16. Lark

Chapter sixteen

Lark

Sunday, March 2, 2025

“ I ’m so sorry I can’t make it to look at apartments with you today, little bird,” Dad tells me, looking genuinely disappointed.

“Honestly, it’s okay, Dad. I promise. It’s probably a good thing you won’t be there.” I snicker. “You’ll just tell me nothing’s good enough, and I’ll never find anything.”

He rolls his eyes at me playfully. “You’re probably right, but I’m still bummed about it. Dinner together tonight though?”

A smile stretches across my lips. “Of course, Daddy-O. Now let me get out of here before the agent cancels on me for being late!”

I rush out of the door, planting a quick peck on his cheek as I launch myself down the driveway and into my Firebird .

The engine hums to life, familiar lyrics trickling through the speakers as I make my way to the first apartment. 1

***

“I’m really sorry, Lark, but this is the last one I have to show you that’s in the budget you set. I know you don’t want to have your dad help with the cost, but if you don’t like it, you really may have to consider it,” Shay says, her voice pleading as lines gather on her forehead. “I know Tiny’s a good boy, but unfortunately, most of the rentals in this area only allow one dog,” she reminds me regretfully for the third time today.

“It’s okay, Shay. I have a good feeling about this one anyway, and believe me, I’ve lived in so much worse before. My apartment with Tyler was super small, and I only got into that place because Tiny’s my service dog.”

She huffs, taking long strides toward the entry of the apartment building. “I know, and I really tried to sell that piece of info too, but rather conveniently, all the normal places I’d suggest for dog owners are suddenly not allowing dogs, and since Rex isn’t a service animal, those places are a no-go.” Her sharp eyes convey the message that this wasn’t merely a coincidence. Tiny trails alongside us, blissfully unaware of our current housing situation.

My shoulders slump involuntarily despite how positive I’m trying to be right now. The circumstances surrounding this move may not be great, but I’m feeling optimistic. “I get it. Let’s just go see how this place is before we go down that rabbit hole,” I tell her because there’s really no use in whining about it. It won’t change anything.

The building is tall, probably about five stories, so not anything super huge, which is convenient for when I need to let the dogs out to potty. The parking lot is located just across from the building with what looks like plenty of parking spaces available, so I can feel comfortable keeping my car parked here.

We enter the lobby and wave at the concierge, who’s sitting at the desk, reading a golfing magazine.

Once we’ve made it up the elevator to the second floor, we make our way down to unit thirty-six. Two thirty-six . That’s a good number. Even numbers are lucky for me.

She enters the door code, and there’s a click as the light flashes green. She twists the handle, pushing it open and revealing the perfect space.

My heart flutters and soars in my chest, and I feel breathless as my lips stretch into a wide grin.

I knew that number was lucky .

“I’ll take it,” I tell her the moment we step inside.

She cocks her head to the side in question, raising a perfectly manicured brow at me. “You haven’t even seen the place yet,” she deadpans.

I roll my eyes playfully, resisting the urge to skip into the living room, an overly energized feeling thrumming through me. “I can see that everything’s up to date and mostly furnished, so it’ll be a lot less work and money than other places,” I say, beaming at her. “Besides, there are two rooms, so it’s a huge improvement from the studio apartment I was anticipating needing to have. ”

She takes a deep breath, placing her hands on her hips. “Alright, well, let’s just properly tour the place for a few minutes so your father doesn’t kill me for letting you make a rash decision.”

I chuckle at that. Shay doesn’t seem to realize this yet, but the reason he’s stayed so loyal to her, always having her work as his agent for any and every investment, is that he has a crush on her.

And over the years, it’s become pretty apparent that she feels the same.

Her round hips swish from side to side, hugged by the fabric of her navy pencil skirt as she leads me from room to room.

Her heels click across the vinyl floors, but as we enter the bedroom, the sound is muffled by the gray carpeting. An idea sparks, and I decide to throw her a bone. “When you tell my dad that I want this place, you can let him know that we’ll need to see about swapping the carpet out for hard floors because the dog hair will be difficult to keep up with otherwise. That way, he’ll know we both gave it ample thought,” I say, waggling my brows at her.

A small smirk quirks at the corners of her bronze lipstick, the apples of her smooth mahogany skin flush just the slightest bit as she averts her gaze to the ground. “Sounds perfect. Thanks, Lark.”

She claps her hands together gently. “Now, how about we go sign a lease?” she asks me, her voice jumping to a higher octave.

“Let’s do it.” I wink, following her.

1. Drive – Incubus