‘To buy or rent?’
‘Buy.’ And he was directed to the back, where a dark head was bent forward over a large, gleaming wooden desk, scrutinizing some papers.
‘Can I help you?’ When she looked up and smiled her client-welcoming smile, he felt himself respond in kind and suddenly the job of flat-hunting seemed a whole lot more pleasant. She had a cap of straight raven hair that danced as it moved around her face.
‘I’m looking for a flat.’
Her eyes were dark too, deep pools with fathomless depths. In them he caught the mental calculations as she subtly took in his frayed shorts and T-shirt.
‘How many bedrooms? Did you have a particular location in mind?’
‘Two bedrooms,’ he decided instantly, thinking the other would be useful as a study. He hadn’t had much time to think about what he needed, as he’d driven back from Cambridge early that morning. Wandering around his parents’ house, he’d been aware of the likely pressure from his mother to stay if he became too comfortable. It was better to start the ball rolling straight away: it wouldn’t be fair to let her get her hopes up.
‘And location?’ Once again he detected suspicion about what he was doing there. No streets around Kensington and Chelsea were cheap, but some were prohibitively expensive. He knew he didn’t look the sort to have a couple of million to spend. Which in theory he didn’t.
‘Cherry Laine?’
Her face smiled tightly. Irritated but trying to remain professional. ‘There’s no such street in the area.’
‘God, no, I wasn’t taking the piss.’ He pointed to her nameplate, black letters on a brass background, and smiled. ‘You should be in an agency in a village in the Cotswolds or something.’
She stared at him long and hard, then turned her iPad to face him. ‘Depending on your price range, we have four properties that match what you’re looking for. This one is just two minutes from Knightsbridge Station—’
‘I’ll go and see it.’
She paused and tapped her screen. ‘OK. This next one—’
‘I’ll see that too.’
‘But I haven’t even told you about it.’
He enjoyed watching her, unsure of how to take him. No doubt most people who came in here were stuffed with the importance of how a property should be, how it should rightfully fit their needs. They probably put great energy and effort into finding the perfect place, something that seemed to Daniel a colossal waste of time. The quicker he got it sorted, the better. ‘And the others.’
‘In a hurry?’
‘I should imagine for the price they’re all pretty nice? How much are they, anyway?’
‘These particular properties range from two and a half to four million.’
‘Wow.’
‘And yes, they’re exceptional.’
‘There you are, then. I need somewhere to live, and I’m sure I’d be extremely fortunate to live in any of those you’ve selected. So, shall we go and take a look?’
Her hands fluttered over the screen. ‘I need to make appointments.’
‘Later today, then?’ He smiled. ‘I’m sure I’ll be your easiest client. I’ll have one picked by teatime. It is you showing me around, isn’t it?’
She flicked her eyes across him, reassuring herself she hadn’t just encountered a psycho. ‘Yes,’ she said firmly, ‘it is.’
This time, he was smarter, she noticed. He’d changed since he’d walked into her office this morning, into a pair of navy chinos and a light blue shirt. So far he’d followed her obediently around the first-floor apartment with little comment. She led him out of the living room. ‘As you can see, there are wooden floors throughout, and one of the benefits of this property is, of course, the hallway.’
He gazed up and down. ‘What’s so special about it?’
‘It’s not so much that it’s special. It’s the fact it’s there.’
He wondered in what world a hallway was considered a perk when you were paying ￡2.5 million, but didn’t want to offend her by saying so, and he realized he was guilty by association. He was the one looking around it, after all.
‘And this is the living room,’ she said, indicating through a doorway.
He peered in. ‘Nice sofa. Yellow.’
‘Lemon,’ she corrected. ‘Of course, these furnishings will be removed on sale. The owner has left them to present the property.’
‘So it’s vacant?’
‘Yes. And there’s no chain.’
‘Did the owner not want the sofa at his or her new place?’
Bemused, she looked at him. ‘I should imagine . . .’
‘What?’
‘They bought new.’
He smiled and followed her along the covetable hallway, glancing down to see if there was anything he might be missing, but then decided to concentrate on Cherry instead. He liked the way she walked, with purpose, as if she cared about where she was going and the reason for getting there. He had a feeling she might extend this determination to other parts of her life and he found himself wanting to know more about what they might be. Just then she turned and caught him staring at her. She stopped and folded her arms.
‘The kitchen is in there.’ She pointed and it was obvious he was meant to go first.
‘Sorry. I wasn’t staring at your bum.’
She raised her eyebrows at his outspokenness. ‘Are you really interested in this flat?’ As much as there was a certain charm about this man, she couldn’t bear time-wasters. And she had a pretty good eye for spotting them, having been one herself, although that was justified as it was a means to an end.
‘Yes,’ he said quickly, wanting to reassure her. ‘I’ll take it!’
‘But we haven’t seen the others.’
‘This is the cheapest of the ones you have available, right?’
‘Yes.’
‘Why pay more? Even this seems . . .’
‘Yes?’
‘Obscene?’
She looked at him.
‘Sorry, I just find it a little . . . offensive. All this money. For one flat.’
‘But you want to buy it?’
‘Yes, please. And I’d like to buy the furniture too. If it’s for sale.’ In fact, Daniel had been told in no uncertain terms by his father that renting was not an option. It was considered a complete waste of money – his father’s money really, as Daniel had a trust fund. If the flat passed his father’s scrutiny, it would become a family investment. ‘Anyway, one flat’s much the same as another, isn’t it?’
Cherry opened her mouth to speak.
‘Of course it’s not! No, no, sorry . . . Consider me very ignorant. But . . . I was just thinking . . . there’s better things we could be doing with our time.’
She braced herself, knowing what was coming next.