“For you. That was its purpose all along. I found it at an estate sale...when Dave and his wife aren’t fighting, they like to go antiquing and I tagged along. And then I asked them to clean it up for us a little bit, refinish it, that kind of thing. I thought you might like it.”
“I love it,” she said. “I really, really love it. Thank you.”
She set about unpacking her stuff and arranging it just so in the wardrobe, giddy as any kid at sleepaway camp for the first time. She was officially more excited about the a
rmoire than she had ever been over the idea of moving in with Kevin. The fact that Jack had made room for her in his life, in his home, with intention and thoughtfulness, was so meaningful to her. Her heart seemed full to bursting with love for him.
She made the cream cheese dip and they had their tacos and chips by candlelight.
“For romantic ambiance,” he insisted when she protested that takeout tacos were not candle-worthy.
Over their simple meal, Jack took her hand.
“Thank you for staying over tonight. I know you thought I was joking, but I really don’t want to be apart from you. I messaged my realtor today and asked her to get us an updated list of properties that might interest us. Want to go house hunting this weekend?”
“Apartment hunting,” she corrected.
“Yes. So, will you?”
“Sounds like fun to me. When I was shopping for properties to—to share with Kevin, it was rough finding anything in the city proper under two million and even that was making compromises regarding location and amenities. I figured we were going to have a mortgage payment around five thousand a month. I can cover about...”
“Stop thinking like an accountant for a second, Britt. We’re not going to be splitting a mortgage. We’re buying outright. And you don’t have to compromise anything. You wanted a roof garden, so that means we need an outdoor space. Any other requirements? Do you like the character of pre-war buildings? Modern design? Favorite neighborhoods?”
“Slow down, Jack! I’m not expecting you to buy us an apartment. I’m perfectly able to pay my part of the mortgage and expenses.”
“That’s wonderfully self-sufficient of you but you have the misfortune of moving in with a rich guy who then inherited yet more money and wants to pay for stuff. This is exciting for me, finding out that money is good for something other than vacation or just sitting there in the bank earning interest. It can buy us a home to start our life together.”
“I love that you want to do that for us and it’s very sweet.”
“But?”
“But I’m just not comfortable with you making that kind of up-front investment in property chosen for a couple who frankly just got together. It’s a great risk and what if the market suffers and you couldn’t get your money out of the place?”
“I don’t want my money out of the place and frankly I’d never miss it if I lost money on a single real estate transaction. But I don’t intend to sell our home unless we want to move some place better.”
“As idealistic as that is, Jack, there are a number of variables here, not the least of which is your recent bereavement. It’s not a great time to make major life decisions or purchases,” she said with genuine concern. She didn’t want him to rush into this and then regret it. She’d rather wait than lose him over too rash and sudden a move.
“Really? I kind of wish I’d known I was under those kinds of restrictions before we left Madrid.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Because it might have altered my plans. Anyway, we can talk about this when we look at apartments. No reason to stress out about it now.”
Jack kissed the top of her head and went to shower, seeming subdued. Britt fell asleep in front of a remodeling show before he returned. When she woke, he was curled up beside him in bed. He had scooped her up and carried her there without waking her, just so he could hold her while she slept. Drowsily, she kissed him and drifted back off.
In the morning, she found a note from Jack who had gone out for a run.
“Meet me at Tamarind at six,” it read.
Britt smiled. What was he up to? She loved surprises.
When she got to work, she heard Bobby whispering her name. She froze and listened closer as he chatted with two others.
“She’s a co-worker-with-benefits,” one said with a chuckle. “I bet he tripled her wages.”
“Depends how good she is in the sack.”
“Must be good. He stopped dating all other women and is exclusive with only her.”