Page 121 of Mr. Aster
“I think I’ll go look at that house alone with Nat today,” I said. I was already dreading having to view another home, so my shitty mood would only be enhanced, and Darcy would have to deal with that, too.
“That’s cool,” Darcy said. “What about Charlotte? When does she get here?”
My anxiety seemed to spike when Darcy asked me the question. Fuck, what was wrong with me?
“Don’t worry over her,” I said, not knowing how to shut down Darcy’s concern about my daughter.
“I’m notworriedabout anything,” Darcy said, and now I could sense her frustration rising with my fucked-up mood.
“Thank you,” I said, just wanting the conversation over with before it escalated into anything further.
That afternoon, I was out with Natalia, viewing a home that was nice but still didn’t meet my expectations for where I saw myself if I had to live in California.
“You and Darcy could have some amazing nights out here in this infinity pool. This terrace and the views of downtown are the best we’ve seen,” she said.
I liked Natalia; the woman knew her shit when it came to real estate. I also enjoyed her candid personality and found it a bit humorous that a man like Spencer, who was as much of an aggressive dick in business as me, would be her perfect match. She was wild and set in her ways while being a stellar businesswoman who held the real estate world in her hands. I appreciated her finding these homes for me, but as talented asshe was, I was surprised she still hadn’t found a house with everything I wanted.
“It’s all fine and good,” I said. “However, I’m not feeling this at all.”
“It’s a forty-million-dollar home that offers everything but a zip code in Martha’s Vineyard, Sebastian. I’m not sure what else would work at this point,” she said, understandably irritated with me.
“Perhaps that’s what is needed,” I said with a laugh, looking out at the skyline filled with smog, haze, and tall gray skyscrapers. I reached my hand out to attempt to paint a vision for her, “A large mural of the Atlantic Ocean, filled with fishing boats and sailboats to set the vibe I need.”
“You’re a pompous prick, you know that?” she said with her usual dry sarcasm. “You know very well that you’re not going to find what you want in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, oranyfucking hills that your rich ass wants to live in,” she said. “Why don’t we go toward the coast? There are amazing homes in Malibu, Laguna, Santa Monica, and even La Jolla if you’re willing to move as far south as San Diego.”
“The whole point of considering a home in this location was to allow Darcy to come home to me every night instead of once every couple of weekends or so like she’s been doing with her parents.”
“Are you planning on marriage?” Nat used the opportunity to pry.
“No. Not yet, anyway, but I would love her to live with me and my daughter,” I answered. “She and I both decided that moving in together would work while we continue to explore the idea of wanting to deepen the?—”
“Hold the hell on,” Nat interrupted me, and it was not a great day for that move if I was being honest. “Explore the ideaof wanting to deepen your relationship?”
“Yes, people do that all the time. I’m not jumping straight into marriage, and neither is Darcy. She agrees with everything I’m telling you.”
“I understand that,” Nat said, “but you can’t explore shit if you’re doing everything for Darcy and not considering yourself. That’s resentmentwaitingto happen on your end, pal.”
“I don’t feel that way. I enjoy spoiling that woman. It makes me very happy.”
“Spoiling your lover with trinkets, roses, and gifts is one thing,” she said. “It’s not somethingyouhave to live in. You must consider yourself.”
“Well, I am.”
“How? You just told me you’re house hunting in Los Angeles to offer Darcy an easy commute from her job.”
“Yes, and if it were up to me, she’d quit and work for a publication she loved. Or not work at all, I don’t give a shit. But she wants this, and I want her to be happy.”
“And Darcy wants to live in Los Angeles?” Nat questioned, crossing her arms.
“As I said, it’s closer to her job, and I’ll see her more often.”
“Until you’re overseas, working there for months on end,” Nat said, suddenly seeming like a parent coaching my decisions about managing a relationship.
“What are you trying to say? Darcy and I have agreed that this is the best place for where we are in our relationship right now.”
“I’m saying that you’re shopping a forty-million-dollar price range for a home in a city thatyoureally don’t want to live in. Darcy may or may not want to live here also. You two need to discuss where youbothwill be happiest. You’re doing this to accommodate a job that I know Darcy is on the brink of quitting. Let’s say she quits and then gets a job in Napa Valley or perhaps San Diego. If that happens, you are both stuck here. You willresent her and the home you spent a fortune on because you chose it to accommodate that job she hated, and then you’ll start living on the road and away from home because the location pisses you off.”
“Makes sense,” I said, feeling more weight and confusion on my shoulders now, “but I can’t just force her to live in Martha’s Vineyard, can I?”
