Page 22 of Say Yes to the Hot Mess
“Yeah. So now this new guy says I can’t live here anymore because they have a waitlist of people who want to live in Sunset Horizons.”
“Ooh,” Scarlett says, and I can practically hear her wincing. “That’s…harsh.”
“Right?” I say, sitting up. “It is! It completely is. Like, I get it,” I admit grudgingly. “I understand where he’s coming from. And I’m going to start looking for somewhere else to live. But also…I don’t want to move. Ilikeit here. It was weird at first, living in a neighborhood with a bunch of seniors or whatever, but I’ve settled in. Heck, I even use the stair lift to help carry up Archer when he’s in his car seat. I just plop the whole thing on and then walk up next to it, holding it in place to make sure he doesn’t fall off.”
“Well, my place doesn’t have a stair lift, but you’re always welcome with me,” she says. “Although I do have to warn you, my apartment is a dump. There’s minimal hot water and the water pressure is horrible, and I’m pretty sure the building is about to be condemned.” She pauses, then says, “So you know what, never mind. You don’t want to live in my place.Idon’t want to live in my place.”
I shake my head, smiling. “You need to move.”
“I’m working on it,” she says with a sigh. “But living close to Sunset Horizons is so expensive.”
She’s not wrong about that; while I’m able to afford rent here, the surrounding area is sort of pricey.
“I’ve got feelers out, though, don’t worry,” she says. “I’m working on it. In fact…”
“What?” I say when she doesn’t go on.
“Well, okay. You don’t have to say yes, obviously. But if you wanted, we could try to find a place together. We could share rent that way. If you can’t stay in Sunset Horizons, that is.”
“That…would be amazing, actually,” I say slowly. “But are you sure you’d want to live with me? I mean, Archer is a little disruptive.”
“Of course!” she says. “I can sleep with white noise if I absolutelyneedto, but I would be totally okay with it.”
“Wow,” I say, a sense of relief starting to steal through me. “That’s a really good idea. And it would be very helpful.”
“Okay, let me look into it,” she says, and I can picture the little frown she wears when she thinks hard about something. “Let me ask around.”
“Sounds good,” I say.
“Now let’s go back to the part about your neighbor. What does he look like? And why did he see you in your suit?”
“Not that his appearance matters, since I’ve sworn off men—”
“Yeah, yeah,” she grumbles.
“But he’s working that whole sexy nerd vibe,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Kind of a Clark Kent situation. You know, with the glasses and the dark, neatly parted hair. He’s tall, and he does that thing where he rolls his dress shirt sleeves up his forearms—”
“Love that,” she says fervently. “Forearms are wildly underappreciated body parts.”
“I know,” I say. “They’re all tanned and muscular. Anyway, I was in the hot tub behind our duplex and I accidentally knocked my towel in the water, and then he came out to talk to me, and I had to walk back inside without anything covering me up.”
“Hmm,” she says slowly. “Well, you’re a hot young thing—”
“Scarlett.”
“So I’m sure he was checking you out the whole time. I wouldn’t worry about it.”
I sigh. “I do worry, though. As far as I know, it’s just one more reason he’ll want to hurry me out of this place. I haven’t—” I wince. “I haven’t exactly made the best first impression,” I admit. I tell her about my bra waving in his face and about the way we’ve been poking at each other. “So I’m probably not helping my case,” I say.
“Well, I mean, there’s an easy fix for that,” Scarlett says, and I picture her shrugging her shoulders. “You just need to be the best neighbor ever. You and I could room together, definitely, but your first choice is to stay there, right?”
“Yeah. I’m settled in, and Uncle Frank is here.”
“Well, if your neighbor doesn’t want you to move, he’s less likely to kick you out, right?”
“I mean, maybe,” I say skeptically. “He seems pretty set on me leaving.”
“What could it hurt to try, though?” she says, her voice coaxing, persuasive. “Bake him some cookies or something. Ask how he’s settling in. Suck up to him. At least get on his good side.”