“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly put you out like that. I’ll come by and fill out the paperwork, but there’s no need for you to give me a ride home.”
“I insist,” the manager said firmly.
Delight fizzed in her veins even as she started rushing back toward the small apartment building.
“I’ll be there in five,” she said breathlessly.
Four minutes and a quick buzz of the door later, Hayley burst into the lobby, her cheeks flushed, her hair plastered wetly to the sides of her head. Her clothing was soaked through, but at the moment nothing could dim her excitement. Finally, one less worry on her shoulders. She had a place to live! One where she wasn’t dependent on the kindness or charity of others.
The manager frowned when he took in her appearance and left the lobby only to return a moment later with a large, warm towel.
“Come into my office. It’s warmer and more comfortable there,” he directed.
He seated her in a leather chair across from his desk, then pushed a surprisingly small packet of papers toward her with a pen.
“Here’s the application for the apartment you’ll need to fill out, and then two copies of the lease to sign. You’ll find it’s straightforward. It’s a standard one-year lease, and there is a guarantee that the current rate will not go up for the next five years upon renewal of this lease. No pets without the express written consent of the owner. No subletting and you are to be the sole occupant of the apartment.”
Hayley nodded her head eagerly, thrilled that she must have unknowingly lucked into one of the city’s highly coveted rent-controlled apartments—no wonder the rent was so low!—and began reading over the language in the contract. As Mr. Carver had stated, it was straightforward. No fine print. No tricky language. Just a basic agreement with the rules she was to follow and a place for her signature.
“If you’ll come by in the morning day after tomorrow, I’ll give you the keys and show you the apartment as well as give you your copy of the signed lease. You can begin moving in any time you wish after that.”
Hayley rose. “I can’t thank you enough, Mr. Carver. You have no idea what a godsend this is. I had no idea what I was going to do if I couldn’t find a place to stay.”
The manager looked discomfited by her gratitude, his face reddening.
“I’ll just be on my way now,” Hayley said. “I’ll need to start packing!”
“I’ll escort you to the car waiting out front,” Mr. Carver said. “If you’ll give the driver your address, he will see you home. It’s pouring outside, and getting a taxi will be impossible.”
Hayley flushed. “That isn’t necessary. Truly. You’ve been far too kind as it is.”
“On the contrary. The owner of the apartment insists.”
Puzzled by his cryptic statement, Hayley allowed herself to be escorted outside and into a sleek, very expensive car that she didn’t recognize the make of. As she slid inside, she nearly sighed at the buttery-soft leather as her body sank into its welcoming softness.
***
Silas downloaded the e-mail attachment sent to him by his manager and waited impatiently for the woman’s application to finish printing. As soon as it was done, he snatched it up, temporarily shoving his pressing meeting with Drake to the back of his mind. He sank into his office chair and began scanning the form, absorbing every piece of information on the young woman who’d so inexplicably captivated him from the moment she’d appeared on his security monitor.
His lips twitched in ironic amusement. It wasn’t lost on him that a similar thing had happened to Drake months ago when Evangeline had caught his attention the moment she’d entered his club and he’d seen her on the surveillance camera. The difference, however, was thatSilas didn’t believe in love at first sight. Fascination, yes. Love, infatuation, even emotional interest, no.
He couldn’t say why she’d intrigued him so much or why her obvious distress and desperation had touched a part of his black soul that had never once touched the sun in all the years of his existence. He could only say that the feeling was... exhilarating. A rush he hadn’t expected and hadn’t welcomed at all. And yet he had been unable to deny himself the opportunity to observe her unnoticed. He’d taken in every single detail. Her beauty hadn’t escaped him, but what had stopped him in his tracks and made him take intense notice was the innocence and obvious, inherent goodness that shone from the depths of her soul, despite her weary, exhausted expression and the defeated look tugging at the delicate features of her face.
Perhaps he was just getting old and growing too soft, or maybe Evangeline was to blame for his instant keen sense of protectiveness when he’d laid eyes on the girl. No, not girl. A young woman, but hardly a girl. But it was easy to look at her and see Evangeline. Young, innocent and as of yet unjaded by life. For all practical purposes she had been Evangeline before Drake had swept into Evangeline’s life and spoiled her and lavished attention and focus on her.
Hayley Winthrop was twenty-two years old according to the application, and she was a student at a music college he recognized. Small but prestigious. From what he knew, admittance was extremely competitive and only the brightest, most gifted musicians were accepted. He frowned, however, when he saw that she’d listed herself as a part-time student but that she had two full-time jobs as well as a variety of other temporary jobs. No wonder she’d been dismayed when Miles had given her the price of rent for the vacant studio apartment. She had no way of affording it.
She listed no family. Not even an emergency contact person. Was she completely alone in a strange city? Much as Evangeline had been? He shook his head. Yes, it had to be the parallels between her and Evangelinethat had touched a part of his heart he would have sworn hadn’t existed before meeting Evangeline. That was the only reasonable explanation.
Men like him certainly didn’t give in to infatuation or even fascination, and they definitely didn’t disrupt plans to renovate the entire upstairs into one huge apartment that would be his private domain where no one save him had access.
He sighed. It was done and there was no going back. He didn’t want neighbors. He’d never rented out the two apartments lying vacant on either side of the one he resided in, having always planned to remodel it into his quarters. But he couldn’t in good conscience rescind his offer to Hayley. Not when she was so obviously in need and had been so devastated when she’d realized she had no way of affording the usual rent. He could have simply had Miles inform Miss Winthrop that he’d misquoted the rent on the basement studio apartment, so she’d be as far from him as possible, but there were two problems with that. She would likely be suspicious over the drastic change in rent on the already-quoted unit, and, well, she wouldn’t be next door to him, where he could monitor her comings and goings, and he knew he would be keeping a very close eye on his new neighbor.
He would just have to do so very discreetly.
He checked his watch with a soft curse, knowing Drake would be wondering where the hell he was and impatient to go over the results of Silas’s task the night before. It wouldn’t do to keep him waiting any longer.
3
