THE LAST BOX WAS FINALLY moved into our new apartment. Mack dropped down onto the sofa with a loud sigh. “I hope you’re happy. My entire weekend has been spent doing manual labor. Moving sucks ass.”
“Stop complaining. You know this place is amazing,” I replied sitting down across from him.
“It’s bigger. Big deal,” he refused to be impressed. Even when I brought him to see the place two weeks ago and meet Stone, the owner.
“It doesn’t smell like ass, the hot water works all the time, no loud noise from neighbors, a dishwasher.” I began listing all the other perks.
Mack started to say something then sighed with resignation. “I can’t smoke inside. But yeah, okay, sure, the dishwasher might not suck ass.”
I thought no allowance for smoking inside was a pro. I stood up. “I’m going to unload the kitchen boxes first. I have room to cook here.”
“Do me a favor and don’t go saying that shit around females. You’ll never find a new one talking about your love for big kitchens.”
“Shows what little you know about women.” I smirked and walked toward the kitchen.
A loud knock at the door stopped me. It took me a moment to figure out what the noise was. Stone, the owner of the place, wasn’t here when we arrived and as far as I knew the second floor was still empty.
“You gonna get that?” Mack asked with his feet propped up on a moving box in front of him.
“Who could it be? The front door is always locked,” I said not moving.
“Fuck if I know,” Mack replied. “Guess Richie Rich is home.” He had been calling Stone Richie Rich behind his back since finding out Winston Richmond, son and heir to Richmond Department Stores, was also known as Stone our landlord.
“Stop saying that. You’re gonna slip up and say it in front of him,” I chastised him in a low voice figuring that was the only person that could be outside the door.
Mack rolled his eyes and rested his head on the back of the sofa. “Just get the door. Jesus, you can be so uptight.”
I left it alone because trying to get Mack to see that Stone had given us a great rent price on this place simply because of my job was impossible. By the time I had gotten to the door and opened it, there was already another knock.
The familiar person standing outside our apartment wasn’t one I had forgotten. But her face was also the last one I expected to see ever again, much less outside my door. Calling my reaction confused was an understatement.
Unable to find words, I stood there silently staring at the green-eyed beauty from Brian’s party. Fiona. I hadn’t forgotten her name. I’d wondered about her more than once.
“You live here?” she asked, a touch incredulous.
I wasn’t sure if my disorganized thoughts were cause by shock that she remembered me or that I was dressed like a hobo in a Black Sabbath shirt with several holes, cut off sleeves, and sweatpants that I’d turned into shorts well after they should have been thrown away. And I needed a shave.
“Yes,” was all I said. I wanted to ask how she got inside the building and why she was here. When I finally started putting the scattered pieces of my thoughts together, I figured Fiona must be Stone’s girlfriend.
“Didn’t expect that,” she drawled. Then with a shrug of her right shoulder she continued. “Stone suggested I ask a Marty for help if I had anything too heavy to carry up the stairs tonight.”
She didn’t mention that Stone included Mack. That meant Stone had my brother figured out already. I liked and appreciated Stone, but damn if it wasn’t cool to get another man to move his girlfriend into his apartment. Things like this may end up being something I had to accept with my discounted rent.
“I’m Marty,” I told her.
She didn’t look thrilled about that. “I remember that from the party. Just wasn’t expecting it to be the same Marty. I hate to ask. But would you mind helping me get the mattress up the stairs. I just need somewhere to sleep tonight. I have a moving company coming in the morning to move the other things. I can pay you,” she added the last bit with a rush.
“Sure, but,” I paused trying to figure out why she needed her mattress to sleep in Stone’s apartment. “Doesn’t Stone already have a bed or two in his place?” Might not be my business but she was asking me to haul shit up the stairs for her.
Her brow creased and she frowned. “I guess he has beds. I would assume so. I’ve not had a tour of his apartment. But I need the mattress taken to my apartment. Not Stone’s.”
Her apartment. She had an apartment. Which meant Fiona was the resident on floor two. The grin that slowly spread over my face was unavoidable. Because damn if life hadn’t just gotten a hell of a lot more interesting. Of all the places in Savannah, she had ended up in the same building as me. Maybe fate was telling me something.
“I’ll be back later,” I called out to Mack over my shoulder and didn’t wait for his response before walking outside our apartment and closing the door between my brother and Fiona. I needed to speak with him alone before he saw her. He needed to know I was interested and his opinion didn’t matter.
“When did you lease the second apartment?” I asked her as she stepped back and looked at me unsure of what to do next.
“Last week. A friend of a friend told me about it. I came to see it and fell in love. This building is stunning.”
I agreed. “Yes it is. Great location too.”
She nodded then waved toward the door leading outside. “Uh, well, the mattress is outside.”
“Lead the way,” I said and she did after one last glance at me.
When she got to the door, she turned to look at me again. “Did Mack move with you? Here?” The disbelief in her eyes was understandable. She apparently had been around Mack enough to know him well.
“Not without some encouragement.”
She nodded. “I can imagine. This isn’t”—she glanced around—“his speed.”
“No, but if we we’re going to share a place then he had to adjust. That shithole he and Brian lived in wasn’t something I could do long term.”
She agreed with another nod. Turning, she opened the door and headed outside. I followed her again and stopped when I saw her walking toward a Ford F150 Platinum. A truck I would give my right nut for. That was not what I pictured Fiona driving. The mattress in the back was visible from where I stood.
When she reached the truck, she glanced back at me and I started walking that way again.
“Something wrong?” she asked.
“Uh, no. I wasn’t expecting you to drive a truck. Not even a badass one like this.”
She laughed. It was musical and her whole face lit up making everything around her dull in comparison. Damned if I’d ever seen something like that before. Her eyes even twinkled. Did she have any idea how powerful her smile was? She could use it as a weapon. Dangerous.
“That’s not my truck. I can barely drive the thing. You should have seen me trying to park it.” She was still smiling. “It belongs to a friend of mine. He agreed to trade vehicles with me for the weekend so I could get moved.”
Her friend was a guy who had a truck, and he hadn’t offered to help her. He must not be from around here. Or his momma failed in his raising.
“That makes more sense,” I managed to get out after forcing myself to stop looking at her. When she smiled, I had a hard time forming thoughts much less words.
“Thanks for helping me. I guess I could have waited until tomorrow when the movers could move it all but I was ready to get us out . . .” she trailed off and shifted her gaze away from me. The smile was gone, and a tight frown had taken its place. “I can carry one end if you can get the other for me.”
She changed the subject. But I didn’t forget what she said. I wouldn’t ask any questions now, but I wanted to know who was moving in with her. Why she was ready to get out of her other place. I wanted to know what made her laugh because seeing her smile more was a priority. I wanted to know Fiona and that surprised me. This was a feeling I never thought I’d experience again.