Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 80612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
“Right. But you’re expecting me to change things up and force myself out of my comfort zone. I don’t see why you shouldn’t have to do the same. You’re not interested to see if you can just talk to a woman for two hours?”
I hadn’t spoken to a woman outside my immediate circle one-on-one for two hours in ten years. Unless it was business related. Hartford was the only exception.
“Come on,” she said. “It’s six hours out of your life. I’ll coach you through it.” She grinned at me like she was doing me a favor rather than the other way around.
She held out her hand. As we shook to seal the deal, a frisson of heat travelled up my arm, confirming I’d made the right decision. In three dates, Hartford was sure to have a boyfriend, and I’d be able to stop telling myself how she wasn’t my type once and for all.
Eleven
Hartford
A week after we’d made our bargain, Joshua had clearly put our kiss out of mind. I’d taken my cues from him in the days afterward, and he’d planted us firmly back in the friend zone. It was a relief. When he’d offered to accompany me to Borehamwood to view a flat for rent that I’d found online, I’d been delighted. We pulled into what looked like the forecourt of a fish and chip shop and Joshua killed the car engine and leaned forward to see where we were headed. He didn’t need to spend his weekends helping me flat hunt, but he’d offered and I’d said yes. He knew a lot more about London and property than me. Plus he had a car, which meant I didn’t have to worry about dodging the thunderstorms that had been threatening all morning.
“I don’t think we can park here.” I rifled through my bag, trying to find my phone. I was sure the outside didn’t look like this on the estate agent’s website.
“You think they were kidding when they put the big P and the white lines here?” Joshua asked.
I glanced up and sure enough, saw the parking sign. “You think parking comes with the flat?”
“I think the aroma of fish and chips comes with the flat.”
“Don’t worry.” I nodded toward the dash. “You have your halved lemon so it won’t ruin your interior.” I nodded at the lemons I’d placed on the dash of his car and opened the door. “Come and witness how the rest of the world lives, Joshua Luca. We can’t all be living in penthouses on Park Lane.” It was six weeks until I left the flat next door to Joshua’s, but I needed to kick-start my search for a new place. I had no idea how long it would take for me to find something.
“There’s a happy medium.”
“Don’t judge a book by its cover. You might love it when we get inside.”
Joshua slid his sunglasses to the top of his head and gave me a not-on-your-life glance. I wasn’t going to be deterred. The agent had said this was about a hundred square foot bigger than what I’d normally get for my budget, and it was a five-minute walk to the station. I couldn’t wait to see what was inside.
I pressed the slightly grubby buzzer and without anyone answering on the intercom, the door released. Joshua nodded for me to go in first and I stepped into the green carpeted hallway. He was right, you could definitely smell fried food in here. Hopefully it wouldn’t be quite so strong inside the flat.
“It’s on the second floor.” I started to climb the stairs.
“Two flights up and no lift?”
“Right. That’s good. It could have been four floors.”
The carpet on the stairs was worn and stained, but I was sure it was due a clean soon. A good scrub was bound to breathe some fresh life into it.
As we got to the top of the second flight of stairs, I came face to face with the agent.
“Jas?” I asked.
“Hartford,” he said. “Good to meet you. Welcome to your new home.” He stepped to the side so I could go in.
“Right,” I said, nodding at the living room that had a small kitchen space at one end with just a couple of units, a sink, a cooker, and a fridge-freezer. What else did I need in a kitchen? At the other end was space for a two-seater settee, and in the middle, a small table with two chairs would fit under the window. That was a bonus I hadn’t expected. I’d have somewhere to eat and set up my laptop.
“The fish and chip shop is immediately below us?” Joshua asked.
“No,” Jas replied. “The owner of the shop has the flat immediately below you and the shop is on the ground floor. Very convenient when you come home late from a shift at the hospital.”