Page 3 of Throw Away the Key
“Would today be okay?” Emma bit her lip, her leg bouncing nervously as she and Granny sat at the dining table. Her phone sat on the hard surface with the speakerphone enabled.
“What time?”
The woman on the phone’s voice was curt, but Emma was so excited to see the apartment in person that she paid her no mind. She never took another person’s attitude to heart–she was focused on the goal and always assumed that bad energy had far more to do with what that person was going through and less about her.
The pictures online made the space appear bright and airy, the rooms seemed spacious and the price was exactly what she was looking for. The apartment building was a few blocks south of Union Market, and just north of the H Street corridor, which Emma thought was perfect, given the shopping and restaurants all around there.
“How about three o'clock?”
“Fine. Don't be late.” The phone clicked and then beeped to indicate that the property manager hung up the phone.
“Sheesh. What a sourpuss!” Emma's eyes widened as she typed the address into her phone to make sure that she knew how to get there. “As long as I've lived here, you would think I wouldn't need GPS, but I can't help but get lost!”
“Honey, you would lose your head if it wasn't attached,” Granny teased.
“Yeah…” Emma dipped her head slightly. Granny wasn’t wrong–in the past week, Emma had misplaced her phone, her work keys, her sunglasses, and her work tablet (twice).And actually, those were Zora’s sunglasses and they’re still missing.We’re definitely not going to tell her though–maybe she won’t notice.
“Tell me about this place.”
Emma squeezed her eyes shut, recalling all of the details and ticking them off with her fingers. “So, it's in a ten-unit building. It's all brick on the outside. Um, there are four basement-level apartments, and then two with two bedrooms each on the first floor, and four one-bedrooms on the second floor. They have a one-bedroom open right now. The building is across from a bunch of row houses, and there’s a fence around the property and there's some patio space out front with some tables. So we could feasibly sit outside and enjoy some lemonade once it gets warm.”
They’d had a mild winter, but the weather still threatened chilly temperatures in late February. Emma's favorite time of year was quickly approaching–she absolutely loved to be out when the cherry blossoms hit peak bloom. Being surrounded by incredible views and a sea of pale pink petals brought a calming energy to Emma that she relished each year. And it wasn’t like she was a plant lady with an amazing green thumb–hell, she killed the last two succulents she bought from Trader Joe’s.
“It's been nice weather, so I'm gonna go over there and check out the neighborhood a bit today. If it ends up being something that seems worthwhile, would you want to come see it?” She stared hopefully.
“Of course I would,” Granny nodded, setting down her mug of tea. “We can’t let you leave us to go any old place, you know.”
“Okay, well, I'll keep you posted.” Emma plopped a kiss on Granny's cheek before she waved goodbye.
“See you later, sweetpea.”
As Emma walked out to her royal blue Mini Cooper, the breeze ruffled the hem of her pleated maxi skirt, its pink and blue paisley design billowing softly against her ankles. Emma breathed in the fresh air and rolled up the sleeves of her chambray blouse that she’d tied at her waist. “This is gonna be the one,” she whispered. She reached into her purse and cursed to herself before running back into the house. “Forgot my keys!”
CHAPTER TWO
“You're late,” the manager bristled as Emma huffed out of breath, rushing to the building’s front door. The little hint of expression on the woman’s face read wary and perhaps slightly annoyed, her lips puckered. If she hadn’t looked so put out, Emma would have complimented her beautiful brown skin. Her hair was cut to a short, tapered fade and mini hoops pierced her ears. Her dark eyes swirled with intensity as she leaned against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest.She’s giving both relaxed and irritated.
“I'm sorry, I forgot my keys and then parking was really difficult, but I’ve made it and I'm just so excited to see this place! I can be quick–I didn’t mean to keep you waiting,” Emma panted enthusiastically as she reached out her hand in greeting. “I’m Emma.”
“Well, come on,” the woman droned, turning away from her.
Emma's eyes widened as she followed the woman through the building lobby and up the stairs.Yikes. Is she gonna be a pill every time we have to speak?
“Okay, well, this is Unit 5.” The woman unlocked the door and stepped inside to hold it open, Emma walking past her into the bright apartment.
The large living room led to a decent sized kitchen. There was enough space for a small dining table, but Emma pictured a couple of stools at the kitchen counter being sufficient for her. She opened different doors and craned her neck to assess the storage. “Oh, wow, there's so many closets!”
“Yep, there's a coat closet. And then this door here is actually for the in-unit washer and dryer–they’re stackables. And then you've got an additional closet here before you get to the bedroom. Only the studios don’t have laundry, so there are card-operated washers and dryers in the basement.”
“Nice.” The wooden floors gleamed in the light, looking as if they’d been recently polished. “Do you have a rug requirement?” Emma asked. She wasn’t a huge planner, but there was a good amount of furniture she’d have to get for a space like this to look lived in.
“It's preferable that you have some sort of a rug if you're going to live here, considering this happens to be directly above my apartment,” she deadpanned. She’d leaned her shoulder against the door jam, her legs crossed as she stared lazily.
“Right,” Emma smiled quickly, her heart pounding nervously as she stepped towards the bedroom.Note to self: buy padded rugs.“Wow, what a great space.”
The bedroom had its own door into the bathroom, which was also accessible through the hall. There was a small walk-in closet, but there was plenty of space within the room itself for a dresser and Emma's desk. “This is great. Ilovethis place! Would you mind terribly if I came back and brought my best friend to see it?” She wrung her hands. “I feel really good about it, but I can be indecisive at times, and I just want to make sure that I'm not getting ahead of myself.”
“If you feel like it's necessary, yes. But I can tell you that there are other people interested in this place.”
