Page 151 of The One I Hate
He smiles. “Well, it’s beautiful. Should I call you Charlene? Charlie? Perhaps another nickname that you hold near and dear to your heart?”
I swallow my laughter. “Charlie’s fine.”
“Good. Well, I hate that it’s taken me this long to introduce myself. But I’m Simon Banks, head of Magnolia Properties and the landlord of the building that you operate your restaurant, Mona’s, from.”
He extends his hand, and I meet it. Because why not.
“Very nice to meet you.”
“And you.”
“May I ask how far along you are?”
I put my hand on my stomach. “Just about twenty-nine weeks.”
“Congratulations. I hope the father realizes how lucky he is.”
I smile. “I think he does.”
Simon sheepishly looks down at the desk before nodding.
I sit back and take him in for a moment. If anyone else were to be watching him right now, they would think this is normal Simon—cocky, confident, and owning the room with his brand of humor and wit.
But I’m not just anyone.
He’s nervous. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen the man nervous. His hands are fiddling with a pen. He’s rocking back on the chair. His smile isn’t as bright as it normally is.
Somehow, that makes me feel at ease. He knows this is serious. He knows this is a moment for us. But he also knows that he had to do it in his way. The Simon way.
And as much as the Simon way sometimes makes me want to pull my hair out, it’s what makes him, him.
And I love him.
Cocky smile and all.
“Well then,” he says, giving himself a little shake. “I brought you in today because Emmett told me you might not be happy with some conditions of your lease.”
“That’s correct.”
“Well, then, let’s take a look,” he says. “According to your original agreement, you signed on to pay thirty-five hundred dollars a month, is that correct?”
“Yes, which frankly is a steal for a space like this. And at the time it included the apartment.”
“Oh yes, I remember Emmett telling me about that deal,” he says with a wink. “We were happy to help you in that area.”
“Yes. And if my memory serves me right, Emmett said you were a softie and would be happy to help me.”
“Oh, did he now?”
“He did. But I should say thank you. Your generosity was really the only way I was able to accept the lease terms.”
“We’re glad to help. Here at Magnolia Properties, we always want to be able to work with our tenants to make sure they are able to achieve their dreams. That’s actually what we do. We make dreams come true.”
“I thought that was Disney?”
“No. That’s the most Magical Place on Earth. Very different.”
“My apologies.”
