tomorrow?” he asks, and I smile.
“It’s a surprise. I’ll let your mom pick you up tomorrow, but I’ll see you at the dance. ’Night, Kim,” I say over my shoulder, giving Scott a high five and heading out.
Raven should be home by now, so I can leave.
When I bought the building downtown and redesigned it, I’d imagined selling off the units below me. I am on the top floor, and the floors below have tremendous real estate value. I’d see Raven that first day and decided I needed to do some homework. I waited around a few times and overheard that she was looking for a place to stay. I made sure that an email boasting new property, for lease and close to the school, was sent to her. I made it seem like it was being rented until a buyer came along. I even had an agent meet her to explain the details. I never had any intention of selling the place, not while she is in it, at least. But I knew that having her close would help me sleep at night. Especially knowing that one day I’d be able to get her on my floor.
I hop in my car and make the drive across town to my building. I park in the garage and take the private elevator up. Instead of going to the penthouse, I stop on the lobby level to speak with Joshua. He’s the evening guard, and as he sees me approach, he stands and smiles.
“Hello, Mr. Bates. Everything is well this evening.” He hands over a clipboard with a couple of signatures, and points to the one on the bottom. “Miss Treat has brought in one guest. I’d be happy to pull the cameras if you’d like to view the visitor.”
I shake my head, seeing the name. “That won’t be necessary, Joshua. Thank you. Say hello to Sandy for me. Have a nice night.”
“Will do. You as well, sir.”
I’m sure Joshua knows what I’m up to. Since Raven moved in, I’ve been checking security regularly, along with any visitors that might be entering. So far, she’s only had a couple of food deliveries, which Joshua was kind enough to intercept and deliver personally. He received a hefty bonus for his efforts and plans to take his wife to Hawaii for their anniversary. Worth every penny.
I step onto the elevator, and as much as I want to go to her floor, I don’t. I hit the button for mine and take it all the way up. When I get inside, I go to my office and check the feed. Joshua isn’t aware that I have my own cameras in place, and I click back through until I find the spot at which she enters. I watch as she and her co-worker get on the elevator, then I flip to the next camera outside her door to watch her make it inside safely. I had to fight myself from sneaking cameras inside, because I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to control myself if I saw much more.
After I watch the tape three more times, I go over to the couch in my office and stretch out. I smile to myself, thinking that this time tomorrow, I’ll be alone with her, and then she’ll have no choice but to fall in love with me.
All I need is a moment alone, then she’ll see what I do. She’ll feel the undeniable force pulling us together, and then we can stop pretending. Raven Treat is going to know that there is no world without me, just as I have no world without her.
Chapter Three
Raven
“I still can’t get over this place,” Apple says as she takes another sip from her wine glass.
We’re already well into the second bottle we picked up on the way back to my place, and the takeout containers are long empty. My whole body is buzzing at this point, making me feel warm. Some of my fears about tomorrow drop away for a moment.
I look around the condo and couldn’t agree more with her. This whole building is amazing, and it’s going to suck when I have to leave it. I know I’ll never again be able to afford something as beautiful as this on a teacher’s salary, but I’d never give up teaching to live somewhere fancy. That doesn’t mean I won’t enjoy this place while it lasts. It’s a taste of a life I never thought I could experience.
I grew up in