He went on, “I don’t want us to be partners like we were, where we do an event together and you leave me and go home at night. I want to make this your home now. I want you to wake up and go to bed here. And we can use your other house as a guesthouse or something. The same with my downtown apartment. That’s your downtown apartment now until we buy something bigger. Maybe a penthouse condo or something,” he told her. “You see all the new spots they’re building downtown?”

He continued, “It don’t matter to me. Whatever you want. You helped me to come up with all this, and I’m setting up now to do more. And I want you with me while I’m doing it so you can do your part. That’s why I’m talking so much about traveling now.” He said, “But I would never take you away from San Diego. I know how much you love it here. I love this place, too. Just look at this,” he reminded her of the view. He turned around and faced it all.

Lucina had heard enough. It was Ivan, all right. He was talking like his old, passionate self and was full of ideas. She shook her head and grinned, holding up her right hand to stop him.

“Ivan. Please. Slow down,” she told him.

Ivan didn’t know what that meant. He asked himself, Is she still fucking turning me down, with all of this? Shit, she’s a hard-ass girl!

However, Lucina did not have those intentions. At least not initially. She was already imagining what Maya would say once she invited her friend over for lunch. Maya would probably joke with her and ask for her own guest room there.

Nevertheless, it was all too sudden. There was too much to consider first. Lucina could not just move in with him on a whim like that, no matter how nice his new house appeared. They had not even been out on an official date. Ever! Ivan had far too many female admirers for her to trust him now anyway. His proposition would also put an obvious price on her head. So ultimately it was an unacceptable deal, as unacceptable as many others had been.

She told him, “Ivan, you are not the first person to offer me a big home.”

Ivan said, “I know I’m not. But I don’t care about those other guys. They’re not me. That’s why you turned them all down. And imagine how many women would love to be in your shoes. But they’re not. And they never will be,” he told her.