“It’s not soon, it’s after eleven.” Wyatt walks to the corner on the far side of the office. “We’re going to go over the plan for another building before we head out to Starview.”
Justin raises a brow. “You don’t want me here?”
I roll my eyes. “I was just surprised.”
Well, that, and I’m likely to be distracted by his presence for the rest of the day.
I try to push Justin’s presence out of my head for the next few hours. I email the accountant with the most recent billing information and finish up the minimal amount of filing. I still don’t have a lot of work, so I spend some time looking at the online want ads. I suppose I could temp until I find my niche. But the more I figure out what I want to do, the more it’s dawning on me that I may need to branch out on my own.
It isn’t until Wyatt’s standing in front of my desk that I realize how much time has passed. “What does my calendar look like, tomorrow?”
We run through his day which is considerably fuller than what today was. I wait for him to email me his to-do list so I can skim over it before shutting down my laptop.
A little more than twenty minutes later we’re pulling into the underground parking at Starview. My apartment is on the third floor. Both the other apartments are on the sixth floor.
They start with my apartment. Instead of using his copy of the key, Justin waits for me to open the door for them.
As we step inside Wyatt looks around the space. I’m a little embarrassed having my boss look at my sparse apartment. But I’ve just moved in, so there’s not much to expect. He turns to Justin. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
I pull out my notebook, after all, I’m supposed to be taking notes.
Justin shoves his hands in pockets, pulling his pants tight across his ass. “This apartment is dark. Which means the lights will be switched on earlier.” He points to the door leading to my small balcony. “That door and window makes no sense. I’d like to make it one full glass sliding door. I’ll speak to my contractor about making the most of wind play. But we’re losing a lot of light on that side.”
Wyatt knocks on the wall and nods. “It’s definitely a supporting wall. It will take some extra work but it’s possible. What else?”
The two men head to the kitchen. Listening to Justin speak about how to optimize the space between the kitchen and the living area is fascinating. It’s like he can picture the light flowing in, feel the way the breeze will flow through the room. It’s not just his imagination, but also how he listens to what is possible and makes adjustments. When it comes to this, he’s not stubborn.
He has many of the same ideas about the other two apartments. Though with the last one he wants to make the windows bigger in the bedrooms because of the angle of the sun. Who thinks like that?
By the time Wyatt leaves, I have pages of notes to transcribe. Together, we take the elevator up to his apartment.
“So, what do you think?” We step into his apartment and he heads straight to the kitchen.
“I think your ideas are brilliant.” I can’t believe that he needs, or wants, my opinion on it. He obviously knows what he’s doing.
“You think so?” He pulls out two bottles of water from the fridge and hands one to me. “I mean it’s a lot of work, but I want the tenants to feel like it’s permanent. Not like it’s a stepping stone to something else.”
I tilt my head and squint. I’m not sure I agree with him, but I don’t want to take this away from him. “Sure.”
“Don’t do that.” He flops into the couch. “You have something to say, don’t try to placate me, just say it. What don’t you agree with? I can handle it.”
“It’s not permanent.” He said not to sugarcoat, so I don't. “These are not the apartments you get when you’re looking to raise a family. You’re not looking at parents with kids who will grow up thinking fondly of their childhood.”
“Then what am I looking at?”
“Young adults who will look back fondly at their first or second apartment.” I kick off my shoes and make myself comfortable next to him. “You’re not going to advertise these listings in your normal newspapers. This is ideal for singles with low income. Post grad students, entry level employees, that sort of target market.”
“Does it make much difference?”
“No. Affordable apartments will go without you needing to advertise. That’s a given. You won’t need to do much marketing. But people will come and view regardless. Capitalize on who they are, not what you think they will want.”
He looks at me and nods. “Thanks. I’m glad I have someone who can look at things from that perspective.”
Justin
“Angel can I take your keys and get my green T-shirt from your apartment?” God, watching her body move behind the frosted glass is getting me hard.
She pokes her head around the glass wall of the shower. “Yeah, it’s folded in the spare room, with the rest of the clothes you left there. I put it in the washer when I did my laundry.”
“You know this is ridiculous, right?”
She rolls her eyes at me. “We’re not having this discussion again. Go get your T-shirt.”
I’m not entirely sure why we need two apartments. We’ve spent every night together since she moved into the apartment a few floors down from me. Mostly at mine, but since she bought her bed, we’ve spent some nights there. We have all our meals together, and even when I need to work from home, most times Angela is working
