Dante was waiting for me when I got home. I normally liked having the company, but after being with Seth, Dante’s presence now made me feel uncomfortable and confused. He didn’t seem to notice right away, though, and instead was immediately caught up by Maddie’s condo packet.

“What’s this?” he asked, leafing through some pages.

“Maddie’s been playing real estate agent for me.”

“Wow. I didn’t think you were serious about that.”

I leaned back on the couch, weary from dancing, sex, and the emotional miasma I seemed to be swimming through lately. Bringing up Maddie didn’t make me feel so great. “I didn’t think I was either. I mentioned it offhand, and she kind of went crazy.”

“Alki Beach, huh? Some of these are pretty nice.” He held up one print-out. “Brand-new condo, still being built. You can weigh in on the colors and trim.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t have time to go shopping right now.”

“One of the power spots on your list is near Alki. You could swing by.”

I gave him a puzzled look. “Since when are you interested in me moving?”

He sat down opposite me, still looking through the listings. “Well, if you buy locally, I can rest easy that you’re sticking around. Besides, get a bigger place, and we could try some cohabitation.”

That caught me off-guard. “Oh?”

“You gave me a key. I might as well live here anyway.”

“You’re going to freeload off me for some more space, huh?” I teased.

He sighed, looking pained. “Man, you really do think the worst. I’d pay you rent.”

“With what?” I asked incredulously.

“Business has been good. I think things are on the upswing.”

“No offense, baby, but your business doesn’t seem like the type that can maintain that kind of momentum. I think this has been a fluke.” I spoke too soon and felt bad when I realized I’d hurt him. “But we can play it by ear if you want to move in. Maybe your reputation’s spreading, and business will keep booming.”

He seemed a little mollified after that, yet as I spoke the words, I found I wasn’t overly thrilled at the prospect of us living together. I still had Seth on the brain. Obsessing on him was foolish, I knew. This fling of ours could only last a few more days at most. I shouldn’t be mooning over him when I’d just be going back to Dante anyway.

Dante wanted to know how my beach investigation had gone, and I welcomed the change in subject. I gave him a brief rundown of my non-progress.

“You want me to look with you?” he asked. “I’ve finally got some time tomorrow.”