“I see them from here. What else do I get as…?”
He looked back at her.
“Amenities?”
“Yes, amenities.”
“Concierge service, a seaside pool, common terrace.”
“And what am I paying in rent?”
“Forty-three hundred dollars.”
CHAPTER FIVE
He shook his head, feeling as if he’d been hit by a sledgehammer. His lips had turned downward into a scowl.
“That is more than a year’s salary from where I come from. And to just hand it over to someone else? Would it not be more efficient to buy? You can do that here, can you not?”
“You can buy and sell as many times as you want, but we thought you might want to live in the city a while before doing that.”
He eyed her suspiciously. “Who is the we?”
“Me. Keith. We’re the ones handling this part of the financial piece right now.”
He pushed the offending wind-blown hair off his forehead, shifted from one foot to the other.
“As my financial…manager…you think this is a good use of my funds?”
She was biting her lip, as if in hesitation. He waited for her to say something, but when she didn’t, he bit out, “I’m asking for your opinion.”
She pursed her lips and finally said, “Not really. It is a lot of money for rent, with no real recompense. But I think you need a year to figure out what you want, where you want to live, and this seemed the best alternative for that.”
“I didn’t sign a lease.”
A look of wariness came over her face. “Keith and I signed it. You gave him power of attorney.”
He had. It was all part of the contract. His agent/attorney would be making certain decisions for him over the next couple of months, and he figured if he trusted him to negotiate for him, he’d trust him with money that came from it. But Alicia?
“Why did you?”
Her cheeks pinkened. “I was going to lease it for you until Keith reminded me that I’d be responsible for the monthly payment if you walked away. I certainly can’t afford this on my own, but by then my name was already on the application and it would have looked suspect if I asked them to remove it.”
He thrust his hands onto his hips in an aggressive stance.
“I would not walk away and leave you like that.”
She stepped back and away from him, mumbling, “I almost believe that.” She sucked her cheeks in. “I’m sorry we’re treating you…like you’re incompetent.”
He waved the apology off.
“As long as you’re sending my mother the money agreed upon, I’m fine with you handling things.”
“I’m… only trying to make sure you don’t spend to excess.”
The sound he made was part gasp.
“This isn’t excess?”
She was biting her lip as she scanned the living space, taking in every inch, from rugs to lights to drapes. Defensively, she said, “I thought it would fit your new lifestyle.”
He’d crossed his arms over his chest.
“You know what kind of lifestyle I want? A better one, yes, but to buy eggs, clothes, extra shoes. I want to be able to go on a shopping spree like I did in Rotterdam with money in my pocket rather than have to sell cigars like a monger to purchase a phone or diapers, like some of my teammates had to do. That is what I came for, not this.”
She dipped her head. “Almost every player who emigrates wants all that money can buy them. I thought…” Squaring her shoulders, she looked at him and said, “Anything in the city would have cost big bucks. I thought you said that’s where you wanted to live.”
“I…I am out of my element here. I don’t mean to be difficult, but I’m not sure I’ll ever feel at home knowing how expensive it is.”
She stammered, “I can try to get you out of the lease.”
He was facing the water again, his hands stuffed in his pockets, the water having a calming effect on his mood.
“No. I’m sorry. This isn’t your fault. I just need to get used to having money at my disposal. I am thinking this view is worth the price.”
He heard the exhale, thinking once again that she wasn’t as cool and calm as she’d let on. It was obvious now that she’d been worried about his response to her choice, and he’d added weight to that with his complaint. When the offer to play for the Greenliners had been made and Keith had presented it, the dollar amounts had staggered him. He’d read about some of his compatriots signing multi-million-dollar deals but never thought he’d be one of them. His hand had been shaking when he inked the contract. His guilt in going this route was colored by the concern that he wasn’t worth it. He’d been busting his ass trying to prove he was, more to himself than his coaches.
He swiveled his head, faced her, and asked, “What do I get for my money?”
Her fingers were twisted into pretzels, her nerves more on the surface now and readable.
“Let me give you a tour.”
They didn’t have to move far to enter the kitchen. It opened into the room they’d been standing in.
“It has a farm sink, a six-burner gas stove, with an eat-in area, quartz counters.”
Her hand was moving over the surface with something akin to envy.
“You like it.”
She snatched her hand back and flashed her eyes at him.
“I don’t need to. This is your place, not mine.”
He rested his arms over the top of one of the stools that sat at the counter and asked, “Where do you live?”
She bit her lip. Was she unsure about sharing such personal information?
“I rent a place in Malden with a couple of friends. People I work with.”
“Do you make a lot of money working for DeLorenzo?”
“Not sure that’s any of your business.”
“I would think husbands would know what their wives made.”
Her face tinged pink and she swung around toward the hall.
“Let me show you the rest of the place. There are two bedrooms, which added to the cost. I knew you wanted to bring your mother
