“But it’s better to share it,” Arik said. “At least I think so.” He picked his glass up. “Cheers. This is great. I can’t thank you enough.”
Natalie watched her parents and siblings smile. Her brothers always gave any man she brought home a hard time, but not with Arik.
He won them over just as easily as he’d done with her without even trying.
Was it possible this was real, or was she just grasping for reasons to believe, afraid that trusting it might leave her shattered?
A few weeks in wasn’t enough for her to open up and trust he wouldn’t decide one day he’d had enough of the island and pack his few bags and leave.
27
NEXT LEVEL
“Thanks for meeting with me,” Arik said two days later.
“Not a problem. I enjoy talking to clients in person before we view homes,” Stella Burke said. She was a realtor at Bond Realty.
He’d been emailing her for a few days while she searched properties for him.
Two were coming up on the market for a long-term rental. They hadn’t been listed yet and she was giving him first option.
“I’ve got time on my hands.”
Not as much as he’d had before, now that he was settling in on his puzzle app idea.
Even if nothing came of it, it’d be fun to work on it, then try to sell. He could launch it for a short period to just get feedback.
Between writing the code, he was researching the best way to launch and test.
It was eating into his days in a good way. One with purpose and excitement. If it fizzled, oh well, he’d just move on to the next thing.
“It’s hard to find long-term rentals on the island, easier if your budget is flexible.”
He hadn’t given a strict budget, just said he wanted to see what was available and go from there.
Anything would be more space than his suite, but it was easy living too.
Food at his fingertips, a clean space he didn’t have to do himself, and access to his girlfriend daily if he chose.
He chose to see her daily, but she wasn’t so keen on it.
Had to dial it back some, he knew.
He had the time, she didn’t. And maybe she wasn’t one who liked to have someone in her space daily either. Just because he was insecure about how this was all happening and that he’d forced it some without her knowledge, didn’t mean she understood him.
“Have a seat and I’ll pull up the two listings and we’ll check them out if you’re interested,” Stella said.
He planted his butt in the chair at the table while she typed on her computer.
She slid the laptop over to him and he viewed the outside of the tiny cottage in a neighborhood with lots of homes around it.
“Doesn’t look as if there is much of a view,” he said.
“This is walking distance to downtown shops and food,” Stella said. “It has two bedrooms and one bath, about a thousand square feet.”
He was sliding through the pictures. Quaint came to mind.
Charming.
