“Like what?”
“Oh I don’t know. Underwear, stuffed animals, porn, sex toys.”
He was silent for a moment. “Just don’t look too hard then.”
I couldn’t tell whether that was a joke or not but decided I didn’t want to ask. As I went from room to room, I noticed everything was neatly arranged and clean, far from your typical bachelor pad. I wondered if he had a maid keep his apartment tidy or if he did it himself. Knowing him, it was another line on his already impressive résumé—accomplished housekeeper. I took a moment to muse the fantasy of him being a manservant.
When I found his office, I spotted documents on his desk that were thoroughly highlighted and marked with detailed notes. Curious, I sifted through them and recognized they were the ones I gave him during our first meeting. I put a lot of work into those documents. He must have thoroughly studied them before deciding to choose my company as his wealth management firm and making me his point-of-contact.
At the beginning of my self-guided tour, I couldn’t help making comparisons between Vincent’s living style and Marty’s. They were both neat and meticulous. But towards the end I found some movie posters of martial arts films from the 80s. That cheesiness was decidedly not like my ex.
By the time I circled back to the living room, fascination with Vincent preoccupied my mind. Besides the posters and getting to see his wardrobe of suits, I was disappointed not to find many more personal items. It seemed as if he had moved in recently. He did mention traveling multiple times per week, so maybe he kept the family pictures somewhere else.
He had an elaborate kitchen though, fit for a top chef. I was pulled toward the food by the wonderful smell.
“Have a seat in the dining room. I’ll bring the dishes out,” he said untying his apron and hanging it on a nearby rack. He was still in his work clothes, but traded black loafers for sandals.
When I took a seat at the table, there were already two glasses of white wine set out with the tableware.
“Something fresh and light.” He entered with two plates in hand.
I smelled the mouthwatering scent before I saw it. Linguine al dente with shrimp scampi. The presentation was immaculate. “My favorite seafood dish. How did you know?”
“It’s my favorite as well. I guess our tastes match.”
“Maybe with food. But I think we differ on the decor.” I gestured to the Bruce Lee poster sitting in the corner.
“It’s an old keepsake.” He smiled and handed me my plate of shrimp and noodles. “Try this. Tell me if I got it right.”
I took a bite then had to take another one. “Wow this is delicious. Where did you learn to cook so well?”
“When I was right out of college I surfed a lot with a few of my buddies. We had seasonal jobs and worked just enough to support our lifestyle. To save money, we’d buy food for the group and I ended up being the one to cook most of the time; the others weren’t very good at it.” He laughed.
“I can see why they wanted you to cook.” I scarfed down another bite. “That wasn’t too long ago if I’m not mistaken. So what’s it like to go from that kind of lifestyle to this in only a few years?” I gestured to the lavish apartment.
“It’s been a rollercoaster ride. Perfect for a thrill-seeker like myself. Now, instead of being responsible for cooking for a group of guys, I’m responsible for thousands of employees. The stakes are different but fundamentally it’s the same.”
“Do you still keep in touch with those guys?”
“We try to get the group together at least once a year. Everyone’s busy these days, not just myself. A few of them even have kids.” He laughed and shook his head as if remembering something ridiculous. “If you knew them back then, you would think they were destined for life-long bachelorhood.”
The obvious inquiry was on my mind. I didn’t want to ruin an already wonderful evening, but I knew it would bother me if I didn’t ask. “And how about you?”
He paused for a moment which made me almost regret asking the question. “Being a bachelor has its benefits. I travel a lot and do a lot of thrill-seeking activities. Being unattached makes it easy to do those things. But I’m thinking it might be more enjoyable to do things with someone you care about.”
“Makes sense.”
“How about you? The life of a single-female wealth manager, meeting rich, handsome clients seems appealing.”
“I haven’t really given much thought to settling down. I hadn’t really even given much thought to dating in the past few years. Been mainly focused on my career.”