“That’s not an option.”
I smiled and finished getting dressed in a hurry. “I’ll text you when I know my plans. You should take the elevator down first since you have a call.”
“They won’t start without me. You go. I need a minute after what just went down here.”
I kissed his cheek. “Hope the rest of your afternoon is as pleasant as this has been.”
? ? ?
“Do you have anything available on an upper floor?” Merrick asked Nick, the real estate agent he’d introduced me to.
“Not in this neighborhood.”
We’d just looked at our third apartment. This one was a brownstone that wasn’t too far from my sister. It was already empty and ready to move in, and had so much sunlight. I loved it. “I love that it’s on the ground floor, especially since it’s a walk-up.”
Merrick frowned and pointed to the big windows. “You can see right in from the street. Not to mention, it’s easy to break right in, too.”
I shrugged. “I can get blinds, and I want to get a dog anyway.” I turned to the real estate agent. “They allow pets, right?”
He nodded. “Under thirty pounds with an extra security deposit for damages.”
I smiled at Merrick. “Problem solved.”
“How does that solve your problem? What’s a dog under thirty pounds going to do if someone tries to break in?”
I put my hands on my hips. “Are you insinuating size makes a difference in toughness?”
“No, but it makes a difference in the sound of a bark. And a tiny dog yapping isn’t going to scare off an intruder. Plus, how are you going to have a dog when you work all day?”
My face scrunched up. “What’s that got to do with anything?”
“What’s it going to do, sit around all day?”
“What do your fish do all day?”
“The same thing they do when I’m there, swim. Because that’s all fish can do. Dogs are a lot of work.”
“So are relationships…”
Nick watched our bickering like a tennis match. When my last comment stumped Merrick, he looked at me. “So…you’re taking it? This place has my vote. I love it, too.”
“Thanks for being on my side, buddy,” Merrick grumbled.
I bit my bottom lip. “How soon can I move in?”
After I signed all the paperwork, we stood outside. Merrick looked up at the window, shaking his head again. “How about an alarm?”
“I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“It’ll make me feel better.”
I bumped my shoulder to his. “I thought I’d already made you feel better today. Greedy boy.”
He smiled. “I’ll take being greedy if it makes you safe at night.”
“Alright. I’ll think about an alarm.”
“Good. I’ll have my security company come over once you get the keys.”
I shook my head. “You’re bossy.”
“I’ll tell you what, you can pick where we eat to show you how amicable I can be.”
I raised a brow. “Anywhere I want to eat?”
He shrugged. “Sure.”
Twenty minutes later, we were sitting in Gray’s Papaya. Merrick had let me order for him, so we both had hot dogs with the works.