Charleston: Perfect! Meet us at the Austin Comedy Club at 8 tonight. See you then!
I changed Charlie’s name in my phone and headed over to the closet to change. The Realtor would be here any minute. I paused and looked back down at my phone. I wonder if they had invited Morgan? Why had Morgan not been a part of their group? I couldn’t help but wonder. I made a mental note to ask her about it.
Three hours later I stood in the lobby of the Austonian. My Realtor wore a huge smile.
“So? What did you think, Ms. Whitaker?”
I sighed. “Well, the ones we saw were all beautiful; pricey, though.”
“You’re not going to get a better view anywhere in the city.”
“Is there something else that isn’t so . . . showy?”
“Kaelynn?”
My body froze and I spun around to see Nash standing there.
“Nash?”
He smiled and my stomach dropped to the floor, at least, it felt like it had.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I’m here to meet a client. What are you doing here?” His gaze moved from me to the Realtor.
“Looking at places, but I was just telling my agent here this was a bit . . . much.”
I wasn’t lying. I had told her that. To her credit, the Realtor nodded along with me.
Nash’s smile turned into a full-blown grin. “Yeah, you won’t find a bargain deal here, that’s for sure.”
“Nash, thanks so much for meeting me here.”
Glancing over his shoulder, Nash turned and reached his hand out for the older gentleman’s hand. “My pleasure. I’m excited to see the project.”
“You’re doing something here? In this building?” I asked.
With a smile still present on his face, Nash nodded. “Yes, Mr. Dillion was recently at Charlie and Tucker’s home for a party and liked my work. Asked me to give him a bid on a buildout for his penthouse. Mr. Dillion, this is Kaelynn Dotson. Kaelynn, John Dillion.”
The Realtor snapped her head to stare at me with a confused expression. I knew it was because Nash had used Dotson as my last name.
When I looked at Mr. Dillion, I gave him a polite smile. “It’s a pleasure meeting you.”
“You as well.”
I let out an awkward laugh. This is where my small white lie was going to start blowing up in my face. I could tell myself I wasn’t lying to anyone all I wanted, but it wasn’t true. I was living a lie. The thought made me feel sick to my stomach.
The need to get out of there became overwhelming. “Well, I won’t keep you from work. Great seeing you, Nash.”
He nodded, then lifted his hand in an awkward wave. “Was great seeing you, Kaelynn.”
Watching him walk away, I let out the breath I was holding in. My agent walked up next to me and softly said, “Ms. Dotson?”
“My mother’s maiden name,” I replied, pulling my gaze off the elevator and focusing back on her. “Okay, truth is, I need something that doesn’t say I can afford a two-and-a-half-million-dollar condo in downtown Austin. I don’t want to be the friend who has all the money. I want to blend in.”
“No judgment from me. I think I have the perfect place for you. Let’s go.”
Fifteen minutes later, I was standing in a two-bedroom condo that overlooked Zilker Park. It still had a price tag, but it was far less than all the other condos we had looked at today. I stepped out onto the patio and grinned like a fool. The green park below led out to the Barton Springs Creek. It was a beautiful sight. I could see all the way over to the park itself. It was the top-floor penthouse condo, but it was a far cry from the penthouse I had looked at earlier at the Austonian. That was something my folks would like. I had a private little area up on the roof that would be perfect for snuggling up and reading a good book or maybe writing some. It wasn’t over the top, even though they considered it the penthouse.