10. Moving Day

Jane

Stepping out of the cab of the moving truck, I once again take in the beauty of the mansion I can now call home. The white stone facade exudes a clean, elegant look, and the rivers of flower beds and breezy palm trees bring everything to life. Two stately columns frame the towering front door where Colton now stands in a dark-blue suit, his hands shoved in his pockets. He looks as unsure as I feel, shuffling his feet and glancing left and right.

I tighten my arms around the banana cat bed I'm holding. Truffles is sitting inside it, her little head peering out. "This is our new home," I whisper to her before kissing the top of her head. Her eyes dart between the house, me, the movers, and the truck at lightspeed, and she starts fidgeting. I squeeze a bit harder. "Calm down," I whisper. "Nothing will happen to you." But of course, she doesn't calm down and instead squirms even more. Truffles is an adorable kitten, but she tends to get scared easily. Given the first few weeks of her life, I don't blame her.

Colton ambles toward us. "Is everything okay?"

I'm now struggling to keep Truffles inside the banana, but it's not easy since I'm also carrying it. Her lithe little body keeps slipping away. Why didn't I buy a transport bag? I figured it wouldn't be necessary for such a short trip, but I'm regretting it now. What if she escapes, and we can't find her?

"She's scared," I say to Colton. "Can I get her inside?"

"Follow me," he says, hurrying into the house. I speed-walk behind him, barely acknowledging my surroundings. There's the Colton Cold gray corridor from my first visit, but the rest is completely new. We zoom past a luminous area with what I can only assume is a stunning view of the city through massive floor-to-ceiling windows. The style seems to be a mix of beige and bright wood. I also glimpse a massive kitchen on one side and a sprawling dining room on the other.

Truffles has calmed down, but I don't loosen my grip. When Colton opens a hardwood door, we enter another gray corridor with multiple rooms on each side and an arched window at the end. "This is your wing," he says. "I originally wanted to give you one upstairs, but I thought the floor level would be easier with Truffles.

"Thank you. That's thoughtful," I mumble, not sure what to do with myself.

He taps the first door on the left. "There's one bedroom here, but I think you'll like the one next door better. It has a closet."

He marches to the end of the corridor and opens the last room on the left, revealing the biggest, most beautiful room I've ever seen. Seamless windows take up the entire back wall of the room and half of the left side. Noticing a wicker couch and a coffee table on the patio outside, I figure at least one of these windows functions as a sliding door. The walls are a pristine white, and the floor is a light-beige wood. A king bed occupies the right side with bedside tables on either side and a velvet bench at the end. In the far corner, a reading chair faces the garden. And on the right, a wooden panel separates the room from a massive empty closet with endless storage space. Embedded flush lights activate when we step closer.

"Will this work for you?" he asks, his forehead wrinkling.

My mouth drops. "Are you kidding? It's amazing."

A small smile forms on his lips. "I figured it'd be better down here with the patio access than upstairs with the terrace. She could fall." He nods to Truffles, who's now looking around curiously.

I lift a playful eyebrow. "Worried about her now, are you?"

"She seems important to you," he replies with a shrug. "Anyway, I can't stay in here too long, or my allergies will kick in. Once she's settled, you can meet me in the living area," he says before exiting the room.

My eyes rove the room. Whoa. I knew my accommodations here were going to be luxurious, but this blows my expectations out of the water. I place the plush banana on my bed, and Truffles leaps out of it immediately, stretching her paws on the mattress. It'll take her some time to get used to this place. Just like it will for me. My first instinct is to check that the patio door locks, and I'm relieved it does. Not that I could be any safer here. I've never really slept soundly in my apartment, but this place is a fortress. The gate and the front door are password and fingerprint protected, and I noticed dozens of security cameras outside.

Someone knocks on the door. "Miss, we have your boxes."

I open the door for the movers, who look bored with so little to do. The two guys place my duffle bag and meager number of boxes on the floor. Then, they come back with Truffles' litter box and her food.

I pour some food in her bowl and prepare her litter box, tucking it into a corner. After petting her a little and making sure all the windows are closed, I exit the room, closing the door behind me. I'll get her accustomed to the house later. I read online that during a move, it's better to lock cats in a small room for a few hours before letting them walk around. Felines are creatures of habit, and they don't like to change environments. Letting them get used to one place first is less stressful for them.

I count three bedroom doors in "my" wing, and I'm curious to see what's behind each of them. But I resist, stepping back out into the living area since Colton is waiting for me.

When I open the door, I'm hit by the grandiosity of my surroundings. This chamber is so big, I can't even see everything from where I'm standing. What surprises me most is the color scheme. Colton seems to always be wearing a dark-colored suit, and he isn't the warmest person on the planet. Yet his house is pleasant and inviting. The wood accents combined with the cream-and-beige walls and furniture give it a modern yet cozy look. On my left are a set of ascending stairs and a dining room with a marble bar. Behind the bar, a panel made of bright wood separates the dining room from the living room, where I glimpse cream couches. On my right, a round, dark wooden table sits in front of a majestic kitchen, which boasts a daring mix of dark and light wood.

"Hey," Colton says, sauntering from the living room. "Everything okay?"

"Yes," I choke out, offering a smile. "Your home is really beautiful."

"Thank you. Should I give you a tour, then?"

He shows me the living room with its beige couches and carpets that encircle a breathtaking stone fireplace. I notice there is no TV, and I wonder if perhaps he doesn't watch it. He did say he didn't spend much time at home, so maybe he is just too busy?

We pass another set of stairs before crossing into another corridor. This one looks familiar. I think we had our meeting in one of the rooms here last time. "Here is the garage," he says, pointing to the first door on the left. "Across is the theater." He opens the door, and I'm blown away. So that's where the TV is! Three rows of couches face a large screen that takes up the entire wall.

"You're welcome here any time. I don't use it a lot," he says, closing the door. "Same for the gym."

Reaching the end of the corridor, he opens the room on the right to a luminous gym decked out with state-of-the art equipment and an amazing view of the backyard. There is also a sauna and a bathroom.

Across from the gym is his home office, where we had our meeting last time. "Finally, here is my game room," he says, rubbing the back of his neck.

Goodness. What kind of game room are we talking about? He opens the door, and I brace myself for what I'm about to see.

"Whoa," I breathe, taking in the room. If I thought Colton's house was minimalist and lacked decoration, this room is the exact opposite. Bookcases occupy most of the walls, their shelves filled with what must surely be every Monopoly game ever created. In the middle of the room, a square table with four chairs around it is situated over a wide rug. In one corner, there's a life-size figurine of the Monopoly mascot, and several paintings representing the cartoon man in the top hat adorn the walls.

My mouth falls open. "You have a Monopoly room?"