“I like your list. Anything else on it?”
“Lots, though this probably isn’t the place to do any of them.”
What in the world had she been thinking? “You’re right. Mrs. Andromeda must have her nose pressed to the window right now. She’s been pumping Mercedes for information about us.” Us. Was there an us?
“Why doesn’t she ask you?” Easing back, he put the car in gear and drove off.
“She doesn’t want to seem nosy.”
A tiny smile graced his lips as he nodded, then concentrated on maneuvering through the streets.
Carli chattered away about Mrs. Andromeda and some of the other neighbors and their quirky habits. This way she didn’t have to worry about trying to hear Blake with the traffic out the window and his mouth only in profile. Her sister was a ninja at lip reading and amazed them all, but Carli needed full frontal lips to interpret them.
It didn’t take long to get through the traffic, since it was noon on a Monday and the day after a holiday. Soon, they were cruising down Storrow Drive, and Blake steered the car toward the Government Center exit. As he drove behind the buildings, she couldn’t help but notice the lattice work on some of the balconies. What would his place look like?
After pressing a button on his dash, one of the few garage doors opened and they drove in. It was dark, so she stayed quiet until he got out and rounded the car. When she opened her door, he was right there, extending his hand to take her arm. They walked over to the elevator and got in.
“Which floor do you live on?” she asked as the elevator vibrated and rose.
“Third.” When they arrived, he led her to the only door in the hallway and stuck a key into the lock. The six-panel door was etched so exquisitely she could only stare.
Inside, the sight before her boggled her mind: a huge room with a fireplace, built-in bookcases, and a view of the city out the three nearly floor-to-ceiling windows. The windows were angled to form a curved bay and a window seat added to the appeal.
“I could sit in this and read all day.”
“You’re certainly welcome to.” His expression confirmed that. “Let me give you the two-dollar tour.”
Taking her hand, he guided her through an eat-in kitchen that, though small, rivaled any kitchen she’d seen in appliances and cookware. The two bedrooms were large and comfortably furnished. His room had a small fireplace he said he rarely used, but the master bath made her eyes pop out. A big jacuzzi tub and the walk-in shower had three shower heads. One on each wall.
“Is this for group bathing?”
The sides of his lips twisted into a smirk. “We could try it and see.”
She shook her head and moved back into the bedroom. The king-sized bed was almost the size of her bedroom, and as much as Blake made her weak in the knees, she wasn’t ready for that yet.
“How do you afford this?” she asked as they settled back in the living room. “I know doctors make a good salary, but this is only your first year at BGH. And I looked it up. Some of the smaller apartments around here go for well over a million dollars. Are you selling body parts?”
His face grew sheepish.Washe selling body parts?
“My dad owns the building. This particular apartment was a foreclosure. It had gotten run down and had some water damage. He let me pick it up relatively cheap, and I did all the work to get it back to new again.”
Her lips turned down. “I don’t even want to know what relatively cheap means. More than I’ll make in a lifetime probably.”
“You’re welcome to enjoy this place any time you want.”
Had Priscilla enjoyed his apartment? Remembering the way she touched Blake and the possessive kiss she’d given him caused her to tense up. But then Blake had kissed Carly and taken her home, not Prissy. What a nickname.
“I wanted to give you your Christmas present last week, but that meeting I was stuck going to kind of ruined that idea. Here.” Picking up a small, wrapped box, he sat next to her on the couch.
“You didn’t have to.” He’d gotten her a gift. She wasn’t sure if he would or not but hadn’t wanted to take the chance, so she’d gotten him one, too. Nothing big. Something he needed. Grabbing her large purse, she dug out the gaily decorated present and handed it to him.
“I got a little something for you, too.”
Chuckling, he took it. “Didn’t have to, huh? Good thing I did, or I would have looked pretty stupid when you handed me this.”
“I was planning on giving it to you, anyway. It’s something you need. Open it first.”
He narrowed his eyes, then grinned as he ripped the shiny paper off. The hardcover American Sign Language book was the best she’d seen. It would come in handy for when he wanted to communicate with Parker.
