She left the room, leaving a lingering unease behind. Did she…? Did she just threaten me somehow with a big smile on her face? No. Marie wouldn’t do that. She was sweet as pie. Sweet as those damn cookies she brought me. Although, the way she spoke about my low-income apartments made it feel…dirty.
I tried my best to shake off the feeling, thinking she was nothing more than a depressed mother who’d lost the future of having an amazing daughter-in-law. I’d be crazy, too, if I lost Aaliyah.
Before I could fully analyze the situation with Marie, Damian came walking into my office.
“Hey,” he nodded once before taking a seat across from me. “Aaliyah’s going to Kentucky with you?”
“How did you know?”
“Your mom just texted me in full-blown glee.”
Damian and my mother were the best of friends. He hated almost everyone else in the world, except for my Mom and me. They probably talked more than I did.
“Yeah. I figured it’s a good opportunity for the article. For her to see where I came from.”
He blinked a few times, then said, “Okay.”
I arched an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“All I said was okay.”
“Yeah, but you said it in a very non-okay way.”
“I just think it’s weird that you’re pretending to bring her down there for work, when really, you just want to bring her to your hometown.”
I snickered. “What?”
“Never mind. I think it’s great you’re bringing her.”
I arched an eyebrow. “You do?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s it? That’s all you have to say?”
“What do you want me to say?”
“You’re the grave digger. You find out crap about everyone, and you’ve met Aaliyah a few times now, so, I kind of want to know your thoughts on her.”
“Why do my thoughts matter? I’m not the one being interviewed by her.”
“Yeah, but you’re my person.”
“Don’t be weird, Connor.”
“I mean it. Your opinion matters to me, Damian. Honestly, I should’ve listened to you about Rose and a few other employees in the past. So if there’s something about Aaliyah that I should—”
“You like her.”
“What?”
“You have feelings for her. You’ve made it pretty obvious from the jump, but you’ve been too damn scared to admit it because you are terrified of commitment. Even so, you set yourself up to have this woman in your life because you don’t like the idea of her not being around. Exhibit A: You agree to do an interview. Exhibit B: You ask her to move in with you. Exhibit C: She’s coming to your hometown to meet your mother.”
“She’ll be meeting other people, too,” I urged.
Damian rolled his eyes. “You’re basically fucking her without fucking her.”
“What? No. We’re just buddies. Pals. Roommates. That’s it.”
Oh, the lies we told ourselves on the daily.
“Whatever makes this easier for you, champ. Although, you could admit your true feelings for her and see where they’d take you. But alas, you’re too chickenshit. Here I was, thinking I was the messed-up one who needed therapy, but I guess even millionaires like you have some trauma, too.”
I blankly stared at him for a few moments, blinking rapidly. “Uh, I’m sorry. I didn’t ask you to tell me about myself. I was asking about Aaliyah.”
“Oh. I already looked into her weeks ago.” He shrugged. “I like her. She’s a good one.”
The only other person I’d ever heard him say that about was my mother, and she sent him care packages every month.
“Anyway, I gotta get back to work. Also, did you see the email from Walter?” Damian asked, standing up from the chair. “He replied about five minutes ago about the Queens property. It’s all but a done deal. Just need to draw up contracts and sign on the dotted line. Congratulations, Con. It’s yours.”
Holy shit.
I got the property.
Ever since Damian told me the good news, my mind hadn’t stopped spinning. No, the great fucking news. I’d been working for years to make this happen, and the fact that it hadn’t fallen through like all the other locations made me want to cry like a damn child.
It was really happening, and I knew exactly who I wanted the first person I told to be.
“Do I really need to be blindfolded for this?” Aaliyah asked, laughing. “This seems a bit dramatic, and I’ve watched a lot of true crime, so if you are going to murder me, just tell me now so I can say a few prayers to try to get into heaven.”
I snickered. “Don’t be dramatic. If I wanted to kill you, I would’ve done it on Halloween night.”
“Well, that’s comforting.”
“We’re almost there. Luis is pulling up right now.”
Luis parked the car, and I hopped out quickly then guided Aaliyah out of the vehicle, with only a few fumbles and hiccups. The whole time she laughed, making me chuckle, too.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Yeah, I’m good,” she said, standing straight as we stepped onto the sidewalk. “Now, do I get to take it off or…?”
“Wait. Let me set the scene. I thought this would be great for the article. You remember how you said you wanted to showcase the past, present, and future of who I am?”
“Yes.”
“Well, we’ve only covered the present day. You’ve seen me in my work element, but I wanted to share the next chapter with you for myself. The future of Roe Real Estate is here.” I moved behind her and began untying the blindfold. The second it fell, Aaliyah looked at the run-down building in front of her.
Her eyes widened as she stared at the building, then at me. “Is this it? Is this your location for your low-income luxury apartments?”
I nodded.
Her face filled with a level of excitement
