I felt my stupid tears mix with the water falling down on me. I knew I needed to stop thinking about her. But I couldn’t.
I just needed to focus my energy on something else. I’d call my real estate agent. I’d find a new place to fix up. A smaller place with less room to grow, or just another flip. And I’d get back to work. MAC International didn’t grow itself. I took a deep breath as I rinsed the soap off myself. That was the best part of owning an international finance firm. You could work all night.
Matchmaker - Chapter 7
Saturday
I looked out the window at the city speeding by. All my friends had personal drivers, security, the whole shebang. I had the money to live their lifestyles. But I preferred to take a taxi or drive myself. I preferred to do a lot of things differently than my friends. And the thought of someone following me around all day, watching me unravel more each day…I couldn’t stand it.
“Matt?”
I shook my head. I’d spaced out while listening to my real estate agent, Bill, go over some details on the phone. “Yes?”
“Are you sure you want to sell?” Bill asked. “I was under the impression that you were fixing it up for yourself. I didn’t realize you’d be looking again any time soon.”
I kept my eyes glued out the window as the taxi sped up. “I outgrew it.” I found myself scanning the people walking along the sidewalk. Looking for…I didn’t really know what I was looking for anymore.
“It’s three bedrooms, isn’t it? That’s a lot of room for growing.”
“Yeah, but I use one for an office. And one for…storage. I want a home gym.”
“It has a basement.”
“Are you going to help me sell it or not, Bill?” My voice came out sharper than I meant for it to. I’d spent my whole Saturday working at the empty offices of MAC International. The last thing I wanted to be doing was driving to go meet my friends for drinks. I just wanted to go home. Or to a hotel. Maybe a hotel would be better.
“Of course I’ll help you sell it. But if you hold on to it for a few more months, the market will be better. The spring market…”
“Is saturated. We’ll be one of the premiere listings of the winter.”
“Okay,” Bill said. “I’ll get the paperwork started. Do you have a number in mind?”
The taxi pulled to a stop outside the bar. “Whatever you think is good.”
“You don’t have a specific number? I know you put a lot of work into the place.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
There was an awkward silence as I stepped out of the car. I knew my request was unusual. People flipped houses for a profit. Not for…whatever the hell I was doing. “I just did it for fun,” I added. “I don’t care about the return.” I stopped outside the bar. The wind had picked up and I wished I’d worn a warmer jacket.
“So let me get this straight,” Bill said. “You spent all your weekends and free time the past several years renovating a house for…fun?”
“Yeah.” It was a lie and I was pretty sure we both knew it. But I wasn’t about to tell him that I needed to stay busy just to keep from drowning. That I meant to stay there forever. That I stupidly renovated it into a family home without even realizing it until it was too late. That being there made me feel even more alone.
“Well, I’ll need to come see it to get a proper listing price. I haven’t even seen the bathroom renovations yet. Can I stop by tomorrow?”
“As long as it’s before noon. I’m going to be preoccupied the rest of the day.” I wasn’t sure how long Penny would want to hang out. But I hoped to have her attention for as long as possible. I didn’t want to spend another Sunday at the office. Or watching football at James’ place as the seventh wheel. People thought being the third wheel was rough. The seventh? So much fucking worse.
“Sounds good. I’ll be there by 10.”
“Great. See you tomorrow.” I hung up and stared at the doors of the bar. I cracked my neck, took a deep breath, and forced a fake smile on my face before walking in.
Despite the fact that it was called My Favorite Bar, I knew for a fact it wouldn’t be my favorite. It was too bright. Too cheery. I liked to drink in peace.
Mason and James were already sitting at a high-top in the back corner. I made my way past a table of drunk bridesmaids. One of them backed up, almost falling into me. I grabbed her arms to help steady her before her drink could spill down the front ofmy shirt. For a few seconds she just stared up at me with dilated pupils.
“You okay?” I asked.
“I am now.” She blinked up at me, batting her eyelashes.
