Love Never Dies (2 page)

“Um, is this the Morris residence?” he asked hesitantly in rich tones.

“Yes it is,” answered Julia, noting the serious glint to his eyes and striking features of his face. Lean and broad-shouldered, he carried himself well, though his face was a bit too somber and reserved for complete attractiveness. That incredible reserve suggested a man most would find frustratingly difficult to know, and Julia decided then and there she wished to become better acquainted.

“I’m here to answer the ad about the condominium...” he questioned tentativel
y, and suddenly Julia realized he was one of her twin’s prospective roommates.

“Oh, please come in.
You’re looking to rent one of the rooms. I’ll get Paul.” She rushed away, suddenly conscious of her worn sweatpants and oversized t-shirt, never realizing his lips twitched appreciatively at the sight of her bare, hurrying feet. Her brother squatted upon the plush carpet as he bent over his uncooperative computer mumbling incoherently to no one in particular.

“There’s a man here about the room and I let him in.
I don’t know what his name is, but he looks really interested.” And
interesting
Julia added silently to herself.

Paul jerked up so rapidly that he hit his head on the desk and rubbed it absently.
“So someone finally came. If he asks, tell him there’s furniture coming,” he muttered conspiratorially to his sister as he preceded her out the doorway to survey the tall serious man standing in the foyer.

“Hi,” said Paul
, wiping his hand on his blue jeans before extending it to the stranger. “My name’s Paul Morris and I take it you’re here about the ad?”

“Yes I
am,” returned the businessman. “I’m seeking a place that is quiet and removed from the city center and your ad suggested this place has lots of great amenities.”

“This place is peaceful
all right, mostly because the condominium next to us isn’t even occupied yet and the zoological gardens border our grounds. If it’s quiet you want you’ve come to the right place. You are?” her brother asked politely.

“I’m sorry,” said the other man contritely, “my n
ame is Seth Hayes. I’m a junior architect with the firm Bastam, Hughes, and Glickstern. I’m new in town and desperately need a place to live. I’ve been camping out in a hotel and was hoping to find a place right away.”

“You could have immediate occupancy here, though as you recall from the ad, you’ll have to supply your own bedroom furniture.”

“I can do that,” said the man mildly, and flicked his eyes over Julia who smoothed the front of her droopy sweats and wished the floor would swallow her up. Never before had she met a man so attractive or with such a beautiful a voice and of course she looked positively despicable herself. However, he seemed to take no notice of her appearance in the least and returned his silver gaze to her brother.

“So you still have a room available?”

“Two as a matter-of-fact. You can have your pick. Would you care to see them?”

Seth nodded and followed Paul down the wide hall.
Paul opened the first door on his right, which revealed a spacious bedroom with immaculate en-suite bathroom facilities. While it didn’t have a view of the Zoological gardens, the large balcony overlooked the complex’s huge oval pool, tastefully manicured gardens, and an unusual waterfall feature connected to a Koi pond. Seth surveyed the large room with its built in bookcases and wide window seat before opening the mirrored doors of the huge walk-in closet lined with cedar.

“It’s truly an exceptional
room,” he commented. “I believe this would do nicely.”

“I think before you make a decision you should check out the other room,” said Paul. “It’s located at the end of the hall and just down from my office.
My room is the last one on the left and there’s a guest washroom just there. One of the reasons I bought this place is that three of its rooms have a view of the zoological gardens; the master bedroom, the office next door, and this bedroom on the right.”

The next ch
amber, though slightly smaller than the beautiful suite already shown to Seth, had a similarly wide balcony with a lovely view of the vast gardens and its towering trees, brick walkways, and occasional peacock. Sunlight poured into the large room and an open doorway revealed a modern, spacious bathroom with a skylight and sparkling chrome fixtures.

“Very tasteful
,” said Seth, after emerging from the tiled bathroom complete with clean gray tiles, huge built-in Jacuzzi tub, and double spray shower.

A medium-
sized brick fireplace faced the room, which also contained a nice-sized nook leading onto a huge balcony whose wide expanse could easily house a table and four chairs and whose view could not be faulted. Seth stood quietly and observed a stately peacock strut under a gum tree for a moment while a trio of mallard ducks quacked in the distance.

“You’re asking
two hundred and twenty-five dollars a week, and half the utilities?”

“Yes.
The only drawback is the place is pretty much unfurnished.”

Seth set
down his briefcase and analyzed the room once again, his silver eyes appreciating the vaulted ceiling, numerous plant nooks, and subtle mushroom-colored walls.

“I suspect you use the office yourself.
Would there be any way I could get a telephone line in here?”

“It’s not a problem. I was planning to get a DSL line anyway, though it might be a couple of weeks before it’s functional.
You know how the phone company is.”

“Yes,” said Seth quietly to himself.
“This will do quite nicely. You indicated I could move in right away?”

Paul’s green eyes lit up delightedly, “You can move in today if you want, but unfortunately there’s no furniture.”

“And when will your furniture be arriving?”

Julia crossed her arms and glanced down at the floor, but not before Seth caught
her muffled grin.

“Well,” stumbled Paul, “the furniture is coming in stages.”

“I see,” said Seth, and Julia was certain he did.

“Let me show you the rest of the place,” said Paul eagerly, afraid his prospective roommate might vanish because of the so obvious lack of furniture.
Seth followed him into the beautifully modern kitchen with its double oven, center island, and walk-in pantry; the lovely empty dining room; and finally, the echoing living area with its massive fireplace and lovely timbered ceiling. Paul even showed him the hall closet and guest bathroom.

“So the furniture is coming in stages,” observed Seth.
“You know, I have a few additional pieces just sitting in storage. Would you mind if I brought a dining room table, a few chairs, and some miscellaneous pieces until your other furniture arrives?” His handsome face remained serious, never once reflecting the humor of the moment.

Paul cleared his throat, his cheeks slightly pink.
“Furniture would be appreciated.”

“Then I’ll move in this weekend.”
The two men shook on it and as Seth retrieved his checkbook from his briefcase to write Paul a deposit, Julia decided it was high time to leave.

“I’ve got to go,” said Julia suddenly. “I’ll see you tomorrow Paul
.” She placed an arm around her brother and kissed him soundly on the cheek.

“Give me a call later,” said Paul
, so obviously relieved by his incredible luck that Julia found it hard not to laugh.

“Of course.”
Julia nodded a head to the professionally dressed Seth, once again acutely aware of her sloppy but comfortable attire. “It was very nice meeting you Mr. Hayes. I hope you enjoy living here with Paul.” Her brother walked her to the door and she whispered under her breath for only him to hear. “You lucked out you this time Pauli! See if you can get him to sign a year lease.”

With that she departed as quickly as decently possible.
As she hurried out to her aging Taurus she determined that she’d have to visit her brother again very soon with some sort of housewarming gift. Next time, his new roommate Seth Hayes, would catch her in something much more stylish than discarded gym wear and bare feet.



Seth Hayes
remained true to his word and moved in within forty-eight hours, bringing with him a lovely dining room table and six chairs in beautiful mahogany with a matching sideboard, as well as a large and ornate mirror, which he and Paul hung in the living room. He also supplied two dark brown recliners, an overstuffed rust-colored leather sofa, and an incredible ornately carved grandfather clock. His generosity also included a unique Indonesian end table, a glass and oak coffee table, a full set of copper cookware, a coat rack, and Paul’s favorite items; two large beautiful and worn Persian rugs, one which he spread under the dining room table and the other before the comfortable leather sofa. Its muted red designs complimented the couch and the room, and suddenly the condo had gone from bare and echoing to warm and homey.

Seth furnished his own bedroom with a beautiful mahogany bedroom set whose high four-poster king-sized bed dominated the lovely room. A matching dresser and chest of drawers hugged the left
-hand side wall and a huge entertainment center, upon which rested a gigantic TV, DVD player, and stereo system, set near the alcove by the window. Seth used the comfortably sized nook as an office and placed a large ebony desk near the French doors. He set up his own computer and promised to wait patiently for the new telephone line. Best yet, his check for the first and last months rent, as well as a hefty deposit, had already cleared the bank. Paul could now afford to pay the mortgage and eat!

On Monday night Angie and Julia put in an appearance.
The dark-haired Angie strolled around the condo in justified amazement at its incredible transformation.

“This place is absolutely stunning,” she said after kissing her lover and admiring the Indonesian table with its delicately curved legs and intricate carvings of exotic birds.

“It is indeed,” said Julia, gazing first at the beautiful mirror and secondly at the healthy philodendron resting on the end table near the tall coat rack.

“So where’
s your new roommate?” she asked her brother, who sniffed the air appreciatively before answering. His sister smelled very nice indeed.

“Not home from work yet.”

“So what’s he like?” asked Julia, as nonchalantly as possible.

“Ah ha, so you
are
interested!”

“I never said I was interested; I just wondered if he’s working out that’s all.”

“Oh, he is,” said Paul grinning. It wasn’t often he’d seen his sister so dolled up or so inquisitive about a member of the opposite sex. “He seems to be the quiet sort. I don’t hear much from him because he rises early each morning. Seth takes an early morning jog, eats yogurt and fruit for breakfast, dresses to the nines for work, and takes his very expensive briefcase along with him with little or no fuss. He’s not very chatty, but when he asks a question, I get the feeling he actually
listens
to the answer. He’s not a very smiley man if I do say so myself, but his money’s good and the place looks great. Best yet, do you know what he can do?”

“What?” asked Angie, placing an arm around Paul’s slim waist, delighted
her boyfriend appeared so thrilled.

“He can co
ok! He asked me yesterday morning if I’d like him to whip something up for dinner, and lo and behold when I came back, he’d made this incredible lasagna with a tossed green salad and garlic bread. I didn’t even know he’d gone to the market. I had leftovers today at work and it was absolutely wonderful. There’s still some in the refrigerator; would you like to stay for dinner?”

“Maybe his culinary skills will rub off on you,” said Julia
, always amused by her brother’s hopeless attempts at cooking, as she helped her brother and Angie set the table for dinner. Within minutes Seth arrived, appearing slightly put off at the slight of the two girls. Angie ogled the tall man dressed impeccably in a slim black suit with wide lapels.

Paul growled irritably.
“This is my girlfriend Angie Carter and my sister’s roommate. You, of course, met Julia the other day. I hope you don’t mind, but I’m serving up the rest of the lasagna you baked last night.”

Seth, strangely dis
concerted, glanced from one young woman to the other. Angie gave him a big smile, the pretty dimple in the middle of her chin reflecting her sunny disposition and open nature. Dark-haired and more endowed than Julia, she possessed an attractive smattering of freckles across her nose. Angie had been Paul’s girlfriend for over two years and an acquaintance of Julia for nearly five. A devout Catholic, she had adamantly refused to move in with Paul, much to both sets of parents’ relief. Seth’s steel gray eyes studied Julia’s.

“I didn’t realize you were Paul’s sister,” he stated quietly.
“I thought you were his girlfriend.”

“Nah,” said Paul
, sidling up to his sister and giving her an affectionate punch on the arm, “she’s my little sister.”

“Oh give it a break Paul,” scolded Angie.
“She’s only four minutes younger than you.”