Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 25896 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25896 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
“What’s wrong?”
She looked at the name of the restaurant and then at him. Maisie sighed heavily and motion for Rhys to step off the black carpeted walkway. “I have steadfast rules, but they seem to go out the window where you’re concerned.”
“Rules, huh? What are they?”
“First, I don’t sleep around, and I never hook up on the first date. Clearly, I’ve already broken that rule. Second, I don’t eat at places I can’t afford. I never want my date to think I can’t pay my own way. And a subsection of number two is—I know who you are, but I didn’t when I took the ad out or when we met the other night.”
Rhys tried to smile but he was certain he grimaced. He inhaled deeply and contemplated what to say. He wanted to date Maisie and had to figure out a way to tell her this without looking like some overeager schmuck.
“Okay, well, if it eases your mind a little, I don’t sleep around either and have only had one one-night stand. Like I said earlier, the only thing I would change about the other night is the location. I would’ve preferred for us to be in bed. Mine, or yours, either, both. As far as who I am, you do not know how refreshing the other night was. I got to be normal, and I’ve never been normal to anyone and it was such a relief. Which brings me to your second point, if you’re with me, you don’t need to worry about paying for anything. Regardless of who I am, my parents raised me to pay for my dates.”
Rhys leaned forward and kissed Maisie. He didn’t care about keeping things chaste and definitely didn’t give a shit if people saw them. “Would you like to go somewhere else?”
She looked around for a moment and then shook her head. “I’ve always wanted to eat here.”
He chuckled and kissed her again. “Come on, we have a table waiting for us with a view of the water.”
“Do you need to go home right away?” he asked as he pulled out of the parking lot. Dinner had gone very well. They feasted on filet mignon, creamed spinach, crispy brussels sprouts, and mashed potatoes. For dessert they shared crème brûlée. After dinner, Maisie declared she wasn’t ever eating again. Rhys agreed.
“No,” she told him.
“Okay, good. I want to take you to my house.” He glanced at her and waited for her reaction. Did she know where he lived? Most people did. When she told him she knew who he was, a big weight had lifted from his shoulders. While he appreciated the anonymity for the night, he felt like he’d kept a secret from her. Still, he was curious how she figured it out. Fucking Google.
When he turned onto Bellevue Avenue, she gasped. “You live in one of these houses, don’t you?”
He nodded. “It’s a family home. My parents live there as well. I have an apartment on the third floor. My cousin sometimes stays with me, but he lives in Boston. His parents used to live in the house as well, but they moved to Florida.”
“Jesus. How big is your house?”
Rhys stopped and signaled to turn down the long driveway. After the traffic passed and the gate opened, he turned. From the driveway, you couldn’t really see his home, not until the trees gave way.
“Jesus Christ,” she muttered. “Pinch me.”
Rhys laughed. “Come on.” He got out of the car and helped Maisie out. “It’s late. I’ll give you a tour tomorrow.”
“How long will that take?” she laughed.
“Well, since my parents aren’t home to pepper us with questions, only a couple of hours. They’ve done an amazing job of preserving everything, even if I don’t like the decor, except our living quarters. Those are fairly modern.” The fact that his parents were gone for the weekend worked in his favor, especially since they had taken Fenway with them. Rhys wanted to be alone with Maisie, and not have his looky-loo mom poking around the corner.
“Like with electricity?”
“Exactly.”
They entered through one of the side doors and went up the back staircase until they reached the third floor. Rhys opened the door to his apartment and Maisie gasped when she crossed the threshold.
“Holy shit!”
“Look around,” he said as he went to his sound system and found his favorite jazz album. Over the years, he had collected as many old (and remastered) vinyl albums as he could. He loved the sound of an album versus the music he played via his Bluetooth speaker. There was something special about listening to an album. Rhys took the vinyl from its protective sheet and set it down on the platter of his turntable. He moved the tone arm into place and stepped back as the smooth sounds of Miles Davis echoed throughout his living room.