“Nah, I’m good. Probably will go out with the guys.”
“Oh, have fun.” I nod, and just as I walk away, she says, “Quick question, what’s your policy on me having people over?”
Uhhhh . . .
Like men? Because I know the answer to that, and it’s not positive for her. There is no way in hell I’d be able to sit in my apartment knowing she has a man in her room with her.
“I mean like friends . . . just to clarify,” she says. “I have no intent of having men here, but if I were to have Penny over, would that be okay?”
Thank fuck.
Blakely and a man here? Yeah, I wouldn’t have been able to suffer through that. I’d move out first.
“Oh yeah, that would be fine,” I reply. “Treat my apartment like yours.”
Just don’t bring men home.
“Well, thank you. I appreciate it.”
“Of course.” I glance over my shoulder and thumb toward the door. “Well, I should get to the arena.”
“Okay, have a good treatment.” She cutely waves, then lays down one of her pieces of luggage and unzips it.
That’s my cue to leave . . . and to fucking breathe for a second.
Chapter Four
BLAKELY
“I half expected Holmes to be a little more . . . homey with his place,” Penny says, glancing around his apartment. “I mean, not even a picture on the walls.”
“Can you hang pictures on concrete walls?”
“I have no idea.” She runs her hands over them. “I’ve never seen them before unless I was in a basement, but we’re not in the basement. We’re in a high-rise. Frankly, the whole thing is confusing.”
“I know, but I also kind of like it,” I say, examining his space. “It’s simple. I would have pictured a rug for him at least, but the clean lines and simplicity of it all make sense for the kind of man Halsey is.”
Holden stirs in his car seat but remains asleep as Penny walks over to the large sliding glass door that opens to the balcony.
“No furniture? This is an amazing balcony, and he doesn’t have any furniture?”
“He said he would get some, but I don’t think it’s necessary, especially since I won’t be here that long. He doesn’t need to get it for me.”
“He needs something out here. What a wasted space.” She walks around, taking in the view. “You could fit an outdoor dining table out here, a few planters, an L couch. It’s the perfect place for him to read his books. I don’t understand why he wouldn’t take advantage of it.”
“I don’t know. It doesn’t seem like he . . . does much outside of hockey. You know?”
Penny pauses, then nods. “Yeah, I should have thought of that. Eli always talks about how different Halsey is from how he used to be. Makes me sad.” She turns toward me. “I still can’t believe you said yes to living here.”
“Now that I’m here, I can’t believe it either.” I sit on the edge of his couch and look around at the plain gray walls, the matching floors, and the empty space. It could be warmer if Halsey allowed warmth in his life.
I don’t know much about him, but I do know he’s been through a lot. He’s shut down, and not even his friends can bring him back to the guy he used to be.
Penny takes a seat next to me. “Want to talk about Perry?”
“Not really,” I answer.
“Too bad, because I do. Do you miss him?”
