Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 57866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
My new neighbor nodded. “Come on in while I grab my phone and keys.” She stepped aside, allowing me to enter the apartment.
I could only take four steps into the apartment before I was stopped short by boxes. A lot of boxes. Had anything been unpacked yet?
“It’s still a bit of a mess,” she said, waving a hand, shifting the baby to her hip so she could shove her phone in her back pocket and hook a finger into her keys. “But it’s only been ten days, so I’ll get there eventually.”
She walked toward me, Iris aiming for a world record in screaming. “So is it just you in your apartment, or do you have a family?”
I answered quickly. “Just me. How about you?”
She shrugged. “Just me for now. If you see a guy with longish black hair coming in or out of my apartment, please kick me directly in the vagina.”
My jaw dropped in shock, then sunk even lower when she tried to pass the baby over so she could lock her door.
Hell no. She’d agreed to babysit; I hadn’t.
“Let me get that,” I said, taking the keys instead of the kid and locking the door for her.
“We broke up like a month ago,” she continued, raising her voice so I could hear her over Iris. “Rock won’t stop sniffing around, though.”
I made it down the stairs first and put my key into the lock of my own apartment, giving her a concerned look. “Do you feel unsafe?”
She snort laughed. “No, it’s not like that. He’s got a huge dick and he’s an eleven in bed. But he’s about a four in all other aspects, so I need to stop seeing him. He’s a hot liar, but still a liar. When I asked him why he had the word ‘never’ tatted on his groin, he said he just liked the word, but then I found out it used to say ‘eve,’ his ex’s name, and he had it changed to ‘never.’ Like, why not just tell me that?”
I pushed the door to my apartment open and Marlowe walked in, grinning at me.
“Oh, wow. Apartment goals.”
She took in the hardwood floors I’d dusted and mopped yesterday, and the industrial-style shelving unit with house plants. As she rocked a still-crying Iris back and forth in her arms, her gaze landed on the corner of my living room where I had my workstation set up.
“You work at that desk? How is it so organized?” Marlowe shook her head, sounding baffled. “Are you a professional organizer? If you are, you’re hired.”
I smiled. “I’m a lawyer.”
She gave me an appraising look and then returned my smile. “Okay, I can see it. You’ve got that no-nonsense look about you. What kind of law?”
“I own a legal research business.”
Marlowe’s face lit up. “So you work from home? All the time?”
Well, when babies weren’t making it impossible, I did. I nodded in response.
“Girl, me too! I do a podcast.” She gave me a pleading look. “Can you show me the bathroom next? I assume it’s in the same place mine is. And if you could hold this tiny terror so I can pee, I’d owe you so huge.”
My pulse raced as she started passing me the baby. I’d never held a baby before. What if I did it wrong? What if she screamed even louder?
“Oh, I…”
Marlowe didn’t seem to notice my hesitation as she nestled Iris into my arms.
“Can you walk back there with me and keep talking so I know you’re not taking off with Iris? Josie will fucking kill me if I let her kid get kidnapped on my watch.”
Wow. This woman just put her every thought directly into the world. I could see why Never liked her, though. She had beautiful blue eyes, a tiny round silver nose ring, and a natural confidence I wished I had.
“So what’s your podcast about?” I asked, following her to the bathroom but stopping before I reached the door.
“It’s about women and sex,” she answered from inside the bathroom, leaving the door open. “It’s called Cliterally Speaking.”
Of course it was. Why had I even wondered if Marlowe would say she liked to talk about history or wellness?
I looked down at the baby in my arms, who was still crying but had her eyes closed. Iris was exhausted. How did her mother ever get anything done while having an infant to care for? What an absolute time suck.
She did have a sweet little nose, though, and perfect little lips. And the cooing sounds she made in between cries made my heart melt.
“What’s wrong, Iris?” I asked softly. “Can you tell me?”
She opened her eyes and looked at me, and something inside me shifted. Her soft, beautiful blue gaze locked onto me, and I couldn’t look away. Were we having a moment?