It's Better This Way(11)

    Heath spent part of the afternoon at the office, checking the stock market and his accounts. Repeatedly his mind drifted to Julia, and every time it did, he found himself smiling.

His assistant brought in a report he’d asked her to retrieve. She paused when she set it on his desk. “You’re in a good mood,” she said.

And he was.

A very good mood, better than any he’d had in a long while.



* * *



—

The following morning, he arrived in the exercise room five minutes early, eager to see Julia. He had an idea he wanted to float past her. When she was a few minutes late, he found himself watching the time and growing anxious.

When she entered the room, it was with a smile. “Morning,” she greeted him, her eyes bright.

“Morning,” he returned, and was surprised by the relief he felt that she had showed.

Julia walked over to the treadmill. Before she could adjust her earbuds, he said, “Do you have time for coffee this morning?”

“Sure. What time do you want to meet?”

    “Does ten work?”

“It does.”

“Great. See you then.”

As he started his regular routine, Heath noticed that he didn’t need exercise to get his heart going. All that was necessary was seeing Julia.



* * *



—

When she arrived at the Busy Bean, Heath had already secured a table and ordered their drinks. In the late morning, the coffee spot wasn’t as crowded, and getting a place to sit wasn’t much of a problem.

He stood when Julia approached and handed her the same drink she’d ordered the day before.

“Thanks, only I was hoping you’d let me buy this time.”

“No need.”

“I disagree,” she said, taking a seat.

The summer sunshine fell over her, lighting up her face. She was lovely. Not beautiful in the classic sense. Her face was heart-shaped, and her dark hair—she’d done something different with it, he noticed—was stylish in a flattering pixie cut. Her eyes were the color of warm topaz.

“Why’s that?” he asked, when he realized he’d been staring.

“I should pay, otherwise this might be considered a date, and we have both decided to not date again.”

He nodded. “You’re right. My mistake. Next time you buy.”

“Next two times,” she said with a smile.

A smile that made his insides stir. He lifted a finger and pointed to her hair. “You did something with your hair.”

“Just a cut.”

    “It looks nice.”

She seemed pleased that he’d noticed. “Careful with the compliments. They could be considered flirting.”

“Not flirting, just a comment.”

They each sipped their drinks.

“I had something I wanted to ask you,” he said, easing into the conversation.

“Fire away,” she said, and gestured toward him.

“I’ve been in my condo for a year now. Lee didn’t take much with her, and I sold almost everything and bought new. With no experience in this sort of thing, I walked into a store, picked out a few items that appealed to me, and left it at that. Lee was the decorator. Not me. My place is sterile, without any accessories or personality. I was hoping you would give me a few pointers.”

She looked interested.

“Naturally, I’d pay you your normal fee.”

“Don’t be silly, I’d love to help. I do this sort of thing for friends all the time. It’s what I love.”

“When would you like to take a look?” he asked, eager to spend more time with her.

“Is now convenient?”

“Now is perfect.”

They finished their drinks, and Heath led her to his condo on the top floor. He had the penthouse, and a lovely panorama of the Seattle waterfront. He didn’t know how much longer he would have that spectacular view, with office buildings and condos going up every other week, it seemed. Which made him determined to enjoy the scenic wonder of life on Puget Sound while he could.

    “Oh,” Julia whispered, as she entered his condo.

He noticed how her gaze immediately went to the view.

“It was that sight that sold me on The Heritage.”

“Little wonder. It’s breathtaking.”

“I’d been house-shopping for a while. When I first started my search, I was looking to downsize, perhaps a three-bedroom place in an upscale community. The longer I looked, the more disenchanted I became.

“Growing frustrated with me, the agent suggested condo living, something I hadn’t considered at that point. This was the first place she showed me. I’ll admit when I saw the older brick building, I wasn’t impressed. I almost discounted it without even entering. Once I did, it was such a pleasant surprise—I felt an immediate sense of welcome, of home. Then I learned that Eric, my friend’s son, lived here as well, so naturally Michael was keen to have the two of us in the same building.”

“It was the same for me,” Julia said.

“The only unit available was the penthouse, and I made an offer immediately,” he said, although he would have welcomed any of the units, had it suited his needs.