Beautiful Rose (Beautiful Rose 1)

A pretty woman appeared, a smile on her face. "You must be Rose."

"Hi, it’s lovely to meet you," I said, extending my hand. Marina looked about thirty-five. She was short like Darcy, but heavy set. Her dark hair was tied up in a messy bun. She looked as though she was ready to leave for work. Her uniform I recognized as American Airlines from our last family trip to Vancouver.

"You too, Rose. Sorry, I don't have long, I'm due at work soon. I'll show you the room, and we can go from there if you think this place suits your needs." She led the way down the hall to what would become my bedroom.

The room was small, but with its own bathroom and balcony. A double bed sat across the room dressed with a comforter and way too many pillows. The built-in wardrobe had mirrored doors which made the room appear much bigger than it was. I walked over to the balcony, moving the ivory drapes across so I could access the sliding door. Opening it, I stepped out and took in the view of the park across the street. Back inside, I smiled. The carpet was thick and luxurious, and I resisted the urge to take off my shoes and run my toes over the soft shag. It was perfect.

“I really like it,” I told Marina. “If you're happy with me as a housemate, I can move in whenever.”

Her face broke into a smile. “Perfect! Darc told me you're a good girl, so I'd love for you to live here. Rent is fifteen hundred dollars a month, plus bills. Does that sound okay?” she asked.

I nodded, trying to calculate how much that would leave me with each month.

“Great! I have to run, but move in whenever you like. Darc has a spare key that you can use now. I'll be back later and we can draw up a contract with some ground rules.”

“Sounds perfect,” I smiled.

Marina grabbed her purse and raced out, leaving me and Darcy standing in the living room. Wow. I had a place. My own room that would be paid for with my own money.

The rest of the apartment was as nice as my room; tastefully furnished with modern furniture and was spotlessly clean. The living area led out to a massive balcony, giving lots of natural light to the place. The view from the living room wasn’t much; it looked directly into the neighboring complex, but so long as there weren’t any exhibitionists, I’d be fine with it.

“I'm so excited!” Darcy screamed, jumping up and down. It was hard not to be caught up in her enthusiasm. I grinned at her. “We're going to be neighbors! Hey, you wanna see my place? It's the next floor up.”

“Sure,” I said.

We took the elevator up a level. I followed Darcy down the hallway to apartment sixty-nine. I giggled, and Darcy rolled her eyes.

“Benj loves the fact that we live in number sixty-nine. I won't tell you what he made us do our first night here,” she sniggered, opening the door. I screwed up my nose.

Eww, way too much information!

She stepped aside to let me through. The layout was nearly identical to the place downstairs, only opposite. Where she had her living room to the right, ours was to the left. Their taste was much more eclectic, with mismatched furniture and huge pieces of artwork hanging on the walls. Next to the small faded blue sofa lay two giant beanbags.

“I can't get over how nice these apartments are,” I mused.

“I know. You should have seen the dump we were living in before here. Actually, Jack hooked us up. He was living here, and when this place became available, so we moved in.” My head perked up at the sound of his name. Darcy noticed and giggled. “He actually used to live in the apartment you’re in,” she added, laughing.

“Don't start,” I groaned.

I walked over to the sofa and sat down as Darcy got us a drink. Everyone seemed to have some thoughts on Jack and me and it made me feel sick because I was so attracted to him. And one minute I was positive there was something there for him too, but then he would do or say something that left me convinced otherwise. I wasn’t talking about love, because come-on, it had been two days…that would be creepy. But, from that first day at the hospital there was something there.

“I didn't say anything,” Darcy giggled, handing me a glass of lemonade.

She set a bowl of olives on the table. Olives? I looked at her, confused.

“It’s the only thing I have,” she responded defensively. She picked one up and threw it in her mouth, as if to make a point. “Yum.” I shook my head and laughed. Darcy certainly was unique.

“You didn't have to say anything. It's the way you look at me. Not just you, it's everyone,” I grumbled, getting back to Jack.

“Honey, it's not you their giggling at. It’s obvious the guy is hot for you, and when you’ve known him as long as we have, you know how rare that is.” She smiled at me sympathetically. “Jack is the king of masking his feelings.” I rolled my eyes. Great. That made me feel so much better.

“I asked him out for Tacos.” Darcy’s eyes widened, her mouth falling open.

Yep. That’s just about how I felt too. I had no idea what came over me. Tacos, of all things? And who asks their new boss out, only hours after getting the job? And for Tacos of all things? The biggest shock was when he said yes.

“Why Tacos?” Darcy asked, confused.

“Because I like them,” I replied defensively. “I can’t believe he actually agreed though.”