I didn't want to be.Not now.
"Listen," I said, "the truth is, I don't know, just like I said."
"But don’t you already have a condo? I mean, right here in Bayside?"
"Yeah, on the river."
She frowned, but said nothing.
I asked, "Is that a problem?"
"No," she said. "It's just that, well, if youalreadyhave a place that you like, why would you want another? Especially another place on the water. And in the same town." Her voice picked up steam. "Because really, when you think about it, youalreadyhave it all."
She was wrong.Yeah, I had plenty of money. And dozens of houses – including the crew house across the street. I didn't live in them. Mostly I rented them out – onlyafterfixing them up.
Arden might not realize it, but I juggled a lot more than the show and the business – and yeah, enough "dates" to make life interesting. But sometime in the past year or so, the game had lost its luster.
Or maybe I was just tired of life in the fast lane.
I stopped walking and took a long look around. The beach was quiet, except for the sounds of seagulls and the waves lapping at the shore. It was like something out of a children's book – the kind that decent parents read to their kids on Sunday afternoons.
That hadn't beenmylife. And yet, I'd seen enough of luckier kids to know how lifecouldbe.
As my thoughts churned, I scanned the horizon. This place – it would be a nice spot to raise a family, assuming I were into that sort of thing, which I wasn't.
Except now, it wasn't sounding so bad.
I stiffened.What the hell?
I looked to Arden, standing beside me. She was gazing out over the water as a soft smile played across her lips.
At the sight of her, I almost smiled, too. But then, I caught myself.She was making me nuts.
Her obsession with the house was contagious, like a bad rash or something worse.
In reply to her statement, all I said was, "Hey, you can never have too much."
She blinked, as if she'd lost track of our debate.She wasn't the only one.My own thoughts had travelled way too far for my liking, and it was time to rein them back in.
Arden said, "But that's not true." She turned to face me. "And this house – it meansnothingto you, not in the big scheme of things."
She was wrong.As usual.
I said, "Hey if you're still pissed that I bought it—"
"I'm not."
I crossed my arms. "Is that so?"
"Yes." She hesitated. "And no."
"Nowwho's being evasive?"
She sighed. "It's just thatyes, I'm glad someone bought it who's going to fix it up, but youknowI'd be lying if I didn't admit that I'd love the chance to buy it myself."
This again?
I gave her a hard look. "With what?"
