“Can I offer you something to drink? I could put on some water for tea, or I’ve got fresh lemonade in the fridge,” Greyston offers, pulling out one of the chairs at the table for me.
This chivalrous act catches me off guard, but I recover quickly, smiling. “Thanks. Um, lemonade sounds lovely.”
“Coming right up.”
Greyston returns moments later with two glasses and sits in the seat across from me. “So, Juliette,” he begins, “tell me a bit about yourself.”
“Well, I’m an only child and a student in my sophomore year at Arizona State. I work at Mama Java’s Coffeehouse… Um, what else do you want to know?” I ask.
He seems to be perplexed about something, but before I can ask, he voices whatever is on his mind. “I apologize if this comes across as rude, but if you’re a student, why aren’t you staying in on-campus housing? I mean, that would seem to make the most sense.”
I smile, though it’s not an overly happy one. “I was staying in a dorm, but the girl I bunked with had…less than desirable traits that one might look for in a roommate.”
It seems like Greyston understands without my having to say much more. “Ah. She couldn’t respect boundaries.”
I laugh and take a sip of my drink. “Something like that,” I tell him. “And now I’m back at home with my parents.”
“And that doesn’t work for you either?” he inquires.
“Mmm,” I hum, somewhat uncomfortably. “Not so much.” It’s time to admit that I can’t afford this place, so I inhale a deep breath and say, “Look. The house is great, and the room is unbelievably beautiful…but the truth of the matter is, I just don’t think I can afford it. I want to—believe me, I do—but with my being a full-time student and working whenever I’m not busy studying…well, it’s just not feasible.”
Greyston chuckles again, and I begin to wonder if it’s possible to miss something you’ve only been briefly exposed to.
My guess would be yes.
“Juliette, I haven’t even told you how much the rent is.”
Wrapping both hands around my lemonade glass and feeling the cold beads of condensation on my palms, I shake my head. “I can’t imagine it to be cheap. I mean, the mortgage alone on a home like this has to be—”
“Surprisingly lower than one might expect with a large enough down payment,” Greyston says, cutting me off before I can completely turn him down. If it had been anyone else interrupting me, I probably would have gotten annoyed, but not him. Not in this moment, anyway.
“Listen, Juliette,” he continues, “I’m constantly on the road for work—sometimes for weeks at a time—and am in need of someone to watch over the place while I’m away.”
“Still—”
Again, he doesn’t let me finish. “You’d really be doing me a favor,” he says as I bring my glass to my lips. “Five hundred a month.”
The number shocks me, causing me to choke and sputter on the drink I’ve just taken. “What? You can’t be serious…Are you saying that because I basically just told you that I’m poor?”
Greyston’s laughter fills the kitchen. “Not at all. I just figured that since I was basically asking you to house-sit whenever I’m away that it would be unfair of me to ask an unreasonable amount for rent.”
I don’t know what to say—a first, to be sure. Here I am, sitting in a gorgeous home in a beautiful new community—which is coincidentally not too far from school—and it’s actually affordable without my parents’ help? It’s all just too good to be true. The fact that my potential landlord is easy on the eyes doesn’t hurt, either.
The kitchen is silent, save for the soft tick, tick, tick of the clock over the doorway. Greyston is watching me, waiting for my answer. He doesn’t look annoyed that I’m taking my time—and I’m honestly not sure why I am, because I basically want to say yes to anything he might suggest…and I do mean anything.
Finally, I find my voice. “I only have one more question.”
Greyston nods once, slowly and carefully, as though he’s afraid of what my question might be. It’s really pretty adorable.
“When can I move in?”
Chapter 5
I don’t regret the question, but the minute it leaves my mouth, I realize I should probably know more about the man sitting in front of me. Besides how gorgeous he and his home are.
Before I find the opportunity to back-pedal and ask about him, Greyston smiles and responds to my question. “Whenever is good for you. I know we’re just over three weeks into November, but feel free to bring your stuff by any time. Perhaps over the Thanksgiving long weekend, but after the actual holiday?”