“I was courted by a Scientologist once,” Doreen said. “He always ordered key lime pie for dessert.”
Eli nodded, his lips in a thin line, his unbiased doctor expression in full effect. “I’ll take that under consideration.”
There wasn’t much to clean up since the residents went feral for the cannolis. I regretted grabbing only one for myself and resolved to return to the bakery when I had a day off. And a working vehicle.
“I’ll save you the trip,” I told Eli as I took the sign-up sheet from the clipboard and tucked it into my bag.
“Let me drive you over to Ruby’s,” he offered. “It’s late.”
I glanced at my phone. “Yeah, the Starlight Palms is notoriously dangerous after eight o’clock.”
“You could get stalked by someone with a squeaky walker,” he said. “Tennis balls dragging along pavement as they draw closer to their prey.”
I shivered. “Chilling.”
Once we were in his car again, backing out, he said, “I was thinking. You’re still sleeping on the couch and Morgan is—”
“Getting impatient,” I finished. “And also being pestered by residents who have the kind of grandkids who live in basements and don’t have bank accounts.”
“Yeah, Morgan said she planned on talking to you again this week... but I told her I’d handle it.”
“Oh,you’dhandle it, would you? I bet you’re going to take a great deal of pleasure in evicting me from my own grandmother’s couch.” I leaned back, preparing myself for the kill. “Well, let me have it, Dr. Elias Buckley. Maybe I’ll sleep in my car until more employee housing becomes available.”
He shook his head. “What the fuck, Vera? You’re not going to sleep in your car. The real estate around here is just as bad as LA, if not worse. And the last time an employee apartment became available, there was a lottery. The insider trading happening madeThe Wolf of Wall Streetlook likeThe Boss Baby, okay?”
“Thank you for dashing my hopes.” Now it made sense why Morgan had laughed when I said a place might become available.
“What I’m getting at is that my apartment has a second bedroom.”
“You live here on property?”
He nodded. “Sort of.”
“That was more of a yes-or-no question.”
He stopped in front of Ruby’s building. “I’m trying to offer you my spare room, Vera.”
The air rushed out of my lungs, leaving a burning sensation. My heart stuttered in my chest as I waited for him to say he was kidding. But seconds turned into moments, and all that passed between us was silence.
“Like a room in an apartment?” I asked. “Where you currently live?”
He nodded slowly. “That’s how spare rooms work.”
“An apartment yousort oflive in?”
“Idolive there,” he said definitively.
“How many bathrooms?” As if I had room to be picky... How was I even entertaining this? But god, Ruby and I were one bicker away from accidentally killing each other during a violent sleepwalking episode. On top of that, I couldn’t think of anything more humiliating than being formally reprimanded by a boss who I was technically old enough to parent.
“One and a half,” he said. “A half bath off the kitchen and the two rooms are linked by a full bathroom.”
Sharing a bathroom with Eli? No way. I could barely share a bathroom with my own grandmother. There had to be another solution. Maybe I could rent a spare closet-size room from some college kids.
I opened the car door and got out, but before closing it behind me, I said, “That’s really kind of you to offer, but I’m good.”
“Think about it.” He opened his console and then handed me a small paper bag, his fingers brushing mine. “I may have saved you a cannoli when no one was looking. Tell a soul and I’ll deny it until my dying day.”
“Thanks.” My voice was too soft as I held the bag to my chest and closed the door.