He lowers the camera and looks out across the lot. "You sticking around?"
"For a minute."
We stand there. The site is quiet now—just wind moving through the skeleton framework and the distant sound of traffic on the parkway. No crew. No machinery. Just empty space waiting to become something.
Tom tips his head back, eyes closed, face turned toward the sun. "Wren's looking at a space in Greenpoint next week."
"The one with the corner exposure?"
“Yeah. But the lease terms are making her nervous. The rent goes up every year and she’d be responsible for the taxes and maintenance on top of it.”
I cross my arms. "That's predatory."
"That's what I said." He opens his eyes and looks at me. "She asked if you'd look at it."
"Send it to me tonight. I'll mark it up over the weekend."
His mouth curves. "You don't have to—"
"I want to."
He's quiet for a second. Then he nods. "Thanks."
A gust of wind kicks up dust from the exposed lot. I turn my face away and blink.
Tom shifts closer. "Hold still."
He reaches over and brushes his thumb across my cheekbone, his touch light and deliberate. "Concrete dust."
My breath catches. His hand lingers—half a second, maybe a full second—fingers warm against my skin.
Then he drops his hand and steps back like nothing happened.
I pull out my phone. Three twelve. I've been here twenty-five minutes past the official review.
Rule Number One.
I guess I have to leave.
***
The professional boundaries are officially off the clock.
I knock on Tom's apartment door Friday night at six forty-three with two bags of Thai food balanced against my hip.
He opens the door barefoot, hair damp. "You're early."
I step inside and he takes one of the bags. I kick my boots off by the door without thinking, lining them up next to his sneakers.
His apartment is small—exposed brick, a couch that's seen better days, a coffee table covered in lens cases and memory cards. The kitchen island looks like it’s never been used for food. The light in the apartment is good. Western exposure, tall windows, the kind of late-day glow that makes everything look softer than it is.
Tom sets the food on the counter and starts pulling containers out of the bag. "Pad thai?"
"And spring rolls."
"You remembered the peanut sauce."
"You asked for extra last time."
