Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77983 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77983 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
She glances at me. “I’ll send you an email now with the rental agreement and the information you’ll need to pay your damage deposit and first month’s rent.”
A moment later, my phone buzzes in my palm.
“If you prefer, you can sign the rental agreement online,” she explains. “I completely understand if you’d like someone to look it over for you.”
Someone? As in someone older with experience in contracts?
I have someone just like that in my life. Declan is a lawyer, but if I go to him with this, he’ll tell me it’s a waste of money. He’s under the impression that I’m spending my time in Manhattan camping out in his spare bedroom.
I scan the document attached to the email. It’s a standard agreement, so I follow the attached link and sign it electronically before pressing the submit button.
“Signed, sealed, and delivered back to you.” I toss her a bright smile.
Her brow knits in confusion as her gaze drops back to her tablet. “That was quick. I’ll have a look.”
I take the opportunity to open my banking app to make the payment as specified in her email.
“It looks as though the agreement is in order, “ she says as her tablet chimes. Her fingers slide over the screen in response to the sound. “And it seems you’ve paid the damage deposit and two months’ rent in full.”
“When can I move in?” I ask hopefully.
“How’s Monday?” She finally smiles. “I’ll file the paperwork, have the lock changed, and you’ll be good to go.”
“Monday it is,” I say with a flutter of excitement in my chest. “I can’t wait.”
“This is the second most important woman in my life.” Sean nudges my shoulder with his index finger. “Ava, meet Calliope. She’s the most important…”
“Woman in your life,” I finish the sentence for him as I extend a hand to my brother’s fiancée.
Calliope Morrow is even more beautiful in person.
Sean sent me a selfie of the two of them that he took on the day he popped the question.
Calliope reaches for my hand to shake it softly. “It’s Callie. Saint is the only one who calls me Calliope. Well, he usually calls me Champ, but that’s a story for another day.”
Saint? Champ?
Their nickname game is next level.
The only pet name I’ve ever given a man is zero. That belonged to a guy I sort of slept with once, and it was because he lasted approximately zero seconds after he slid his cock into me.
It was over before it began.
“Ava’s all grown up,” Sean says as though he’s trying to convince himself that it’s reality. “When she left New York, she was just a kid. She’s still a kid, but with longer hair.”
I shake my head. “I’m an adult, Sean.”
“Barely,” he mutters. “I heard you stopped by the office this morning.”
It’s taken all day for me to get some face time with my brother. After I signed the lease on my new temporary apartment, I called the airline in search of my lost luggage.
It somehow landed in Spain but is making its way to New York. Since I couldn’t stand another hour in that dress, I ducked into a thrift shop.
I scored a cute black leather sling bag, a pair of ripped jeans, a gray T-shirt with the logo of a college in Ohio, and a black blazer. As I was heading to the changing room to try on those finds, I spotted a pair of almost new black leather boots with two-inch heels.
I have to commend myself on the look. Sean agreed since he complimented my outfit as soon as he opened his apartment door to find me standing on the other side.
“You were busy.” I sigh. “So was Declan.”
Sean nods. “You should have told my assistant who you were. He would have pulled me out of that meeting, Ava.”
I did tell him who I was, but he didn’t care. It’s a detail that doesn’t matter at this point, so I don’t respond.
“I’m going to start dinner soon,” Callie says as she motions toward a large dining table to the left. “I know we’re celebrating your birthday tomorrow at Axel Tribeca, but we could do a birthday eve dinner too, right? I can see if Declan is free to join us. Will you stay, Ava?”
I glance around the open space.
It’s slightly larger than Declan’s apartment, but the furnishings are similar. It’s just as warm and welcoming as his place.
“I’ll stay.” I look at Sean again to find a broad smile on his face. “What’s with you?”
“You,” he says without hesitation. “I’ve missed you, Ava. I’m sorry I didn’t make it to London to see you.”
“That’s why I came to New York to see you.” I shift my gaze from him to his fiancée. “And to meet you, Callie.”
Her hands disappear into the pockets of the blue dress she’s wearing. “Sean has told me all about you.”