The Friendship List(77)

“I hope you’ll be comfortable here.”

“I might not find my way back to the living room.”

He looked at his watch. “It’s nearly five. Let’s plan to leave at five thirty.”

“You’re not going to show me the master?” she asked.

One eyebrow rose. “Best if I don’t.”

Because...why? Not that she would ask. She’d used up her allotment of bravery for the last two years and was running on sheer nerves. Yes, she knew she was doing the right thing, but it wasn’t easy. Still, she was going to keep going because retreating was not a good plan.

Thaddeus left her, closing the door behind him. Unity quickly unpacked, then touched up her makeup. She used the rest of her time to study the fixtures. While her bathroom redo wouldn’t be anywhere near this nice, she appreciated the inspiration.

At 5:28, she tried to get back to the general area of the front door. She only had to backtrack twice.

“How big is this place?” she asked when she finally found her way and saw Thaddeus waiting for her, a bottle of wine in one hand.

“Thirty-four hundred square feet.”

“It’s a condo. Aren’t they supposed to be small?”

“Some are. Shall we?”

She nodded, thinking it was very possible he was much more successful than she’d internalized. Not that it mattered, it was just a little unexpected.

The idea that maybe she should have paid more attention to who and what Thaddeus was continued when the valet pulled up in a sleek, deep blue car. No, car was wrong. It was so beautiful, it was practically a sculpture.

She eyed the gorgeous lines and the grill in front. There was a stylized trident on the front of the car. A trident? Was that an upscale car brand?

“This is beautiful,” she told Thaddeus as the valet opened the passenger door for her. “What is it?”

The valet, a young guy in the hotel uniform, stared at her wide-eyed.

“A Maserati GranTurismo,” he and Thaddeus said together.

The valet flashed her a grin before closing the door. Unity had definitely heard of a Maserati before. To think she’d been excited to drive Ellen’s Subaru.

She glanced at Thaddeus, taking in the handsome lines of his face. He was successful, he was incredibly good-looking and, hey, he had the body of a stripper.

“Why on earth do you want to go out with me?” she asked before she could stop herself. Perhaps a question she should have considered before driving over and practically throwing herself at him.

When he glanced at her quizzically, she added, “You could have anyone. I’m not especially pretty, I’m not very girly, I don’t have money and I’m an emotional basket case. I don’t get the appeal.”

“I like you.”

Which was nice of him to say, but brought her back to the main question of why. What could she have done to get his attention?

“Is it a chemistry thing?”

“Partly. If nothing else, you’re loyal.”

“Some might say to a fault,” she murmured, smiling at his statement. “Do your friends live in a normal house?”

“Define normal.”

“Not a mansion.”

“Ah. Yes, they live in a normal house. You’ll like them. I’ve known Freddy since we were six. He and Lela married young and they have three kids. I’m the favorite uncle, which I like a lot. When I started buying buildings and needed a business manager, I hired Freddy and the family moved up here. Lela’s a stay-at-home mom who has the organizational skills of a four-star general.”

“They’re family,” she said.

He glanced at her and smiled before returning his attention to the road. “They are.”

They sounded nice. Unity tried to ignore her growing nervousness and instead focused on how close she and Thaddeus were sitting. She wouldn’t have to lean very far to her left to brush against him.

He’d changed from his suit into jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. His strong thighs were right there, she thought idly. It would be easy to just slide her hand over and rest it on his thigh. Then they would both be shocked, she thought, hiding her smile.

More quickly than she would have expected, they pulled into the driveway of a two-story house. She managed to climb out of the low car without flashing anything, then glanced back at the seat.

“Getting in is easy,” she said. “You just kind of point your butt and fall back. But there is no way I could get out of this car in a pencil skirt.”

“Do you own a pencil skirt?”

“Not at the moment.”

“If you buy one, we’ll take the Mercedes.”

Problem solved, she thought humorously. Okay—note to self. Next life, try to be born rich.

Before they were halfway up the path, the front door opened and Freddy and Lela hurried out to greet them.

“I’m Lela,” the pretty, very short brunette said, giving Unity a quick hug. “I’m so excited to meet you.”

She hustled Unity into the house. Unity had a brief impression of a two-story foyer and a living room before she was shown into the open concept family room–kitchen.

“This is wildly exciting,” Lela told her, leading the way to a massive sectional sofa. “I can’t remember the last time Thaddeus brought a girl over.” Her dark eyes were dancing with excitement. “I want to know everything about you, but if I get too intense, just tell me to back off. Freddy tells me I’ve gotten too good at interrogating the kids and it’s spilling over to the rest of my life.”