I sighed. “Fair point.”
“I think I can survive a few hours alone in a townhouse.” She ducked back into the car and blew me a kiss. “Go do your mysterious job and don’t worry about me.”
“Yeah, okay,” I agreed, wishing that fucking kiss had been for me. “It’s not mysterious, though, but I guess I’ll see you later?”
“See you.” She hesitated for a beat. “If I happen to reorganize your brother’s kitchen cabinets while you’re gone, will you let him know that it comes from a place of love?”
I groaned. “I knew staying here with you was going to be a mistake. Will is pretty particular about his stuff. I mean, it’s notlike his spices are alphabetized, but thereisa system in place. Or so he’s told me.”
She laughed and finally disappeared inside, and I stayed in the driveway for just another beat before I took off. Being back was already hard. The estate, the castle, and the entire United Kingdom had felt like a different world. A different life.
Here, I was constantly reminded that my time with her was running out and that very soon I would be handing her over to my brother. I couldn’t actually imagine going through with it, but the reminders were everywhere, including that conversation we’d had over breakfast.
Ten minutes later, I walked into our offices and found Alex exactly where I’d expected him to be, behind his desk looking like he’d already ruined three people’s mornings even though it wasn’t even nine a.m. yet.
He glanced up when I walked in. Grinning, he stood and spread his arms open wide. “Will! You’re alive.”
“Barely.”
“How was jolly old England?”
“Jolly and old,” I said. “Foggy. Damp. Gray. In other words, it was pretty good.”
“How’s Eliza?” He shook my hand, sinking back into his chair after he let go. “We’re still on track, right?”
I sat down across from him and dragged a hand over my face. “Eliza is fantastic.”
He was frowning when I looked at him again. “That sounded complicated.”
“It is.”
Alex leaned back in his chair, but his green eyes were boring into mine. “Why is it complicated, Will? What’s going on?”
I exhaled slowly, deciding to start with the easier stuff. “Housing.”
“Housing?”
“Yes, like where are we going to live?”
“That’sthe crisis?” He blew out a heavy breath and smiled. “Fuck. You almost just gave me a heart attack. Housing isn’t a crisis, man. Choose a house and buy it. Problem solved.”
“It’s more complicated than that,” I said. “While we were having breakfast this morning, I realized something.”
Alex gestured vaguely. “Yeah, okay? I’m listening.”
“Everything I say and do now has to align with what Jesse would want.” My jaw tightened. “As of right now, Jesse doesn’t have a house in Chicago. We don’t even know if he’s actually going to move here, so for now, Eliza and I are staying at my place.”
“Okay. I’m still not seeing the problem.”
“The problem is that I can’t just choose a house and buy it, Alex,” I snapped. “Jesse has to do it. Eliza knows we’re staying at my brother’s place, for now, but that meant having to talk to her about where she’d like to live eventually.”
“And?”
“And Jesse won’t live in a sprawling manor in the countryside.”
Alex snorted, probably before he could stop himself. “No. He definitely won’t.”
“That means I can’t promiseElizaa sprawling manor in the countryside, but that’s what she wants. Well, she wants the countryside. With or without a sprawling manor, but I think you get the point.”
