The Apartment Read Free Page A

that she was unquestionably right.
    â€œPossession isn’t the only means to judge who’s entitled to the apartment. Get your lease and check the date of your receipt. It makes sense that whoever paid the deposit first should have it. The other will have to move. Agreed?”
    â€œAll right,” she said hesitantly. She brushed the long strands of dark hair from her face, a nervous trait that angered her. Sean would look upon it as a display of weakness, and she refused to give him a single foothold.
    It only took her a moment to find the signed lease. When she returned, Sean was standing next to the stove. A pan of water was boiling away. He added coffee grounds to the water and then strained it into a cup. Hilary had never seen anyone brew coffee using such primitive methods, but she was forced to admit he was resourceful. She only hoped he’d be equally so when it came to his locating other accommodations.
    â€œMy agreement was signed the tenth of the month,” she said, handing him the proof.
    Sean took the paper from her hand and carefully read it over while she reached for his lease. A deep sigh of gratitude went through her as she realized she had signed the agreement a day before Sean had.
    â€œI’m sorry, I really am,” she said, having a difficult time disguising her relief. “But I have to tell you the apartment is perfect for me. My job’s less than a mile away.” He glared at her, suggesting the apartment was equally convenient for him. “I’ll be happy to do what I can to help you find someplace else,” Hilary offered weakly.
    His frown darkened and deepened.
    â€œIs there someplace else you can live?” Hilary asked, feeling mildly contrite. She wanted to be gracious about the whole thing, since it was clear neither of them was at fault. She was just grateful that she wasn’t the one who had to move.
    â€œNo,” he said thoughtfully after a moment. “I flew out from Fort Devens yesterday. My friend Dave met me at the airport.”
    â€œWhat about this Dave? Surely you could move in with him on a temporary basis?”
    â€œThat’s not likely. He’s living with his in-laws as it is. If you’ll just write me out a check for the deposit and the first month’s rent, I’ll be out of your hair as soon as I can.”
    â€œYour deposit?” Hilary repeated. “First month’s rent… I don’t have extra money like that just lying around.” Hilary’s heart sank all the way to her ankles. She couldn’t get into her trust fund and she absolutely refused to ask her mother for the money.
    â€œI’d say we have a problem, then, don’t you?” Sean growled. “Because I’m not budging until I get my money back.”
    â€œYou’re being unreasonable,” Hilary said, swallowing down a sense of dread. “The Greers have your money, not me.”
    â€œHow do you expect me to rent someplace else without the cash to do it?” he barked impatiently.
    Hilary blinked at the abruptness of his tone, then stiffened with righteous indignation. “I don’t know…and I don’t have the time to argue with you now. I’ve got to be at the music store in less than an hour. I’ll try to think of something while I’m there.”
    â€œI suggest you do that.”
    â€œAnd I suggest you do some thinking, too.”
    * * *
    This was one hell of a mess, Sean mused as he stood beneath the pelting shower. For weeks he’d been looking forward to the time he could be on his own again. He knew his family was disappointed that he’d opted to head west instead of returning to the Chicago area. His younger half brother had offered him a job, but Sean didn’t think there was much call for a helicopter pilot in the furnace business.
    For the first time, he wondered if he’d made the right decision. His mother had died long before he could remember her