Heather is already two steps ahead of me, waiting outside the locked gate. One of the added features to the property is the eight-foot wall for extra privacy and security. Magnolia Park is one of the safest neighborhoods in the Bay Area, but extra security is always a plus for a single twenty-two-year-old.
Fishing the keys from my front pocket, I pass them to Heather. The double gate opens up to a fairly sizable cobblestone courtyard decorated with lush landscaping and palm trees. The main entrance resembles a tower with two rectangular buildings connected on each side. Each building contains two apartments that my cousin designed, one on the top floor and one on the bottom, a total of four units.
Heather spins in a slow circle, taking it all in. “This is incredible, Cannon.”
I smile. “Wait until you see the inside.”
The main foyer is set up like a lobby, complete with a small sitting area, a set of stairs on each side of the room, and an elevator directly across from the main door. Two additional doors are situated on either side of the elevator, which lead to the courtyard and pool area.
“Are they all the same color palette?” Heather asks as she moves to the bottom floor apartment on the right and pushes the key into the lock.
“Yes,” I reply as I remove my sunglasses and set them on top of my head. “Why?”
“I was just wondering if I needed to look at all four apartments before deciding which one I want.” She pushes the door open and draws in a deep breath through her nose. “I love the smell of newness.”
I chuckle softly. She’s been living with me ever since the Courtney drama.
“It’s up to you whether you want to live in one and rent the other three, but if you stay here, I’d prefer you to be on the second floor.”
It’s an open plan with dark wood floors running through the entire apartment. A white granite countertop, with swirls of cream and gray, separates the kitchen from the main room. The cabinets are white, and the walls are painted in a light cream. There are two master suites at opposite ends of the apartment and a half-bath just off the kitchen for guests.
It’s the perfect starter home for a college graduate.
My phone buzzes, and I pull it from my pocket to check the screen.
“I need to take this.” I wave toward the door. “Go look around out back. I’ll lock up and be there in a minute.”
Heather happily skips out the door as I bring the phone to my ear. “Don’t tell me you’ve had a change of heart?” I say once Heather’s out of earshot.
“It’s done,” Victor snaps.
“That was fast.” There’s no way he had time to move her into an apartment. “You could’ve given her the day to celebrate. Even I’m not that much of an asshole.”
“Why do you care? You got what you wanted, Cannon.”
Not yet, but soon.
“Where is she?”
“The Martin Portside. Penthouse,” he adds, as if that will make him any less of a dick.
I let out a humorless laugh. “You dumped her at a hotel?”
“No.” He pauses. “She’s been there all week.”
“I thought you said she moved in with you,” I ask as I lock up the apartment and shove the keys in my pocket. Then it hits me—he moved her into a hotel. “You’re a real piece of shit, Victor.”
“I was planning to take her apartment shopping this weekend,” he defends.
“I’ll take care of it.” I start to pull the phone away when I hear him call my name. “What?”
There’s a beat of silence before he says, “Makayla is not like Desiree.” No shit.
“If I wanted a woman like Desiree, I’d have kept Desiree.”
Ending the call, I stalk through the main foyer and push through the glass door leading to the back courtyard. Heather is standing at the edge of the pool, her phone pressed to her ear as she drags her big toe through the water.
“No, I’m glad you called.” She looks over her shoulder to meet my stare. “No plans. I’d love to meet for drinks… Not at all. Just text me the time and I’ll be there… Can’t wait. See you.”
Ending the call, she narrows her eyes. “You didn’t have anything to do with that, did you?”
“Be more specific.”
“Victor just broke up with Makayla and left her at a hotel.”
“He was supposed to wait until tomorrow.”
Her eyes go wide. “Cannon!”
“He didn’t just dump her off at the hotel,” I explain. “She’s been staying there all week because Victor never planned on moving her in with him.”
Shaking her head, she sighs as she bends to snatch her heels from the pavement where she’d kicked them off. “I don’t know what kind of game you're playing with this Victor guy, but Makayla is still a person with feelings.”
“There’s no game. Victor is an asshole, and Makayla deserves better.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Meet her for drinks. Be the friend she needs right now.” I gesture to the apartment building. “Rent her an apartment.”
Heather smirks. “Oh, you’d love that, wouldn’t you?”
I slip my sunglasses over my eyes. “I would, actually.”
Chapter Six
Makayla
I allow myself ten minutes to cry after Victor leaves. One minute for every month we were together. Then I pull my shit together and decide I need a plan. I can’t stay in this hotel forever.
After a long hot shower, I slip into a soft robe and make my way into the walk-in closet. Hands on my hips, I heave a deep breath out and shake my head as I look over the five large pieces of luggage stacked under the racks of what is supposed to be my side of the closet. Hard to believe everything I own fits into five suitcases.
My gaze moves to the opposite
