Page 77 of Just One Night Together

“But you have an apartment here already,” Cassie corrected. “I think all five of the partners should have one. It’s only fair that we get a perk like that.”

“Do you want one, Damon?”

“I don’t know. I hadn’t thought about living downtown.” Damon wondered what Haley would think of that. It was strange to be considering her perspective, considering that he’d only just let her back into his life.

Now that he’d realized he wanted her to stay, Damon needed to make it happen.

Could he change her mind about only wanting a career?

He had to know more about Garrett first.

“Easier commute,” Cassie noted. “It should be fair.”

“But Ty put up with a lot of construction while living in his place, and paid for some of the finishing, too.”

“Thanks for defending me, Damon,” Ty said, a smile in his voice. “But the option is worth reviewing. Have we been fair? I thought so, but I’ll go through the math and create a presentation for next time. We need to all be sure.”

“Theo said he’s going to be shopping for a place in the city when they get back from San Francisco,” Cassie said. “It might suit him to live here, too.”

“It might,” Ty acknowledged. “I don’t know if Kyle wants a place in the building since he and Lauren moved in together. But if neither of you do, we could work out some alternative compensation.”

“Sounds good to me,” Damon said.

“Me, too,” Cassie agreed.

One of the things Damon liked best about his F5F partners is that they seldom turned anything into an emotional dispute. It was always rational, and always readily resolved.

They did take care of each other. Ty didn’t have to create a presentation to prove that the compensation had been fair. Damon trusted him, but he admired that his partner would do that to ensure that everyone was happy. If anyone was disgruntled about anything, there was never an opportunity for resentment to fester.

“These are amazing, Damon,” Cassie enthused. “We’re going to sell these so fast it’ll leave heads spinning.”

“Then we should charge more for them,” Ty said easily. “Thanks, Damon. I’ve got lots to work with here.”

“I’m going to take pictures of these with my phone and send them to Kyle and Theo,” Cassie said. “Don’t put them away just yet.”

“Tell Kyle that I’m still working on the lobby design for F5F West,” Damon added. “I’m playing with glass mosaic tiles for the lobby but haven’t quite got it right yet.”

“Because you don’t have anything else to do,” Cassie scoffed. “Let Kyle wait.”

Damon smiled at that.

“And Damon, anything you need, just let us know,” Ty added. “Text me the arrangements about the celebration of life if you don’t have time to call. I’ll spread the word.”

“Thanks,” Damon said and meant it.

He ended the call and glanced toward the kitchen. Haley was singing, a little bit off-key but with enthusiasm. She was probably dancing, too, from the sound, and he found his smile broadening.

She’d been right about his partners and he wished he’d confided in them sooner. They really did have his back, and once he’d started to tell them, it hadn’t been that hard.

Damon wanted to thank Haley in the way they both liked best.

But first he’d call the priest and make an appointment to discuss the service. He had a feeling that once he started thanking Haley, he wouldn’t be calling anyone for a while.

* * *

Haley had already hungup her coat and taken off her boots when Damon’s phone rang, as well as taken a glance around while he was checking the fridge. The house was perfectly clean although it seemed a bit empty. She wondered how much he’d been home since his mom went into the hospital.

The fridge had been stocked with healthy food, so he must have been eating there. They’d agreed on some grilled chicken breasts with a big salad and rice when his phone rang. She’s found the ingredients for a major salad and they were so fresh that she started to get hungry. She found a big bowl after he answered his call, then a cutting board and a knife, and set to work.

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