“We would have been fine.” I could have us try it sometime just to prove my point, but containing sex with Noemi in that small of a space would frustrate me. I didn’t want any restrictions. “My brother had sex in the backseat of a Mini-Cooper once, or so he said, so it’s possible.”
“Your brother,” she asked. “What’s he like?”
“A normal big brother. A pain in the ass when he wants to be, but he’s mostly grown out of it. He actually called me the other day and invited me out to visit.” I took my napkin out of my lap and set it on the table. “He’s receiving an award from the Navy. His squadron had twelve hundred hours of flight time without incident.”
“Are you going to go?”
I ran a hand over my jaw. I hadn’t seen Conner in a while. “It’s a long flight to Hawaii.”
“I’m sure he knows that. If he invited you, it’d probably mean a lot to him if you went. I was raised to believe family is important. You make time for them.”
Once again, she had
a point. “My schedule’s a bitch to work around.”
Her expression shifted to amusement. “You have time for me.”
Before something cheesy came out of my mouth, my phone rang, a number I didn’t recognize. It was the property manager of a building I was interested in by the lake. The owner had been giving me the runaround about scheduling a showing, and the manager said he could fit me in, but only if it was right now.
Noemi mentioned she didn’t have any more classes for the day.
“Fine,” I told the manager. “I can be there in twenty minutes.”
She watched as I pocketed the phone, an expectant look on her face. “I guess you’ll save my punishment for another time?”
I scribbled my signature on the bill and rose to my feet. “Delayed. We have to make a stop first.”
On the car ride over, Noemi pulled her blonde hair back into a ponytail.
“Now instead of looking twelve, I look fourteen,” she muttered.
I chuckled. “Come on, you at least look legal.”
“Great, thanks. Maybe don’t call me little girl while we’re in there.” She closed the visor and turned to me. “Want to tell me about the property?”
I explained how the space was set up. A large parcel on the main floor for leasing as retail space, and currently offices above.
“The plan is to renovate the office space into luxury apartments.”
“Condos?” Her voice had a hint of disdain.
“It’s a great location.”
“There’s no money in property management.”
I glanced at her, surprised. “That’s a blanket statement.” And unreasonable coming from her. “What about what your father is doing? I heard he bought a place in the loop. Don’t tell me he’s moving closer to the city.”
“He’s not.” Her voice was flat. “That’s for Grace and Becca.”
Shit, of course. Her stepmother and half-sister. “Your sister went with her?”
“Yeah.” Noemi’s voice was soft and sad. “My dad’s on his own now. It’s hard.”
I didn’t want to think about Mr. Red as a heartbroken husband. I tried to pretend there wasn’t a connection between him and Noemi, but this was her father. He played such a major role in her life; it seemed shitty not to make an effort. “Can I ask what happened?”
“I’m not sure. Grace’s always been a puzzle. I don’t know what he sees in her, or what he saw in my mother. Grace hasn’t cared about him for years, but once my dad falls in love, he can’t see anything.” She played with the clasp on her purse, mindless. Always fidgeting. “He’s totally oblivious to her faults.”
Noemi would never know just how right she was. It didn’t matter how many times Payton had told Mr. Red she didn’t do love, he’d fallen for her anyway.