Black Rose

CHAPTER 23

"I like it," Nick said.

"You do?"

Nick and Selena stood in the empty space of a converted loft building overlooking the Potomac and Robert E. Lee's beloved Virginia.

The loft was on the top floor of an eight story brick warehouse that had been a clothing factory at the turn of the 20th century. The machines, cutting tables and bales of raw cloth were long gone. No one from that time would have imagined the change that had come to the building.

The original floors of oak had been sanded smooth, stained and finished to perfection until they glowed with warm light. A row of tall, paned windows faced out onto the river. The bricks had been exposed and finished along one wall. Light poured into the loft through skylights placed along the high ceiling. The space had been partitioned with an architect's skill into a great room, master bedroom, a large study/library and two guest rooms. There were two and a half bathrooms. There was a gas fireplace in the living area and the master bedroom. Overhead lights were recessed into the ceiling.

The walls were painted off-white. The loft was a blank canvas, ready for whatever imagination its new owners could bring to it.

"What do you think?" Nick asked. He walked over to one of the windows. His footsteps echoed in the empty space. A line of barges was passing on the river, shepherded by two large tugs.

"I like it too," Selena said.

"Then let's take it."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Then we should go see the agent."

"We need to talk about how we pay for it," Nick said.

It was a conversation Selena knew was coming.

"Nick…"

"Hear me out," he said. "I know you can pay for it. I don't want you to."

"Why not? I have more than enough, you know that. What good is money if you can't spend it on what you want?"

"There are plenty of things you can spend it on here, if that's what you want," Nick said. "But this has to be a 50/50 deal. You cover half, I cover half."

"This place is expensive."

"So? It's not like that place you're in now. We'll take out a mortgage like everybody else. That way it will be ours. I think it's important."

Stubborn, Selena thought. Why not just let me handle it? But she knew why. It would never work between them if she paid for everything.

"What about your apartment?" she asked.

"The lease runs for another year. I have a sublet clause. There's not going to be a problem finding someone to take it over."

He put his arm around her. She leaned against him and looked out over the water.

"It's a beautiful space," she said. "It will be fun to decorate it."

"Too bad there's no furniture here now."

"What do you mean?"

"I was thinking of the bedroom."

"I'm thinking about couches and rugs and you're thinking about that? The bed?"

"Who said anything about a bed? I was thinking about the Klee you gave me, the one in my bedroom. It will look great over the fireplace."

She looked at him. He was grinning.

"Liar," she said.