Mary stretched her lips into a humorless smile as she looked back at him.
‘I’m not criticizing,’ he said in his defense. ‘I’m just checking.’
Mary didn’t need to be an expert to be able to read what was written all over Quaddra’s demeanor. It showed in the way that he was looking at her. He really wanted to ask her, once again, to think about his suggestion… to consider taking one of his properties and staying in San Francisco. But he didn’t have to.
‘The properties you mentioned earlier,’ Mary asked. ‘Are they furnished?’
Quaddra held back on a smile that would’ve made him look like a kid on Christmas morning. ‘Yeah, all of them. But if you don’t like the décor, you can change it in any way you like. It’s not a problem.’
‘Do you have anything in or around the Dogpatch?’
‘The Dogpatch?’ Quaddra took a minute. ‘No, I don’t think so… but I do have a warehouse conversion apartment in Bayview.’ His head angled at Mary. ‘Not that far, to be honest. But it’s not a big apartment – two bedrooms, if I’m not mistaken. Immense living room, though.’
‘A two-bedroom apartment sounds ideal. I don’t need much.’ Mary thought about it for a few more seconds. ‘When could I have a look at it?’
‘Umm… any time you like. I can arrange it for tomorrow morning, if you want.’
‘There’s no big rush,’ Mary replied, sounding breezy. ‘How about sometime next week?’
‘Sure,’ Quaddra agreed. ‘But I’ll have to send someone else to show you the apartment,’ he explained. ‘I’m scheduled to fly to New York on Sunday. I’ve got a series of meetings arranged for next week.’
‘Oh, OK.’ Mary did her best to keep the disappointment from invading her tone. ‘When are you back?’
‘Hard to say with these kinds of meetings,’ Quaddra replied. ‘It all depends on the outcome, but hopefully by next weekend.’
Mary nodded her understanding. ‘Do you have time tomorrow?’
‘Yes, of course. Do you really want to see the apartment?’
‘Why not?’ Mary nodded. ‘How about tomorrow afternoon or early evening?’
‘Sounds perfect.’ This time, the Christmas morning smile exploded on Quaddra’s lips.
Fifty
Bayview was the next neighborhood along from the Dogpatch, just south of it, in fact. Quaddra’s warehouse-converted apartment was located at the far north end of Bayview – less than a twenty-minute-walk away from Mary’s present address. The flat sat on the top floor of a beautiful old, redbrick, ex-storage facility, positioned just across Islay Creek Channel. To Mary, the apartment was a dream.
‘I thought you said that this was a small apartment,’ Mary said, as she walked back into the living room from the outside balcony. The apartment was almost twice as large as the one that she lived in at the moment.
‘It is,’ Quaddra said back, with a frown. ‘It’s only a two-bed.’
Mary chuckled. ‘Two, quite large bedrooms… plus a pretty impressive kitchen, and a living room we could play basketball in. Look at this.’ She broadly gestured at the living room.
‘What about the furniture… the décor… what do you think? Like I’ve said, you can change it if you want.’
‘No, I like it,’ Mary said, having a seat on the large, L-shaped, leather sofa that faced the floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the Channel and the San Francisco Bay. ‘Did you decorate it yourself?’
‘Me? No,’ Quaddra replied with a chuckle and a shake of the head. ‘This is an investment property. Every time I acquireone, I hire a decorator to kit them out. I just wouldn’t have the time…’ His head angled left. ‘Or the knowledge.’
Mary stayed silent, her eyes roaming the living room space one more time before settling back on the incredible window view.
‘So, what do you think?’ Quaddra had a seat next to Mary and reached for her hand. ‘I can give you a very good deal.’
‘No.’ Mary pulled her hand away before lifting a finger at Quaddra. ‘I told you – I don’t need any charity. If I take it, I’ll pay the regular market price.’
‘Fine,’ Quaddra came back, hands lifted in surrender. ‘Market price it is.’ There was a long pause. ‘So… will you take it?’
Mary got back on her feet and walked over to the open-plan kitchen. She looked up at the ceiling, then down at the floor before leaning back against the kitchen counter.
