Boom - Sabrina Stark Page 0,82

look at your paper. Yours had an alien eating the world. I knew that wasn't real, so you had to know that mine wasn't real, too. Right?"

He gave my hand a tender squeeze. "I know now."

And something in his voice made me wonder if there was more to what he was saying. But I didn't ask – just like I didn't ask a lot of things as the house moved ever closer to completion.

Chapter 46

Arden

"So," Cami said, "is he going to let you buy it?"

She meant the house, of course.

The question was a dark cloud over my otherwise happy mood. "I don't know," I said. "We never talk about it."

It was almost seven o'clock at night, and I was hunkered down in my bedroom talking to Cami on my cell phone while Brody was away, meeting with his brothers on some company business.

Cami said, "But why wouldn't you talk about it?"

"It just seems wrong. That's all."

"Why?" she laughed. "Because you're donking him?"

I didn't see the humor. "Yeah. I guess."

"So?" she said.

I sighed. "So I don't want him to think that I'm 'donking' him for all the wrong reasons, like to get him to sell me the house or something."

"Oh, please," she said. "He'd never think that."

"But how can you be sure?" I asked.

"Because no one would. You're not the type."

I frowned. "And what type is that?"

"Oh, you know," she said. "The type to ho yourself out for a beach house, or cripes, even rent money."

She was right.

I wasn't the type. And yet, her words served as yet another reminder that in spite of everything, I still wanted the house. And Brody still wasn't giving it up – at least not that I knew of.

Maybe it was time to give it another try.

By now, I'd had a steady paycheck for nearly three months. It was true that I'd spent some of that money on student loan payments, along with some basic necessities here and there. But I'd saved almost all of the rest. And I still had the bonus coming at the end of my consulting gig.

If I played my cards right, I'd have at least thirty thousand dollars after taxes. Was it enough for a down payment on the house?

I tried to think. No. Not according to Brody. He'd told me so himself way back in the beginning, and I had no reason to doubt him.

To Cami, I said, "Honestly, I don't think I could afford it."

"But why not?" she asked.

"Aside from the fact it's waterfront property?"

"Yeah. Aside from that."

"Well, for starters," I said, "you should see what Brody's doing to the place."

"Really?" She hesitated. "Good or bad?"

"Good. Really good." Now I couldn't help but smile. "You should see it, Cami. It's amazing. Granite countertops, marble sinks, a brand-new kitchen. I mean, it's not finished yet, but I've seen almost all of the plans."

I'd had a hand in creating those plans, too.

As I told Cami all about it, I heard the excitement in my own voice as I detailed the many improvements Brody would be making – or in some cases, had made already.

I loved every single thing on his list. And, later this year, when the next season of "Blast Brothers" would begin airing on the Home Network, the rest of the world would love it, too.

I just knew it.

Inside and out, Brody was working some serious magic. And me? I had the happy luck of seeing the magic unfold in every area of the house, well, except for the attic, which was still off-limits for safety reasons.

On the phone, I finished by saying, "And when he's completely done, it's going to look brand new, but even better because he didn't ruin the original character." I gave a happy sigh. "It really is amazing."

And it wasn't just the house that was amazing. It was Brody, too. Even if we hadn't been romantically involved, I still would've admired not only his work ethic, but his skill in bringing out the home's natural beauty.

On the phone, Cami said, "Well that stinks."

My smile faded. "Why?"

"Because," she said, "if he were taking a more modest approach, you might be able to afford it, the house, I mean."

Well, there was that.

When I said nothing in reply, she added, "And granite countertops? Seriously?"

Her words stung. "What's wrong with granite countertops?"

"Nothing," she said. "They're beautiful if you can afford them. But you can't."

She was right. And yet, I couldn’t really complain. After all, I'd had a hand in selecting those countertops. In fact, I'd helped select