Page 14 of Player For Hire
“Your aunt?”
I nodded. “Only way a bum like me could get into this place. She pulled some strings, and I think she likes to keep tabs on me.”
“Who said you’re a bum? I don’t see that.”
I tapped the down button on the elevator. “The Heights is the jewel of this end of Kensington Boulevard. The guy who renovated it lives here too, not that we see much of him. He also owns a crapton of the buildings between Hyde and Royal.”
Her big eyes went even wider as she stepped into the elevator. “Really?”
“Yeah. Royce Warner of Warner Investments. Kensington Square was always a nice area, but just like everything, it needed updating. This building in particular. My aunt worked here when it was under the old management. She was pretty much the only one he kept on.”
She leaned on the railing in the elevator and lowered her voice to a whisper. “He’s not like an evil overlord, is he?”
I laughed. “Definitely not. You’ve got quite the imagination.”
She blushed and looked down at the floor. “Not really.”
“Not many people use evil overload in a sentence.” I tapped the button for the lobby. “But that means you’re really going to like the place I’m taking you to.”
“What is it?”
“You’ll see.”
She sighed. “Another secret?”
“Nah, just one of those things you need to see.” One of my favorite places for a rainy day, and a helluva lot more exciting than the gym.
I definitely didn’t mind the company. Or the fresh raspberry scent of her in the elevator.
“Whatcha got in that huge bag?”
“Oh, my laptop. I’m job hunting, so I figured I’d work on my resume while I was out. Surely there has to be a Starbucks or something around here.”
“Not on this block—Warner took care of that coming in. Wanted to keep the local shops in business.”
“Oh. I guess I didn’t notice that. I haven’t walked around our area much yet. I actually ended up over in Crescent Cove yesterday.”
“Oh, baby town.”
“Baby town?” Her eyebrows shot up.
“Yeah, just a joke around here. The baby boom has really…boomed over there.” I laughed. “One of my buddies lives in the apartments near the gazebo and is always telling me stories.”
“Oh, right. I walked around right by there. It’s really pretty. Different vibe from Kensington Square.”
“Exactly. Nice to visit Crescent Lake during the summer. They rent out Sea-Doos and boats if you like that kind of thing. The Mason Jar even has a party boat.”
“You sure know a lot about this area.”
I shrugged. “I hear a lot from working at Lonegan’s. People like to talk, and I don’t mind listening.”
“I can’t imagine keeping all the drinks straight, not to mention people and their stories.”
“I don’t know. I’ve always been good at it. Probably the same way you’re good at your job.”
“Ahh, but I have research and notes and annotations for mine.”
“Are you a professor?” And there went a new rabbit hole for me to lose sleep to. I’d never had a teacher kink, but it could happen with her.