“Sort of.”
Carrying the pizza, he glanced around, taking in the neutral palette and the tasteful decor. She must have kept the place clean and decluttered, since she didn’t know he was coming over. That, or it was brand new. The place was pristine.
“Have you lived here long?”
“Not long at all. I still have a few things in boxes in the storage space downstairs.”
“That doesn’t mean anything. Noah and I have lived in our apartment for two years, and we still have stuff in boxes.”
“Tsk, tsk,” she said, smiling. She seemed to be kidding. That was a good sign.
“Do you want this in the kitchen?” he said, lifting the pizza box.
“Just put it on the dining table. I’ll get some plates.” She paused on her way to the cabinets. “Wine?”
“Sure. I’ll have whatever you’re having.”
“Oh, I don’t think you want an entire bottle, since that’s what I’ll be having.”
He chuckled. Even with her life falling apart, she was able to maintain a sense of humor. At leasthe hopedthat was an attempt at humor. “Yeah. A glass will do, since I’m driving, and I have to work tonight.”
“Oh. Am I keeping you from getting ready for work?”
“I’m as ready as I get. We have lockers, and I always keep a clean uniform there.”
She gave him a shy smile as she retrieved two plates and wine glasses, then placed them on the table. “I’d like to see you in action.”
He took that as another positive sign. “You can come by anytime. I work at the firehouse on Broadway.”
“I might. Lord knows I have nothing else to do.” She grabbed the Chianti from the small built-in wine rack above the fridge.
“That’s a handy use of the empty space above a refrigerator.” He wasn’t about to comment on how hard it was to reach anything in a cabinet up there, pointing out her less than dramatic height. She might be five feet six.
“Yup. My father thought of everything.”
“Oh yeah. You said he built this place. Is it just this building or the whole street? There are more town houses that look similar.”
“Three blocks.” She uncorked the wine and poured two glasses half full.
“Wow. Does he charge you rent?”
“Just enough to cover the property taxes and maintenance fees. It’s a condo. I get all the perks with none of the mortgage. That’s why I really can’t afford to move. Who else is going to ‘give me’ a condo?”
He thought about all the sugar daddies out there who’d probably love to keep her as a side piece. Again, he didn’t know her well, but he was fairly sure she wouldn’t resort to that.
They ate their pizza with their hands. Apparently, she wasn’t the fancy type, or Italian. He had been assured by his parents that using silverware was the only way to consume pizza. His fellow firefighters contradicted that notion, eating it right out of the box. With them, he was lucky to get a paper plate.
“You said you were an artist. Do you have a studio in a spare bedroom or something?”
“Not in a bedroom. I would hate to damage the new carpeting. I asked my father to leave the basement unfinished. I have a washer and dryer down there, as well as my studio. Do you want to see it after lunch?”
“Sure. I’d like that. Your place is so nice and junk-free, if you’re not cramming the extra stuff in a spare room where it will all fall out when you open the door.”
She laughed. It was a welcome sound. “I have two walk-in closets. I use one for clothes, the other for cramming.”
They smiled at each other and swiftly went back to finishing their lunch.
Mallory had one piece of pizza, and Dante had two. He’d have finished his half of the pizza, except he wanted to leave some for her to have later. He imagined she might not want to make dinner either.
