“Yeah,” I said, “I know. Buying a chandelier is at the very top of my to-do list. But despite that little flaw, what do you think?”
“I think you got an exceptional deal. Whoever owned it could have sold it for at least ten percent more—maybe twenty—if they’d bothered to do just a little bit of cosmetic work.”
“That’s what I thought. And since I no longer work at the coffee shop, I’ll have plenty of time to spend doing all that cosmetic stuff.”
He cocked his head. “When did this happen?”
“About the time my boss showed his true asshole colors and tried to screw over my ability to go to my closing and then enjoy my house.” I lifted a shoulder. “Fuck him. I can do just fine without him.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Cole said. “But if you need a paycheck, I believe you’re already technically employed at the gallery.”
I smirked. “Careful, or I’ll take you up on that.”
“I’m serious,” he said. “If you need help making ends meet, you know you can come to me, right?”
“I do,” I said earnestly. And the fact was that I knew more than that. I could go to him about my life. About my hopes and my dreams. And not just could go, but wanted to go.
I wanted to share with Cole. Because this thing between us was more than just sex. It was life. It was us. It was everything.
“Hey,” he said, peering at me. “Contemplating the horrors of having me for a boss?”
“Hardly,” I teased. “Thinking about how little work we’d get done.”
He grinned, but it faded quickly. “Is everything okay? You got suddenly pensive.”
“Everything’s great. I have enough money to cover the mortgage and my expenses for at least six months.”
“That should give you time to find another job. Want me to talk to Tyler about sending your resume out through the placement office?”
“Thanks, but no. I have something in mind, actually.” I glanced at his face, saw his attentive expression, and hurried on. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while, now. Ever since I started house-hunting. I think—I think I want to get my real estate license.”
“Do you?” He nodded slowly, as if he was seriously weighing my words. And then an easy smile crossed his face. “I think you’d kick serious ass in real estate.”
Tension I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding drained from me. “Do you really think so?”
“It’s the perfect job for you. You’re good with people, you know how to sell a thing and a concept. You can bullshit with the best of them,” he added with a cocky grin. “Yeah, I think it’s good.”
“You are just raking in the brownie points today.”
“I’ll be sure to cash them in soon.” He turned a slow circle in the room. “Yeah, this place was a great find. It has a ton of potential.”
“In other words, it needs a lot of work.”
He laughed. “That, too.”
“Will you help me?”
The answer was there in the way he looked at me, his words only underscoring the truth. “You couldn’t keep me away.”
I took a moment to simply look at him and soak him in and wonder why it had taken me so long to go after what I’d wanted. Because now that I had Cole beside me, all those empty days before seemed even emptier. And I was determined to fill to overflowing all the days that were still to come.
He tapped the end of my nose. “You’ve checked out again,” he said. “Where to this time?”
“Away,” I said with a grin. “With you. To fantasyland.”
His grin was bright and wicked. “I’m happy to make your fantasies a reality.”
“And I am going to take you up on that. After I get your opinion on the rest of the house,” I said, then laughed as I grabbed his hand and led him toward the second bedroom. “I’m just going to do a basic paint job in here. I figure Flynn can decorate it however he wants.”
“Flynn’s moving in with you?”
“He’s my roommate now, and he’ll be my roommate when I move. He needs one, and I always appreciate saving money. Especially since he’ll be helping build my equity.”