Page 30 of Dump and Chase

Right. I should have known she’d respond that way. “I get that, but hear me out. I know a guy at a dealership, he’ll lease me—you—a car for a great deal. Maybe once we drop your stuff off, we can go see him. He’s working until six. I imagine you don’t have plans tonight,” I said, arching a brow.

“Good point. Fine.”

“This condo, is it the same one we had?” she asked as we turned onto East Hastings.

“A different one.”

Once she’d left, it felt strange living there without her, so I’d sold it. I’d lived in the new condo for about a year when I’d met Brandi. She didn’t like being downtown and the commute to work, so we’d decided to buy a house, and with real estate prices as they were, keeping the condo as an investment seemed like a good idea.

We pulled into my building and the underground garage. I parked and hauled Tangi’s luggage out of the car to the elevator.

“I don’t like paying for nothing. Let me at least pay amenities or condo fees.”

“We can work something out,” I said, with no intention of working anything out.

She gave me side-eye. “I mean it, Ethan. I’m paying something.”

“For sure. We’ll figure it out.”

She knew I was full of shit.

We took the elevator up to the twenty-second floor. Not quite the penthouse, but it had been good enough for me. We exited the elevator and were hit with what smelled like a lemon cleaner, but nothing too offensive. Maintenance was constantly keeping the place clean, so I couldn’t complain.

“You’re the last door on the right.”

She followed alongside me, taking in the abstract paintings that lined the walls. I was glad she didn’t ask what the place cost. I put the key in the lock and swung open the door. She stepped inside, taking a long look around. The places was furnished in mostly white and shades of gray. There were pops of color on the walls in the way of artwork, but not much else. I’d kept the look simple.

“This place is really nice,” she said.

“I splurged a little. Why don’t you take a look around and I’ll put your stuff in the main bedroom. Then we can pick up some groceries for you and head over to lease you a car. Sound good?”

“Yeah, sure,” she said, heading for the balcony. I was pretty sure she was going to love the ocean view.

While I was dropping off her luggage, I took out my phone and sent a quick text to Rob, telling him to subsidize her lease and that I’d pay for the shortfall. I got that Tangi wanted her independence, but I also had a pretty good idea what her new job paid, and she wasn’t going to be able to afford a car even if her accommodations were free. Then I returned to the open living room to see her taking in the kitchen.

“This place is okay,” she said with a laugh. I couldn’t help but smile too.

“Do you want to get changed? Do something else before we hit the town?”

“I think I will change. Be back in a second.”

She disappeared into the bedroom and I checked my phone. Rob had already replied that he had a car in mind, and that he’d make sure it was more than affordable. I had a few texts from the guys asking where I was. I’d tell some of them later. I then sent Mom and Ava a text, letting them know I wanted to talk to them, and that it wasn’t an emergency. I didn’t need to freak them out.

“All ready,” she said, having changed into jeans and a T-shirt. She had a sweater tied around her waist. She hadn’t forgotten how what seemed like a warm day could be cold once the wind came off the water.

“There are a few grocery stores nearby, and one is just down the block. A fancier one is two blocks away. There’s a huge pharmacy too, and the mall is probably a five-minute drive.”

“Do you mind if we take the car? I want to stock up since I have your help.”

“Of course.”

I loved shopping with Tangi. She liked to look at everything, and before I knew it, she had a shopping cart that was overflowing.

“I forgot that I have to get used to the metric system again,” she said, as she hit the produce section. She’d always been a healthy eater, so I knew we’d be here for a while. By the time she was finished, I was piling bag after bag into my trunk.

“You weren’t lying about taking advantage of me.” Ugh, I hadn’t meant to say it like that.

“I figured if I was going to go crazy, I should probably bring the muscle along.”

---