Chapter 7

      Renee had decided to start house-hunting. I think it was partially because she couldn’t stand living in a cramped condo filled with boxes, and partially because she needed a new project to work on. Renee couldn’t sit still. She loved writing, and when she wasn’t working on a freelance assignment, she was managing Dylan’s band. And when she wasn’t managing Dylan’s band, she was searching for somewhere else to direct her energy.

      Today, she’d decided to focus her energy on houses. Dylan was at rehearsal and wasn’t sure if he’d be able to make it in time, so she’d elected me to be her co-conspirator for the afternoon.

      I agreed to meet her at a new real-estate company in the city. Apparently they were headquartered in New York but had recently opened a Boston location. A friend of Renee’s had referred them, so she’d made an appointment to go in and meet with one of the agents. I couldn’t think of a less fun way to spend the afternoon, but Dylan had promised to meet us after his rehearsal, so I hoped I’d be off the hook soon enough.

      The Keller office was bright and beautiful. Everything seemed to be made of glass or granite: a vibrant, open space. The receptionist looked up from her computer as I walked in.

      “Welcome to Keller Realty,” she greeted. “Do you have an appointment with us today?”

      I pointed to Renee, who was already seated in the lobby, filling out paperwork. “I’m with her,” I said. Renee smiled and waved me over.

      I strolled across the office and sat down next to Renee, still admiring the surroundings.

      “Nice office, huh?” Renee asked, following my gaze.

      I nodded. “Have you been here long?”

      “No. I’m just filling out some papers.” She looked down guiltily and picked up another clipboard from the table next to her. “But there’s another reason I picked this place.”

      I eyed her suspiciously. “Why do I feel like this has to do with me?”

      She bit her lip. “Well, they also specialize in rentals. So I thought maybe… you could look at apartments, too. Wouldn’t it be fun if we both looked at places together?”

      I sighed. Ever since I’d started dishing the David details, Renee seemed gung-ho on helping me move my life forward. Which was sweet. I just didn’t know if I was ready for it yet.

      “Renee, they’re not going to rent to someone who’s unemployed.”

      “I know. But maybe if you see a place you really like, it’ll motivate you to start looking.” She pouted. “Besides, I hate that you live so far away.”

      “It’s only an hour…”

      “Well it’ll be longer in a few months with summer Cape traffic.” She pushed the clipboard closer to me. “Please?”

      I rolled my eyes and reluctantly took the clipboard from her. “Fine, I’ll fill it out. But I don’t know if I want to live in the city. Too much traffic.”

      “They have places all over the south shore.”

      Of course they did. I appreciated her efforts to cheer me up, but I highly doubted that looking at apartments out of my price range was going to heal my broken heart.

      “It’ll be fun,” she insisted, sensing my hesitation. “You can just look at some different places and neighborhoods. Get a feel for what you like.”

      “Okay, okay,” I said, accepting defeat. “I’ll do it.”

      “Ms. Evans?” The receptionist walked over to us. “Have you finished?”

      Renee nodded and handed her the clipboard of papers. The receptionist looked down at Renee’s protruding stomach, beaming.

      “So, how far along are you?” she asked, clasping her hands together.

      “Six months,” Renee answered.

      “Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?”

      Renee shook her head. “It’s going to be a surprise. My fiancé doesn’t want to know.”

      “Oh, that’s great. Congratulations.” She returned to her desk, then glanced over her shoulder in our direction. “Mr. Keller should be with you in a few minutes.”

      “Mr. Keller, huh?” I turned to face Renee. “Is the President himself giving you a housing tour?”

      “His son,” the receptionist corrected. “He’s in from New York to help set up the new office. But trust me, you’re in good hands.” She winked at Renee.

      Renee leaned closer to me. “Do you think it’s weird that Dylan wants the baby’s sex to be a surprise?”

      I shrugged. “Some people like surprises. Why?”

      “Because it’s killing me,” she whispered. “I’ve thought about finding out and just not telling him.”

      “Don’t,” I warned. Renee couldn’t keep anything to herself.

      “I know. I won’t. I just really want to.”

      “What do you think it is?”

      She placed her right hand on her stomach and looked down. “I think it’s a boy. I’ve read that boys carry low.”

      It was still so strange to me, seeing my best friend as a mother, hearing her use big-girl words like “fiancé.” It was like we had grown up overnight. I still pictured us as the girls who skipped class to smoke pot in the woods.

      “Renee Evans?”

      Oh, my. Well hello Mr. Keller. I had to assume it was Mr. Keller by the way he carried himself. He walked like he owned the place. And he looked like… wow. His face was perfectly chiseled, his body rock hard, his skin tanned and smooth, his eyes a nearly impossible shade of brown. I had never seen eyes like his. They were so light they were almost gold.

      “Oh my God!” Renee’s scream rung through the entire office. By the time I looked over at her, she was already out of her seat, barreling towards him.

      “I can’t believe it!” Renee threw her arms around him in a tight hug, then took a step back, studying him. “Walter, what are you doing here?”

      Walter? How did I know that name? It sounded oddly familiar…

      “Oh, fuck no!” I heard a loud yell from behind me, and turned around to find Dylan storming through the office, decked out in an all-leather ensemble. “No way! Absolutely not!”

      Renee turned around and grabbed