Chapter 31

We walked down the sidewalk, enjoying the sunshine. "This place has a gym," Karen said as she scrolled through her phone. "And look at the neighborhood."

We were on our way to check out another apartment. We seemed to be striking out with every place we looked at. The first house was nice, but ultimately, we all agreed it was too expensive. It was barely any savings while losing a lot of space.

"Great," I said, trying to be enthusiastic.

I had to get my head straight. We had to move. Period. Pouting about it wasn't going to stop the inevitable. I was just glad they weren't kicking me to the curb. I knew part of the difficulty of finding a place for the three of us to live was my financial situation. I had no idea what kind of income I was going to have. We were trying to go as cheap as possible just in case things went really, really badly for me.

"Here it is," Karen said.

We all stopped and looked up at the four-story building. It wasn't really exciting. It was just a building. There wasn't much parking, but that was to be expected.

"Let's go in," Rylee said.

We stepped inside and made our way to the fourth floor. Inside, the landlord was spraying Lysol into the air liberally. Clearly, he was trying to cover up the smell of bleach, making a toxic combo. The cloud choked me and I coughed.

"Let me open a window," the landlord said. "We just had the cleaning crew in here."

"Was there a reason you doused the place in bleach?" Karen asked, unafraid to ask the question we were all thinking. "Was this place a crime scene?"

"No, nothing like that," the man said, wiping sweat from his forehead. "The previous tenant had some pets. Well, if you consider snakes pets. On the plus side, there's not a mouse in the whole apartment."

I frowned. "Because the snakes ate them?"

He smiled. "Think of it as organic pest control."

Karen nodded, but I could tell she was already out of here in her head. Neither one of us knew how many snakes it took to stink up a whole apartment, but the mere idea gave me the willies. Karen looked just as grossed out. Once the smell of bleach and Lysol faded, the reptile stink would probably come back strong as ever.

Rylee, ever the optimist, moved past us to explore the space thoroughly. "Hey, it's got a nice view," she called from what must have been the living area. "And it smells less like chemicals in here."

I followed her voice and found her standing by a window that overlooked a small park full of pretty flowering trees. People lounged on benches, children were playing, and a few pairs of elderly men were deep in a game of chess. It was like a painting.

"See?" Rylee pointed toward the park. "We could be overlooking this every day."

I moved next to her, placing my hand on the cool glass of the windowpane. She was right. This was a view that could brighten even the gloomiest mornings.

Karen joined us, her face still twisted in skepticism. "We can't let a nice view cloud our judgment."

"I'm not suggesting that we do," Rylee said, rolling her eyes at Karen. "But we also shouldn't dismiss a potential home because it smells like it's been cleaned. That's a problem that can be fixed."

"I suppose." Karen sighed, crossing her arms over her chest in a defensive manner.

The landlord came into the room, treading softly. He looked down at his feet as he spoke. "I probably should apologize for the smell. Poor planning on my part," he admitted reluctantly. "We've had this place cleaned top to bottom, carpets replaced, repairs made where needed. It's not perfect, but I promise it's spotless."

"Right," I said, trying to sound as noncommittal as possible. Despite Rylee's optimism, I wasn't feeling the snake pit. I got the feeling Karen was struggling with the idea of living here as well.

"We'd like a day to talk it over," Karen said, taking charge.

The landlord shrugged, back in business mode. "I've got a lot of?—"

Karen stopped him. It was the same line we heard every time we looked at a place. "You have a lot of people looking," she said with a tight smile. "We're aware. I'll be in touch with you tonight. Thank you so much for your time. And maybe crack a window."

We left the building and stood under a shady tree in the park, taking in the vibe of the neighborhood.

"Let's get coffee," Karen said. "We'll go over the pros and cons."

As we walked toward the nearby coffee shop, Rylee seemed to be lost in her thoughts. "It can't smell that bad forever," she mused aloud. "With some love and care, it could feel like home."

"Love and care cost money," Karen pointed out, her practicality at the forefront.

I nodded in agreement, earning a soft sigh from Rylee. We got our coffees and wound up drifting toward the park again. Karen immediately took out her phone to make the pro and con list.

"Pros," Karen said.

"Great view," Rylee said.

"Clean," I joked.

Karen gave me a rueful smirk, then typed it in. "Cons?"

"Smells like a bleach factory," I said.

Rylee sighed. "You two are impossible."

"Former snake house," Karen added.

Rylee shook her head. "We don't know how many snakes lived there. Maybe the guy had like two cute little garden snakes."

Karen shook her head right back. "Even if that's true, it's still gross to me. It's going on the list."

We went silent while Karen typed on her phone. Kids ran around the grass, their laughter filling the air. It was a really nice park. There were several runners taking advantage of the mild weather and the spring beauty.

"Pro—it's close to this beautiful park," Rylee offered, waving her hand toward the scene in front of us. "We could take up running."

Karen scoffed. "I'm sure you'll both be running."

As we strolled down the sidewalk, Rylee nudged me, causing me to spill some of my coffee. I scowled at her. "What the hell is wrong with you?" I muttered.

"Isn't that your bad boy bookworm?" she asked with a mischievous grin and jerked her head toward the jogging path.

I followed her gaze. My heart skipped a beat as I spotted Archer. He was running shirtless, his sweaty muscles glistening in the sunlight. I found myself unable to tear my eyes away from him. The man was sex on a stick, his sturdy legs propelling him forward with a primal energy that was nothing short of captivating. Rylee jabbed me in the ribs, breaking my near trance-like stare.

"See? Another pro to add to the list," she declared triumphantly.

"Sure, ‘proximity to Archer' will convince Karen," I retorted sarcastically.

Karen, engrossed in the list, hadn't caught on to our side conversation. "What?" she asked, looking up from her phone.

As he got closer, I was practically drooling. Flashbacks of our night together sent heatwaves through me. Archer spotted me and time seemed to stand still as our eyes locked. He flashed me a smile, slowing to a walk as he made his way over to us. He pulled his air pods out and stuffed them in his pocket, only drawing my attention to the man's crotch. I'd had sex one time and I was suddenly a nymphomaniac.

Lord have mercy.

"We're going to work on the list," Karen said and grabbed Rylee, pulling her away.

"Hi," Archer said.

"Hi." My mouth was suddenly very dry.

"How are you?" he asked.

I nodded. "Good. I've seen more of the flyers. You've really been working hard on it. I can't believe how much the event has grown in the last two weeks. I get emails every day from groups wanting to participate. It's incredible to see the community rallying around a cause that is so dear to my heart. Thank you."

"I told you I was going to do it," he said.

"I got a confirmation about a pop-up gallery from the cultural arts center attending," I told him. "And one of the local country stations is going to be there broadcasting as well. I think you've managed to get the whole city to show up."

He chuckled. "I hope so. I've been making a few calls."

"I think we both know you've made more than a few calls."

"It's important to you and that makes it important to me," he said. "The only person that matters is you. You're ground zero. Without you, none of this would have happened. The library and the history of the building would have been bulldozed if you hadn't raised the issue. This is your win, your victory."

"I'm not sure we can call it a win," I said. "You've certainly won by shining a bright light on the situation."

"It's not over yet," he said with a determined edge to his voice. "We still have time. There's always hope."

I gave him a small smile, appreciating his relentless optimism in the face of such adversity. But deep down, I wasn't convinced we could actually stop the project. I had been dealing with the developers and Samantha herself for the last two weeks. They knew about the fundraiser but could care less. It was like an annoying bee at their picnic. They were just ignoring our efforts until we buzzed off.

"I do appreciate everything you've done," I said. "Even if things don't turn out, I know you tried."

"I don't accept defeat." He smiled.

"How have you been?" I asked with concern. "Have you talked with your family?"

"Yeah, a little," he said. "The fundraiser has been a nice distraction. I've enjoyed having something to put my time and energy into. It feels good to help."

I wanted to tell him I went to bed thinking about him every night. But I didn't. That would just make things more difficult.

"And what have you been reading lately?" I asked, eager to keep the conversation going. I didn't want to walk away from him. I could smell him and fought the urge to lean in and look like a freak sniffing the hot, sweaty dude. But it wasn't the sweat I was smelling. It was him. I wanted to run my hand down his glistening chest. I shuddered just thinking about touching him.

"I'm cleansing my palate before diving back into the Casanova series with ‘My Last Love Affair'," he answered. "Have you read it? You know I have a thing for steamy romances. Let's just keep that between us."

I grinned, feeling a blush creeping up my cheeks. "I have devoured every book in the series and am eagerly awaiting the next installment. Those hunky brothers are impossible to resist. I sink my teeth into each book and read them in one sitting."

"Me too." He chuckled.

I liked that he wasn't judging.

"I like the happily-ever-afters at the end and love how books like those help me escape from my own life," he said with a hint of seriousness.

"What are you escaping, Archer?" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

He shrugged again. "Life, I suppose."

I found myself wanting to reach out and comfort him. I felt bad that he was having a hard time.

"Would you like to grab a bite to eat together?" I blurted out before I could think twice. But then I remembered he was half-naked and sweaty. "Sorry. Maybe another time. You're busy."

Archer surprised me by putting a hand on my shoulder. His touch sent a shiver down my spine. "How about dinner tonight? I'd love to sit down and have a meal with you. Can I pick you up at seven?"

I knew I probably shouldn't, but I found myself nodding anyway, unable to resist the pull of his charm and the promise of spending more time with him. "Sure," I replied in a small voice. "I'd like that."

"Great. I'll see you at seven."

"Okay. Enjoy the rest of your run."

"I will," he said with a cocky grin.

He jogged off and I had to turn around and watch him go. I wondered why he was in this particular park. I knew where he lived. This wasn't exactly within running distance. Or was it? The man left me flustered. I couldn't think straight after seeing all that skin. Now, I had to prepare for a date with the man I vowed not to see ever again.