Harry paused at the top of the stairs and let Joey go past him. He grinned at her and said, “Lead us in, Roo.”
She flashed him a tight smile that felt like it choked her, and then she went down the steps. The door had a lock box on it, and Joey quickly whipped her phone out of her purse. She’d taken a screenshot of the code, and she navigated to that quickly, and then moved the numbers on the combination lock to the correct position, and pressed her thumb up against the compartment.
It didn’t budge.
She frowned and looked at her phone again. “It’s three-eight-one-two,” she said, knowing she’d put it in right. She looked at the combination, and sure enough, it was right. The metal burned her hand with cold, and she stepped back.
“Will you try it, Harry? Maybe I’m not strong enough to move it.”
Harry edged in, checked the combination, and then jammed his thumb against it as well.
“You have to press the side there,” Belle said, pointing. “Look how there’s a button.”
“Oh.” Harry did that, pushed again, and sure enough, the compartment slid open. He reached inside and pulled out a pair of keys. He handed them to Joey, who retook her place in front of the door, fitted the key into the knob, and unlocked it.
She pushed the door open and paused before she stepped over the threshold and into the apartment. A gray, flat light echoed throughout the space the same way it did outside, and Joey could only imagine how much sunlight she’d have in the spring and summer. She peered inside and found the living room on her left.
“The carpet is new,” she said, taking that first step inside. Her foot landed on beige tile, which ran straight in front of her, down a hallway, and expanded to the left into the kitchen. The carpet only sat in the living room, and Joey knew from the pictures that it was in the bedroom as well.
“This is just a one-bedroom place?” Harry asked, entering after her.
“Yes,” she said. “One bedroom, one bath. Big laundry room, though. They said their last tenant used it as a miniature office.”
Joey swallowed because this apartment was unfurnished, and she did not currently own a couch, a dining room table or chairs, any lamps, a TV, a TV stand, or a real adult-sized bed.
Doubt started to swirl through her, because she had no idea how she could possibly afford to purchase all of those thingsandpay the security depositandthe first and last month’s rent.
“This is nice,” Belle said. She’d branched off into the kitchen, and Joey turned around while Harry closed the door.
“Really big,” Belle said. “This will be perfect for your cooking.”
The fridge stood at the corner of the wall, and the kitchen wrapped around with plenty of counter space, a sink, a dishwasher, and the stove. The window sat on the back wall with plenty of room for a big dining room table. The island was shaped like a trapezoid, and everything had been done in gray and white, including the granite in the countertops.
“This is almost too nice for me,” Joey said, running her fingertip along the cold slab of stone.
It didn’t take long to go down the hall and peek into the bathroom, which had matching tile and a full tub andshower combo. The laundry room sat in the very corner with the washer and dryer included, and a folding table across from the appliances with plenty of space between.
“Yeah, this is nice,” Harry said.
Joey moved into the bedroom next, which would have plenty of room for anything she owned, including a bean bag that she could make into a reading corner.
“It’s the first place I’ve looked at,” Joey said as she returned to the main area of the apartment.
“That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get it,” Belle said. “Do you like it?”
“Yeah, I love it,” Joey said.
“Everything is brand new in here,” Harry said. “Paint, flooring, everything.”
Everything inside Joey felt tight, and she nodded. “I don’t know if I can afford this,” she said.
“I thought we were looking at it because you could afford it.” Harry’s frowning gaze came back to hers. “How much is it?”
“Eight-fifty,” Joey said. “Plus first and last month’s rent, and a security deposit.”
Joey neededtwo thousand dollarsto move into this place, and she thought of her bank account and sighed. “I have the money,” she said. “To get into the apartment, but how am I supposed to live here? I don’t have any furniture.”
She wasn’t like Adam, who could simply call up Aunt Hilde and rattle off a list of all the things he needed and have them show up—paid for—by the weekend.
