Finding Mr. Write (Business of Love #5) - Ali Parker Page 0,26
I can find a way to move it out if you have your own.”
“I don’t have anything,” I said. “I moved out here the other day and only brought bags of clothes with me.”
“Ah, well if this works out, consider all this yours.”
I marveled at the white dresser, silver-trimmed mirror that rested upon it, and the matching nightstand and queen-sized bed with powder-blue bedding and too many pillows than I would know what to do with. It was the sort of room I’d dreamed about sleeping in but never believed I would ever have—especially not in New York where something like this seemed so out of reach.
Sonia showed me her room next. It wasn’t big, none of the rooms were, but it was nicely appointed. Her walls were yellow and all her bedding and carpets were royal blue, red, orange, and green. It felt Moroccan and vibrant and it smelled like sage and pumpkin.
The bathroom was simple. A candle was burning, naturally, and the shower curtain was forest green with white painted pine trees across three quarters of it. Everything was squeaky clean and the shower wasn’t overflowing with shampoo bottles or other hygiene items like my old shower had been when I lived with Madison and Riley.
Sonia had her shit together. It was obvious.
That was the kind of energy I needed in my life.
We left the bathroom and Sonia sat me down on her sofa. “So, what do you think? I know it’s a bit small, and it might feel like we’d be on top of each other all the time, but with proper boundaries, it’s not too bad. I like to cook and clean and I would expect you to clean up after yourself as well. A messy living environment gets under my skin and makes me anxious, so I can be a bit of a pain in the ass about it. But if you can look past that, we can make it work, I’m sure.”
I looked around the living room and imagined what it would be like to wake up in the morning and sit here basking in the morning sun with a cup of coffee in hand.
“I think your home is really lovely,” I said.
Sonia grinned. “Thank you.”
“I understand if you need some time to think about this but I don’t. I want to live here.”
Sonia blinked at me. “You do? Just like that? What won you over, the candles?”
I laughed. “I like the candles. But mostly I like you. You seem really down to earth and I think we would do well living together. I respect my surroundings and I don’t like messes either. I’m pretty quiet and low key. I like to read. I can be a bit of a homebody when I feel drained, so it’s not out of the norm for me to spend a full week at home only leaving the house for groceries. If that’s tedious for you, I understand.”
“Not at all, so long as we can do movie marathons together.”
“Where do I sign a lease agreement?”
Sonia laughed again and rocked back against the cushions on the sofa. “Oh, I’m relieved you like it. I’m really sick and tired of meeting oddballs and weirdos who want to live with me. When can you move in?”
“As soon as possible.”
“Today?”
“Seriously?”
Sonia nodded excitedly. “Absolutely. I’m sick of living by myself, and to be perfectly honest, I can’t afford the rent here on my own. You seem really awesome and I think you’re right. We’ll get along swimmingly.”
“Wow, um, yeah, okay. Let’s do it. I don’t have much stuff to move. Just three large suitcases. I can head back to my motel and collect them now and make my way back.”
“Do you have a car?”
I shook my head.
Sonia popped up off the sofa. “Let me drive. We’ll grab pizza on our way home and make a day of it. I can help you unpack or stay out of your hair. Whatever you want. Do you need anything else?”
I shook my head and looked away as I started to sniffle. “No, this is perfect.”
Sonia sat back down. “Are you crying? Did I say something wrong?”
“No, you didn’t do anything.” I ran a thumb under my eyes to wipe away tears that I desperately wished I could control. “It’s just a relief to have found a place and a good person who’s willing to take a chance on me. I just moved to the city, and my first day here was really rough. I thought I