This man exuded a power unlike any she’d ever encountered. But he made no one feel less than. He respected everyone and listened to every idea brought to his table. That was the reason he succeeded in all things, the reason she’d come to him, and the reason she gave a brief nod before she let his fingers weave through hers as he led her back toward his apartment.
CHAPTER SIX
Lucy coming to find him because she wanted to discuss staying married was like Christmas, his birthday, and their honeymoon all rolled into one. He just couldn’t show it.
With Lucy, he’d made so many mistakes. A mountain of complicated history stood between them. So many kinks needed to be worked out. He wanted to address the issues so they could move forward, at the very least.
Filled with resolve, he held out his arm, inviting her up the steep staircase to his apartment.
At the top of the stairs, he motioned her right. “This one is mine.”
Her brow furrowed slightly as she scanned the sparse hallway with only one other door across from his. He understood her confusion. It wasn’t like any of the places he owned in San Francisco.
He swung the door open and stood aside, letting her precede him into the apartment.
As she did, a whiff of her perfume brought an onslaught of memories. Waking up with her back pressed against hischest, her mass of hair sticking to his cheek where he’d slept on it. The sound of her laugh, loud and joyous as she stirred a delicious smelling sauce in a pot on the stove. The way she pretended to be annoyed when he pulled her away from the sauce to dance with her in the kitchen. How she’d come home from work smelling of sawdust and talking excitedly about the latest Barone & Sons project. The habit she’d formed of walking around with her hand resting on her still flat belly, humming quietly, before everything changed.
Their life together came back on one whiff of vanilla spice. So much for being careful with his heart. He was fucked, and he knew it.
Leaning against the wall, he shoved his hands into his pockets and watched her take in his space. It was night and day from what she’d experienced with him in San Francisco where his décor was sleek and modern. Grays and whites, cool accents, and marble countertops.
Here, Hope had mostly done the decorating. A long L-shaped couch, filled with throw pillows he would have never bought. An oak table large enough to fit his whole family in the dining room. She’d hung some family photos, too. It came across as very domestic.
Lucy would recognize the woman’s touch, and he didn’t want her to get the wrong idea.
“My sister decorated.”
“Hmm.” Lucy nodded. “Makes sense. It’s very homely, permanent.” She tilted her head. “Are you putting down roots in Portland, Joel?”
“I have no roots to put down.” She should know that better than anyone. “But I’ll be here long enough that Hope told me staying at The Heathman would be pretentious, even for a Morgan. So she set me up here.”
Lucy continued to walk around, taking in the surroundings.
In the silence, he felt compelled to go on. “Her husband, Gabe, used to live here. And Hope lived across the hall with her friend, Ivy.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder to the door, even though Lucy wasn’t looking at him. “Hope and Gabe moved out when they married.”
“Does Ivy still live there?”
“Yes. She lives with her fiancé, Sean. Who moved in here after Gabe moved out.”
Lucy finally stopped and stared at him, eyebrows knit together. “So Gabe lived here and then got together with Hope, who lived across the hall. Then Sean lived here and got together with the girl who lives across the hall? Am I getting it right?”
He chuckled, running his hand through his hair. “That’s exactly right.”
“Matchmaking apartments,” Lucy murmured as she crossed to a wall of photos.
“Yeah.” He huffed out a laugh. “Never thought of it like that.”
Lucy pointed to a photo and glanced at him with a raised eyebrow.
“That, uh, that’s Ruby. My niece,” he explained, hesitant to bring up children around Lucy, not knowing where she stood in her grief. “Hope and Gabe’s daughter. Hope’s in the process of officially adopting her. She just turned seven.”
“She’s adorable.”
Her smile was genuine and filled him with relief because there was no hiding his pride when he spoke about his niece. “She’s the best.” Almost instantly, Ruby felt like family. Her joyful light was a balm to his bruised soul. He’ddo anything for the little girl, no questions asked. “She has a keen business sense already. You’d be impressed.”
Lucy finished her perusal of the apartment with a slow spin. “You look settled here. Are you happy?”
Happy was a distant memory. Although it was starting to feel closer with every passing minute in Lucy’s presence. “I work too hard to be anything but busy.”
