Page 77 of Enough
“Why?” I question with a huff. “My life is boring compared to yours.”
“There you go again.” He shakes his head. “There are a lot of things you don’t know about me either. Come home with me? Let me correct your misconceptions. Give me a chance to explain.”
“Are you asking me for a sleepover?” I giggle.
“I wouldn’t say no if you were offering, but I’ve also learned my lesson and I’m in no rush. Look at me,” he demands. “I’m innorush. Do you believe me?”
“I do believe you, but my car... I need to get the kids in the morning.”
“This is a serious issue for you, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” I retort in complete honesty.
“Do you trust me?”
As I stare into his hazel eyes, I realize that I really do. I nod and he pulls out his phone.
“Your address, please.”
“1107 Stonebridge Drive.”
“Thank you.” He pushes a button on his phone. “Hi, Patrice, it’s Nick Rowen. May I speak with Frank? It’s important.” He pauses and winks at me. I start to consider what it would be like to spend the night with him, and my insides turnto mush.
“Frank, I need a favor. You have a ticket for a minivan, number…” He reaches into my purse and pulls out the stub. “…443. I need that car locked with the keys under the front doormat at 1107 Stonebridge Drive by the end of the evening. Can you manage it? Perfect. I’ll stop in to see you tomorrow.”
He presses end and hands my purse back to me.
“Do people always do what you ask them to?” I question with a smirk.
“Everyone but you.”
“Ask me something, then.”
My smile appears on his face, and I know what my answer will be before he asks the question. “Yes,” I say. “Whatever it is, my answer is yes.”
HE DRIVES ME through downtown and points out the enormous building where he works. He lives not much farther away in a high-rise. He’s on the twenty-seventh floor. After a tension-filled ride in the elevator, mostly due to his proximity and my nervousness, we make our way to his condo. He stills with his key in the door and angles to face me. “Just remember that I’m a bachelor.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I question as a slow smile builds on my face.
He opens the door to an expansive room. Expansive and nearly empty. The floors are a dark brownish-black hard wood of some kind, and the walls are beige and barren. I step into the entry, still holding his jacket on my shoulders. It’s warm inside, so I consider removing it, but I like having something of his against my skin, so I don’t.
He flips on a light or two and we stroll toward the kitchen. My eyes linger longingly at his top-of-the-line stainless steel appliances. I tell myself that someday I’ll be able to afford them, but I know that’ll really never happen.
The counters are empty. There are a few papers and a laptop on the breakfast bar. I turn to the left and see a lone darkgrey couch and a gigantic flat screen on the wall. Nothing else.
“Did you just move in?” I ask, gesturing around the room.
His head tilts to the side. “Nope,” he says, popping thep.“Been here for three years.”
“I see you do a lot of entertaining.” I motion toward the empty dining room.
He smirks. “Yep. Dinner parties every weekend. Want to the see the rest of the empty space?” he asks.
“Yeah. Show me.”
He walks me into the bedroom. He has a large bed and a nightstand, but that’s it. The bathroom smells of him, and there are a few items on the sink, but not many.
“I take it you’re never here.”
