Page 17 of Out of the Shadow

For some reason, that bit of maturity tickles my spine. No,pricklesit. And he agreed to my offer. Dammit. “She’ll be here at four—her name is Abbey.” I hand him the stack of papers I brought with me. “Here are the listings I’ll be taking her to see.”

He flips through the three pages. “Thanks. I’ll study these.”

I nod and return to my desk. On the way, Marlene wiggles her eyebrows at me, which brings forth a scowl. Can’t I just be a good mentor to King without my cousin thinking it’s something more? She knows all about Dante. It’s all the smack my stupid sister said in the conference room last week. I’m glad I managed not to introduce Juliana to King—how much worse would things be now if I did?

I pick up the listings and plot out the best route to take. This morning, I already washed and gassed up my Acura, so I’m ready to go as soon as Abbey arrives. If it were up to me, I’d still be driving a little Honda like my brother Leo, but appearances are everything in real estate.

I close my eyes and Dante’s face rises to the forefront. God, I miss him. Everyone told me it would get easier with time. In some ways it has, but he’s been gone ten years, and that’s such a long, long time to be alone. I inhale and force the tears to recede. It’s something I have a lot of practice doing.

At four, Abbey walks into the office and I introduce her to King. When he stands to shake her hand, she nearly stumbles over air. Really? She’s five years older than me, for heaven’s sake. He’s handsome, yes, and she’s likely seen his picture in the tabloids before, but ultimately he’s just a guy. An annoying one at that.

Well, annoyingsometimes.

I lead them out to the parking lot and we pile into my car, with King in the backseat. At least I didn’t have to tell him to sit back there. Points for common sense.

On the way to the first listing, Abbey peppers King with questions. After he tells her about LA and his workout regimen, she prattles, “Everyone’s talking about Let’s Do It! filming out here. Did the television show bring you to Aroostook from California?”

I see him nodding in the rearview mirror. “I’m excited to start shooting next week.”

“I can see you as an actor.” She brings her bottom lip between her teeth.

Oh, brother.

He chuckles and my heart flutters for a second before I tamp that stupid organ down.

“Not really.” He leans forward, behind and between the two of us, as I pull into the parking lot. “I’ve never done anything like this before. Tell me, what do you do, Abbey?”

“I’m an ER nurse.”

“Now that’s a rockstar profession.”

Hmm.Rockstar. It strikes me that he hasn’t once mentioned his father, the legendary rocker. I’m curious as to why, but this is obviously not the time to ask.

“We’re here at the first condo,” I say. “I think you’re going to like it, Abbey. It has most of the items on your wish list.”

Her face falls a little as she looks at the building and the surrounding area. “Except the beach.”

I incline my head. Unfortunately, Abbey’s budget doesn’t allow for both the size she wants and a water view. “I think there’s a view from the bedroom window.” At least that’s how it’s advertised. It’s probably one of those deals where you need to look with one eye closed from the right side, but still….

We walk into the lobby of the building, which has an indoor waterfall and marble floors. Leaving Abbey with King, I introduce myself to security, and am instructed to take the elevator to the top floor. I escort the two of them to the elevator bank, pointing out such features as the mailboxes and hallway to the gym and pool areas, which I promise to show her after the unit.

When we arrive on the penthouse floor, I lead them to a middle door. Using my code on the lockbox, I grab the key and put it into the lock. While I fiddle with the key—why do these things always give me trouble?—King points out some of the nice architectural features of the building, including the high ceilings. Finally wrestling the door open, I motion for her to precede me into her first possible home.

Abbey walks down a small hallway and passes a half-bath on the right before entering the main part of the condo, an open kitchen/dining/family room area. I explain that the condo is a very respectable one-thousand square feet and has two bedrooms and one-and-a-half bathrooms.

For his part, King walks over to the sliding glass doors and opens them. I clamp my mouth shut, as I usually don’t do this until after we’ve visited the kitchen and dining area—I was taught to leave the best for last. It won’t help to say so now, though. Instead, I follow the two of them out onto the balcony, and we check out the view of the pool.

“This is quite a lovely view,” I offer.

Abbey’s gaze roams over the pool as well as nearby buildings and she half-smiles. Shoot. This is the best feature of the condo. If she’s not impressed with this, we’re not going to get very far.

Oblivious, King rambles on about how he can picture her down there with her friends enjoying the sun and smuggled-in alcoholic drinks. She giggles at his scenario and takes a renewed interest in the view, even going so far as to lean over the railing when he points out the “perfect spot” for sunbathing.

Well, all right.

When she’s ready, we walk back inside and I show her the kitchen, pointing out the best features. Her interest isn’t diminished by the tiny guest bedroom, which, I suggest, may serve as her home office. We pass the hall bath before entering the master bedroom. The bed is a double, which is a time-worn trick to make the room appear larger. I head over to the window. Sure enough, the advertised “ocean view” is really a sliver of water seen between two large brick buildings.

King joins me at the window and points. “Oh, look. There’s the ocean!”

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