Leah shows Genevieve into a room on the second floor of her condo in Midtown. The room is empty except for stacks of boxes and some miscellaneous furniture.
“So? What do you think?” she says.
“Can I decorate any way I want?”
“You certainly can, within reason. Don’t knock out any walls.”
“Not a problem.”
“Feel free to commandeer anything around the house that suits you. Otherwise, we can look at furniture this afternoon and you can sack out in the guest room in the meantime.”
“Sounds like a plan. You weren’t kidding about being close to Tech. I can walk to class.”
“When are you taking care of your license?”
“Next week. Can I take the Porsche for a spin?”
“We’ll see. I’ll have to look into getting you something smaller.”
“Ooo, I want an electric.”
“That’s doable. If you’re up for it later, we can go clothes shopping, too. Get you all set up as a contemporary college student in a major Southern metropolis.”
“Wow. So many changes. Papa would be cautioning me not to spend so much.”
“Jean-Claude was not hurting for money, if I recall.”
“No. But he never liked to spend money needlessly. He believed that just because we had it, didn’t mean we had to live extravagantly.”
“I can see that. Look you take the lead. If it seems like I’m getting too involved, tell me to back off.”
“Count on it. I get this sense we’re closer in our preferences anyway.”
“It’s going to be an interesting experiment, to be sure.”
“Exactly how I describe it.”
“Bottom line, this will be your home. Feel free to come and go as you please. If you’re planning on having friends in, just drop me a text, so I’ll know not to prance around naked.”
“You do that?”
“No. Never. Well, there were a few times in college with Dottie.”
“I’m looking forward to getting to know her. Anyone else I should be aware of?”
“There’s Kristian Makepeace, but she doesn’t have a key.”
“Makepeace? Doesn’t Steven work for a law firm with that name?”
“Yes. Kristian is his boss.”
“Will there be any guys running around?”
“Guys do not get easy access to this dwelling. That’s one thing we’ll need to discuss. Downstairs is fine, but up here, not so much.”
“Got it. What do you have to eat?”
“Good idea. Follow me.”
As they go downstairs, Genevieve says, “You know Rachel Lawson, right?”
“I do. How do you know her?”
“She took care of Mom during her last few weeks. I was hoping I could hook up with her here.”
“She’s out of town right now. But I can arrange a get together when she gets back.”
“Great.”
“What’s your attitude on martial arts?”
“I’ve always wanted to learn.”
“Perfect. There’s space in the class I instruct.”
“Is there anything you do that’s not bad-ass?”
“Wait until you see me with Dottie.”
