“Poor puppy.”
“Yeah, you get to say that because he’s not the one staring you dead in the face as he bites into the couch after you’ve said no three times,” Sam said. There was so much love in Sam’s voice as he talked about Wally’s antics.
“Would you like to have dinner?” he asked, suddenly.
The non sequitur jarred her. “I don’t do that.”
“Eat in the evenings?”
“I mean date.” He was attractive and nice, and she was tempted. She wanted to, not just for the sex, but to sit across a table from him, flirt, laugh. She wanted to hear more of his deep voice, stare at his sheepish smile. That was why she needed to keep her distance. She didn’t need or want more friends, and her life wasn’t suited to relationships.
“OK.” Sam leaned against the back of the sofa. “I only ask because you’ve been cooped up in this place for a while. It might be good to go out.”
Meena’s face burned at her mistake. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed.”
“It’s fine,” Sam said. “I mean, you’re beautiful and I’m not repulsive. We’re both single.”
“We don’t have to talk about it.”
“But I want to.” Sam gave her a quick wink. “In great depth. Tell me more about why you don’t date.”
She laughed and her taut muscles relaxed. It surprised Meena how quickly he could put her at ease. “I have been craving something that isn’t Chinese or pizza.”
He stood. “Perfect. There’s a place not too far from here. A local favorite. It’s got a big menu and a great beer list.”
“Sounds good. Dinner, not a date,” she clarified.
“Dinner,” Sam said. “I’ll leave it to you to pick the day. That should give you enough time to do laundry.”
“I do not smell.”
Sam pinched his nose with his thumb and index finger as he left her apartment.
Automatically Meena locked the door behind him. She stood at the closed door for a while. What would it be like to trust people enough to leave the door to your home unlocked? That was for people who were cared for, had family. Meena took care of herself. She tapped the wooden door and backed away. She didn’t touch the lock. She couldn’t do it.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
It took a week to get accustomed to the cast, but Meena hadn’t made a dent in clearing out the place. She’d managed to pack up the small trinkets that were all over the apartment. Dust catchers in odd shapes and all types of materials. She’d taken her time going through the pieces and seeing if they contained any hidden clues.
She’d found only two. One was a small pink napkin with the chorus of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” the other a grocery store receipt, the back of which held a short quote from The Scarlet Letter: “She had not known the weight, until she felt the freedom.” Meena had added them to her small collection.
She closed the second box she’d filled and looked around. There were still more things on tables and mantels. It would take a miracle to clear this place out in the next three weeks. She was grateful for the knock at the door, a much-needed distraction from poking around in Neha’s life.
“Sabina,” Meena answered the door.
Sabina walked in as if it were her right. Dressed in dark pants and a flowing white silk shirt, the woman looked elegant next to Meena in a dusty T-shirt and jeans.
“How are you feeling?” Sabina asked. “What are you doing?”
“Clearing some of these things out.”
“Are you sure you’re not overdoing it?”
Meena shook her head. Sabina wasn’t as friendly as Tanvi or as direct as Uma. She came off as cold.
“I’m managing fine,” Meena said.
“Here, sit.” Sabina led her to the kitchen table. “Have you eaten?”
Leftover Chinese for breakfast. “Yes.”
Sabina began to clear off the takeout containers and wipe down the table.
“You don’t have to do that,” Meena said.
“You need help. And I’m not injured.”
Meena couldn’t figure the woman out. On one hand she was distant, almost aloof, and on the other she’d brought Meena food, added sugar to Meena’s chai, and wiped down the kitchen counters.
“I spoke with Clifton Warney,” Sabina said.
Meena sat up. “How do you know about him?”
“The day after you hurt yourself, we came to help you. You were out of it and mumbled about a few things you had planned to do. I took care of it.”
Meena couldn’t imagine handing off anything on her list to anyone, not even in a foggy state. “I don’t remember.”
Sabina brought over two glasses of water and put one in front of Meena. “I asked you about your intentions to rent this apartment out, and you told me things were already in motion. I saw Clifton’s business card on the console table by the door and called him. Then I took care of the rest.”
“That wasn’t your place,” Meena argued.
“I did it to save you the trouble,” Sabina said. “The units in this building are all owner occupied. It’s always been that way and is written very clearly in the building agreement.”
“I looked through the paperwork from the lawyers. There was no mention of any kind of rule.”
“I can review that paperwork if you’d like,” Sabina offered. “It is very clear in the bylaws of the homeowners’ agreement, which supersedes anything in the will.”
Meena drank her water. She needed to think, and look for this document Sabina had mentioned.
“You don’t know much about owning an apartment in a condominium building, do you?” Sabina asked.
Meena shook her head. “It’s not my area of expertise.”
“Then let me help,” Sabina said. “I know your job is to travel everywhere, and having to manage this place from all over the world is not very efficient.”
It was true, and in a way it was a bit of a relief if she didn’t have the option to rent it out. She hadn’t wanted to be a landlord. And she couldn’t sell it just yet. But she also wasn’t going to hand over everything to Sabina. “I’d like to look through this agreement.”
“Of course.” Sabina retreated. “I’ll email it to you.”