“Oh.” Reid lifted his hips to grab his wallet out of his back pocket, and then he pulled out a piece of paper. “Sixty-two Lyons Drive in the Garden Lakes complex. Apartment 2A.”
“Smart of you to write it down.”
“It’s on my license too, but I wasn’t sure I’d remember the exact directions,” he admitted, as I steered us out onto the main road. “I’ve only been there a couple of times.”
My job meant I knew the town like the back of my hand, and I’d had to answer calls in Garden Lakes before, so I knew exactly where we were headed, but when Reid began to recall the directions—correctly, I was surprised to hear—I was content to let him take the lead. After a few minutes, he pointed to a neighborhood entrance up ahead and told me to take a left, and I flipped on my blinker, pulled into the turning lane, and waited for the steady stream of cars to pass.
Garden Lakes was the upper tier of apartment living in Floyd Hills, gated and with several private lakes, hence the name. After we dialed in the code at the gate—also noted on the paper—I drove around the complex until Reid told me to stop.
“That’s it,” he said, nodding up at the second-floor balcony of a well-maintained building, blue with wood accents and white trim that reminded me of a cozy cabin I’d stayed in during a winter trip to Pigeon Forge one year.
“This is nice,” I said, cutting the engine.
“I thought so too.”
“Why do I hear a ‘but’ in there?”
Reid smiled, his face half in the shadows from where I’d parked under a street lamp. “You’ll see.”
I followed Reid up the stairs and took the opportunity to enjoy the view of his ass while no one else was around. The bowling alley had been a test of self-restraint with all the bending over he did, and the athletic pants he wore hugged his behind in a way that made me want to reach out and touch him.
As we reached the second floor, Reid produced a key from his wallet, and as he turned toward me, I forced my eyes up.
“This is it,” he said, and then went about unlocking the deadbolt. “Home sweet home.” He pushed open the door and waved me through first, and as I went inside, the sleeve of my jacket brushed against him, and the warmth of his breath stroked my neck, sending goosebumps in its wake.
It was dark as I entered, and when Reid followed me in, he flipped a light switch, throwing the front-facing corner apartment into full view.
Reid ran his hand over his head, getting rid of the snow flurries that had landed in his hair and on his jacket. “See what I mean? The decorating is… I don’t even have words.”
I thought he meant thelackof decorating. Even though the apartment was large, open, and fully furnished, and there were paintings that hung on the walls, it was all so…bland.
“Well,” I said, strolling through the kitchen and into the living room. “You can always take it all down and get rid of it. Start from scratch.” I moved one of the heavy beige drapes aside, revealing a nighttime glimpse of the lake below. “What’s your favorite color?”
“Um…” Reid looked around at the beige walls, beige carpet, and beige furniture. “Not beige?”
I chuckled and let go of the curtain. “‘Not beige’ should be easy enough to find.”
“I guess, but I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
“Tell you what. I’ve got a friend at work who likes to do this kind of thing on the side. I can see if she can come help you flesh out some ideas.”
“Really?”
Shrugging, I said, “If you want to. No pressure or promises, but I can talk to her.”
“That’d be great,” he said, his shoulders sagging. “I think I’d go crazy if I had to live here as it stands now.”
“Oh, it’s not that bad.”
“You’re just saying that to be nice.”
“I’m not. I swear.”
“You’ve got a great place, like the kind you’d actually want to go home to.”
“Well, you can come over anytime you want.” Reid raised his eyebrows, and I said, “I mean, I’ve got an extra room if you needed to…get away…or something.”
He gave me a lopsided grin. “You shouldn’t go around making an offer like that to strangers. They may take you up on it.”