As the silence dragged on, Graham grew uncomfortable. He said the first thing that came to mind. “I wonder if there’s enough work around here to necessitate me living here.”
A knowing smile lit up her face. “You’ll see.”
Before he could respond, the elevator stopped, the door squeaked open and Alina was on the move again. She paused outside the building manager’s office and inserted the door key. And then she swung open the door.
“Home sweet home.” She stepped aside, letting him enter first.
He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this. There were no windows in this room. Just one solitary light fixture overhead, which didn’t illuminate the room all that well.
The gray walls were bare. There was an old metal desk with a few dings on the side. Though it had been cleaned off, probably by Alina, it was still not welcoming. It was about half the size of his sleek new desk at his office. There would definitely have to be some adjustments made if he were to work here, and he most definitely needed to work while he was here.
“I know it’s not much,” Alina said, “but I’ve moved most of the clutter to this big walk-in closet.”
He turned around to find a door behind him. He followed Alina inside. A single light bulb hung overhead, illuminating two stepladders, a hot water tank, a couple of shelving units with some home improvement items and an assortment of other items.
“You weren’t kidding about me being the building janitor—”
“Building manager,” she corrected. “Most everything you’ll need should be here. If not, let me know and we can work something out.”
“I think I can manage.”
“There’s one more room to show you.” Alina moved to the back of the unit and opened the door. “This is your bedroom.”
As he stepped into the room, he noticed the minimal furnishings. Beneath a window was a twin bed and next to it was a nightstand with a lamp. Wait. A twin bed?
He hadn’t slept in a bed that small since he was a kid. And to make matters worse, there was a pink comforter with large white polka dots. The pillow propped up against the headboard had a pink pillowcase with a unicorn. He inwardly groaned. He felt like he’d just stepped into a girl’s dormitory.
“I know it’s not fancy like what you’re accustomed to, but I can assure you the entire place is clean. When some of the residents found out what I was doing, they offered to help.”
He drew in a deep breath, smelling a fresh lemony scent. That should have made him feel better, but he still was having a very hard time adjusting to the accommodations. This wasn’t going to do. Not at all. Not for a few weeks. Not even for a few days.
Yet he kept his thoughts to himself. He didn’t want to insult Alina after the trouble she’d gone to. But hopefully she wouldn’t mind him making this unit his own. After all, he did own the building. And he wasn’t accustomed to asking anyone’s permission to do as he pleased. He didn’t plan to start now.
He stepped toward the small bed, barely big enough for his six-foot-three frame. He settled his bag on the end of the bed, causing the comforter to become disheveled. When he went to straighten it, he noticed it was double-sided. The bottom side was gray. Thank goodness. He’d flip it over, problem solved.
Ring-ring-ring.
Graham turned to Alina.
“It’s the phone on the desk,” she said. “I can get it for you.”
He was tempted to take her up on her offer, but he said he would do this and he refused to break his word. “I’m on it.”
He didn’t even want to imagine what problem awaited him. He picked up the phone with a friendly hello. The conversation was short and straight to the point. There was no small talk, just the problem laid out. Was this how his next few weeks were going to be?
“Yes, Mr. Merryweather. I’ll be right there.” Graham hung up the apartment phone.
“What did he want?” Alina asked.
“It appears there’s a leak in his bathroom.”
A smile came over Alina’s face and though Graham already thought she was beautiful, when she smiled, it took his breath away. There was something about this woman that was very special.
“What are you smiling about?” He wondered if he had some breakfast stuck in his teeth.
“Nothing.”
“It’s something.”