My phone buzzes with an email and I look to see it’s from the inspector. I open the email and read through his report, finding nothing of note. I breathe a sigh of relief while, simultaneously, my heart rate kicks up as I send a reply to Sam telling her to put the offer in as we’d discussed.

“What are you doing?” Adalie asks.

“Nothing. Just had to check an email.”

She taps her finger against her beer bottle. “Sounds work related, Spencer,” she says in a sing-song voice.

I catch Vic’s eye and lift my drink. “I guess I’ll have to drink then.”

She smiles. “Those are the rules.”

I take my drink and the conversation moves on. Adalie tells us about how her sister Calista has quit her job, again. This time to try her hand at travel writing.

“Is she going to travel?” Derek asks.

“I don’t know what her plan is,” Adalie says. “I don’t think she really has one.”

We decide to call it a night early. Lis’ head dipped to rest on my shoulder at some point and I look to find her eyes half closed.

“Come on, firecracker. Let’s get you home.”

I pull her to her feet and we all troop downstairs to where an Uber is going to pick us up. We say good night and when I get home, I can’t sleep. I’m too wired, waiting to know the fate of my offer. I can’t sleep the next night either. Sam had said they probably wouldn’t get back until Wednesday morning, so when my phone rings and I see it’s her, I answer with shaking hands.

“Sam. Tell me good news,” I answer, my heart pounding in my chest. Vic comes out of her bedroom at the sound of the phone. I put it on speakerphone. I don’t want to hear this alone.

“Okay. Good news.”

“Are you serious?”

“I am serious. They accepted your offer, Spencer. You can move in two weeks.”

I sit down heavily on a dining chair.

“They accepted my offer.”

“You gonna survive?” Vic asks.

I nod.

“Hi, Sam. I’m Vic. Spencer’s best friend. He’s just a little in shock right now.”

Sam chuckles. “No worries. You want to come down to the office today and we can sort out all the last details?”

“Yeah. Uh. What time?”

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