Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 52864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 264(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 264(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
Over the next several classes, I’d be covering ancient Minoa, which was really Greece, starting around 2000 BC. It was my favorite period to talk about with students, mostly because of the magnificent ruins, which still stood today in Crete. Someday, I hoped to go.
Sitting at the kitchen table, I was typing up comments on a student’s paper when the doorbell rang.
“Leo! You got that?” A moment passed, but I didn’t hear him respond. “Leo? Honey?”
The doorbell rang again.
I got up and walked down the main hall. The living room, guest room, and the study were just off there.
I passed Leo’s study, finding him snoring away on his sofa.
“Okay.” I shut the door and went to see who was out front. In this neighborhood, we had our fair share of everything—political activists, charity workers, and crazy people who wanted to talk about aliens.
I peeked through the sidelight.
On the porch was a man with thick black hair down to his chin. He was tall—maybe six two or three—with broad shoulders. His outfit—a hoodie and jeans—reminded me of one of my students, but he looked about my age, possibly in his late twenties or early thirties.
I unlocked the door and opened it. “Can I help you?”
“I’m here about the room for rent.”
That was fast. The ad request had only gone in on Friday, and I hadn’t even seen a confirmation of it posting yet.
I frowned, thinking. “I didn’t put my address in the ad.” It had the neighborhood, rent details, and my number. But no address.
“My friend works at Craigslist. I asked him to tell me the moment anything affordable came up. Rent’s expensive in this city. Early bird and all that.”
I didn’t appreciate my info being given out, but I could understand. My students were always complaining about finding affordable housing. Still, it was pretty rude to show up like this. I had work to do, and Leo was asleep. I’d have to give this guy my number and tell him to set up an appointment during the week.
I opened my mouth to speak, but something in his pale eyes tripped me. He looks so familiar. He was the same guy from the café.
“I saw you yesterday,” I said.
“Did you?”
“Yeah, I was wearing a pink scarf, getting coffee with a friend.”
He shook his head, indicating he didn’t remember me. “I was checking around the neighborhood’s bookstores and coffee shops. Sometimes people post roommate-wanted stuff.”
I didn’t want to come off too creepy, because I very much remembered him, and he didn’t seem to remember me, so I dropped it.
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” he asked.
I didn’t feel comfortable allowing a stranger inside without knowing the slightest thing about him, but then I gazed into those pale gray eyes and suddenly felt relaxed.
“I’m already here,” he added, “so you might as well let me in.”
Yes, I’d like that. “I’d be happy to show you the room.” I stepped aside. “Just through there.” I pointed to the bedroom door, instantly remembering I forgot to make the bed. I rushed in ahead of him. “Sorry. I slept in here last night.” I straightened out the down comforter.
He looked around for a second, peeked in the bathroom, and then went to the window, which faced the side yard. “How old is this home?”
“Oh, uh, that depends on which yardstick you’re using. The original house was built in the 1800s, but that was partially destroyed in a fire. The home was rebuilt in the late 1800s but was significantly remodeled after the turn of the century. We don’t know the exact dates.” The records about the house and the prior owners were scarce. I knew because I’d tried to research them. The only public records I found said the last owner had also owned a building downtown and a warehouse by the docks.
“It has character.”
“Yep.” I suddenly noticed that the guy was wearing a Rolex. He might look a little casual, but he had money. “There’s access to a laundry room and a full kitchen for you to use. The bathroom is fully functional and filled with all the charm one would expect for a house this age—rumbling pipes and squeaking sounds—and the room comes with all the construction noise you can take. Thus, the price. Though, I will mention we’ve put a pause on renovations for a few months. Thought you should know anyway. This is not the place for, say, a writer or people with ears,” I joked.
“Beautiful.” He gazed deeply into my eyes, and my heart fluttered, followed by a rolling sensation in my stomach. And not a pleasant one. It was the sort of roll you got when dropping down the steepest part of the roller coaster, when your mind said you were about to die.
I sucked in a big breath and took a step back.