“I’m flattered,” I told her. And I was about to say something else when she interrupted me.
“Let me ask you a question now, okay?”
“Sure,” I said.
“How long am I going to have to rub my leg up against yours before you ask if you can give me a lift home?”
We were in the 4Runner five minutes later.
Chapter 17
As we drove out of the parking garage, Sandra told me that she lived just a few minutes away, on Mount Washington. In addition to all the super-expensive homes and condominium complexes up there, Mount Washington also has, at either end, a few fairly ordinary apartment buildings. They lack the spectacular views of the other establishments and, thus, are far less expensive. I assumed Sandra lived in one of those places; instead, she had me pull into the garage of one of the nicer condo units. She motioned for me to park in one of the visitors’ slots near a reserved space with her name above it. We then took the elevator down to her condominium, which was on the building’s third floor, which means that it was actually several stories below the top of the hillside. Nonetheless, the view would still be something to see, I was sure.
As we entered her apartment, she flipped a switch, which turned on several low-level overhead lights throughout the large living area in front of me.
“C’mon in, Jeremy,” she said. “Home sweet home.”
“Wow,” I said. “This is quite a place.”
“Well,” she said, “you’re looking at most of it. This is actually a large efficiency, although the realtor would never have used that expression. There’s just this big open area, the kitchen over on the side there, and my small bedroom and bath down the hall. It’s the smallest unit in the building.”
And still worth at least a quarter of a million, I thought. Looking around, I could see that the furnishings stopped just short of being spartan. I suppose you could call it a minimalist approach to home decorating. There was a large chocolate-colored leather sofa in the middle of the wooden floor, facing the drapes that were, at the moment, closed. There were end tables with lamps, and a coffee table, along with a chair that matched the sofa and was angled off to one side. Next to it was a floor lamp that matched the table lamps. Other than that, there wasn’t much, just a couple of plants in the corners, a few pieces of artwork, and a small table and chairs over by the kitchen area.
Sandra noticed me looking around and said, “I haven’t done much decorating yet. I’m buying things a piece at a time, as I can afford them, and I try to buy quality.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I said.
“That’s very diplomatic of you,” she said. “I had a man here once who immediately commented on all the ‘ugly open space.’” There was a pause. “He wasn’t here very long.”
“No,” I said, “really, I like everything. It’s very nice already, and, as someone said to me earlier this evening, it’s got definite possibilities.”
She smiled then and walked over to the drapes.
“The real reason anyone lives up here, of course, is this,” she said, as she opened the drapes, revealing a wall of glass, beyond which was spread the entire Pittsburgh skyline.
“Quite a view, huh?” she asked, with her very shapely backside to me.
“It certainly is,” I agreed.
She turned back and smiled again.
“I wasn’t fishing for a compliment, but thanks, anyway. May I offer you something to drink, perhaps a glass of Chardonnay?”
“That would be fine, thanks,” I replied.
“Why don’t you wait for me out on the balcony?”
I slid open the door and stepped out. Considering the fact that the apartment was supposed to be the smallest in the building, the balcony was quite large, more than three times the size of my deck at home. With darkness now fast approaching, the lights of the city were beginning to twinkle, creating a beautiful effect.
I heard the door slide open behind me, and I turned to take a glass of wine from Sandra. We stood side by side for a minute, sipping our drinks and staring at the scene below us.
“It’s magnificent,” I told her. “I think I’d sleep out here.”
“Oh, I have,” she said. “Sometimes I just curl up on the chaise lounge over there and watch the city go to sleep. Then I do the same. By the way, Jeremy, thanks for not asking how I can afford all this. That’s what most people inquire about right away.”
“Not my business,” I said.
“I’m not a partner. Yet. But I will be, someday, and William and Elias know it. They don’t want to lose me, so my Christmas bonuses the past few years have been pretty substantial. I was able to afford the down payment and the mortgage payments on this place, but it’s going to take a while before I can furnish it the way I want.”
“It’ll be something pretty special, I’m sure,” I told her.
“Thanks,” she said, as she slipped her arm in mine. “Shall we go back inside?”
She turned the lights down very low, and we sat on the sofa together, looking at the view. It was mesmerizing. I’d seen the view from Mount Washington many times before, but always from one of the lookout points or from inside one of the restaurants. Seeing if from someone’s home was, as my students used to say, a whole other thing.
Sandra turned to me and said, “Why don’t we get the rest of the business talk out of the way?”
“All right,” I told her.
“Okay,” she said, “I’ve told you that Terry hit on me a couple of times. I deflected his passes, and he seemed to be okay with that, especially when it became obvious that I wasn’t interested. But you might want to talk with Cameron McKenzie. He and Terry spent some time together, and, well, they had at least one thing in common.”
“Cameron also
