Page 23 of Harboring Secrets
He’d been incredulous, but kind. He reassured me that he had more money than he could reasonably spend on himself. My scalp tingled with the memory of the noogie he’d given me. I’d always hated that and Shane knew it. But at that moment, I’d secretly liked it. It felt like a promise that everything was okay.
By the time my breakfast arrived, I’d sent Shane a text asking him how many noogies it would cost me to ask for a townhouse. I had no interest in staying in another hotel for a while, and I desperately wanted to get out of Kieran’s place. He and Clay acted like moony-eyed newlyweds. Not only did I not want to hear my brother and his boyfriend, my broken heart needed a breather from their love-filled happiness fest.
Ethan brought me a stack of fluffy waffles with all the fixings. I set my computer aside and drowned them in maple syrup before digging in. I devoured the waffles and then snacked on the bacon while I checked out other listings.
A townhouse appealed to me because I’d still have a yard if I got a dog, an idea that I hadn’t totally dismissed yet. But I wouldn’t have much of one and it would be easy to maintain.
Shane, as predicted, texted back as soon as he woke up and told me to get whatever I wanted and that it wouldn’t cost me any noogies. I chose not to believe the second half of that while I made arrangements to go look at one of the empty units later that day.
Going back to Kieran’s held no appeal and I could track Liam down at his hotel, but I wasn’t sure I was ready for that either. That left me sitting at a table at Bennett’s, drinking coffee and plunking away at my secret side project.
Did I know the first thing about writing a book? Absolutely not, but there was only one way to learn how to do something and that was by doing it. I didn’t have a theme to bind all my stories together, and maybe I needed one, but I wanted to write about my travels. About the places I’d been and the things I’d done. For what purpose, I hadn’t decided. Maybe just for my family to read. I’d have to edit out the time I spent in Ibiza and any other X-rated shenanigans, but it wasn’t that kind of book anyway.
The townhouses were a short jaunt from the diner so when it was time to meet the agent, I left money on the table, including a hefty tip, and I walked the few blocks to the complex.
The row of townhomes was on a quiet street lined with trees. I never could tell one tree from another, but the leaves had just started to turn at the tops of the trees. When fall was in full swing, the whole street was going to look stunning.
The building looked to be a few stories tall with a faux brick facade and lots of freshly planted landscaping. I wondered if the paint had even dried in the units yet.
An agent waited for me at the door of unit seven. I wasn’t superstitious, but the idea of owning lucky number seven tickled me. The agent was a man about my age and was almost alarmingly tall. The sleeves of his button-down were rolled up and I wondered if it was because they didn’t make shirts with arms long enough to fit him properly.
“You must be Mister Taggart.”
My face scrunched involuntarily at the greeting. “Brodie is fine, please.”
“Brodie, then. I’m Neil Chambers.”
Neil turned and stepped into the house. “This complex is a new build. You’ll have a monthly fee for upkeep of the exterior of the building and services like trash and snow removal. The unit has been outfitted with all energy efficient windows, and appliances.”
Like most modern places, everything was decorated in white and gray. That wasn’t anything a few coats of paint couldn’t fix.
“I’ll give you space to wander around and have a look, but it’s a three bedroom, two and half bath with a flex space.” Neil rambled on for another minute or so about some of the other amenities before letting me loose to explore and get a feel for the place.
It was nice. Clean. Modern. Everything was white, or gray, or black, though. And what would I need with three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms? I’d never wanted to start a family. My brothers had their own places. I didn’t even have a dog yet.
The idea of rattling around in a place this big all alone didn’t appeal to me and it wasn’t long before I went downstairs and joined Neil in the kitchen. I almost felt bad for him. He looked at me with such hope in his eyes.
“It’s nice, right? Plenty of room, sleek design. Move in ready.”
“Oh, it gorgeous. It’s just not for me.”
Neil’s smile didn’t fade and it made me wonder if he was part robot.
“It’s too big and too… modern, I guess. I think something smaller with a bit of character would be more to my liking.” Swear to God I saw Neil’s ears perk like a puppy when he heard the word smaller.
“How small would you be willing to go?”
“Honestly, it’s just me. I don’t need a lot of room. One bedroom. One bathroom, some living space. I’ve lived in hotel rooms for a while now. The idea of rattling around in a two thousand square foot townhouse is a bit daunting.”
“I have a place I think you might like. The location isn’t bad, but a lot of people have passed on it because it’s small and though I say that decor can be changed, the paint colors have put many people off. I can pull up the listing if you want to see it.”
“Is it available for a viewing?”
“Now?”
“Yeah. I have time if you do.”
Neil smiled so bright the International Space Station probably saw the glare. “Definitely. I’ll text you the address.”
