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“Anchorage. We were only there for a few months when my brother and I were three.”
He walks over to the table and sits in one of the chairs. I’m honestly surprised it doesn’t buckle under his weight.
“Twins, right?” he asks and I nod.
“Yeah, his name is Theo. You have any brothers or sisters?”
He nods, rubbing his hands down his legs repeatedly. “I’ve got two sisters.”
“What are their names?” I ask, studying him as he continues to withdraw into himself.
“Nora and Rowan.”
“Pretty names,” I mutter and decide to drop the subject. “So, you interested in the apartment?”
“Yeah,” he answers before clearing his throat and brushing off whatever emotion crashed down on him. “I think we might be. I texted the photos to my boss and as soon as he gets back to me, I’ll let you know.”
“Well, you know where to find me but if I don’t hear from you in forty-eight hours, I’ll need to put the ad back up.”
He nods, standing. “You need help getting these boxes downstairs?”
I nod, hopping down off the counter. “Yeah, that’d be great. I need to get the truck back to Roger before two.”
“Who’s Roger?” he asks with a slight growl in the back of his throat and I arch a brow.
“Why do you care?”
He takes a step back, shaking his head. “Oh, I don’t. It’s just…uh…”
“He’s my boss,” I say, putting him out of his misery.
“Oh, right.” He turns toward the boxes and picks up one full of books. “Jesus. What the hell is in here?”
“Books,” I reply, sheepishly. “Do you need some help?”
I try to grip the other side but he moves it out of my grasp, shaking his head.
“No, I got it. I don’t need you falling down the stairs and breaking your neck.”
My cheeks heat and I turn to hide my smile as he walks out of the apartment with the box in his hands. I grab one of the lighter ones and follow behind him, ready to get this over with. It takes us fifteen minutes to get all of the boxes downstairs and loaded into the truck. As I close the tailgate, he pulls out his phone.
“Blaze approved. Looks like I’ll be taking over the lease.”
I pull the truck keys out of my pocket. “Okay. How about we meet at a coffee shop on Saturday with the paperwork and I’ll hand over the keys then?”
“Sounds good. Did you lock up?” he asks, pointing to the door to the apartments. I nod.
“Yep. It’s all good. I’ll text you the address and see you Saturday.” I turn toward the truck when he wraps his hand around my arm. Sparks race across my skin and I suck in a silent breath as I turn back to him.
“I should probably get your number. You know, so you can text me.”
Nodding, I grab his phone out of his hand and program my number into it before handing it back to him. “Seems like you made me a liar.”
“How so?” he asks, leaning against the truck and getting closer to me. Oh, Lord, I can’t take this.
“I told you that you couldn’t have my number the other night and now you’ve got it.”
He takes a step forward and his mucky smell fills the space between us. “Purely a coincidence.”