“Maybe.” He hated to let the place go. He’d met his future wife and her son in that building. He’d overcome his shyness and reached out to his neighbors there. Hell, he’d even given up his hoodies because of everything that had happened in the past few months. Like Dennis said, they were turning into a commune. “I know you’re right, but I’m not happy about losing what we have there. Dennis is going to flip out over this.”
“I couldn’t help but notice the granite plaque next to the front door with 1911 and the name of the building carved into it. I’m assuming that’s the year the River Park Apartments was built. Might the building qualify as a historic site?” Tom asked. “If so, you could try to get it registered with the historical society. At least then the new owners won’t be able to change it too drastically, or tear it down.”
A spark of interest flared to life. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Good idea, Dad.” Kayla reached for Wyatt’s hand. “We’ll look into it. In the meantime, we should get going. Brady is asleep sitting up.”
“True.” Wyatt glanced at Superkid slumped against his grandfather’s side, his eyes closed. “He’s had quite the adventure the past few days, what with spitting llamas, potbellied pigs and ponies to play with. Let’s go. Thanks again for dinner.” He rose from his place and offered Kayla a hand up.
Kayla’s dad carried Brady out of the restaurant to his truck, and the five of them piled in. Tom pulled out of the lot and drove the short distance to the bridge spanning the Mississippi River. Sighing, Wyatt held a groggy Brady on his lap and stared out the window at the river. Forested steep hills and bluffs rose on either side, and a sandy beach stretched along the west side.
“The trees are already starting to change. In a couple of weeks, the view from this bridge will turn into an amazing blaze of color.” A view he’d miss. What if he had to move farther away from his grandparents? Speaking of them, who knew how long they’d stay in their house? He could see how it might be too much for the two of them to handle. On the other hand, he couldn’t see them leaving it either. If they needed help, Wyatt would organize all the grandkids to pitch in.
Kayla’s dad found a parking spot half a block down from the front of their building. Brady had fallen asleep again, and Wyatt held him while Kayla opened the front door. He climbed the stairs to the first-floor landing, and a white envelope taped on his door caught his attention. Erik’s door had one too. “Kayla, would you grab that?” He nodded toward the envelope. “I’ll take Brady upstairs.”
“Sure.”
Once he got to Kayla’s floor, he found yet another envelope taped to her door. The other three apartments were envelope-free. Curious, he took hers down and studied the handwriting.
Kayla joined him, and he held hers out to her. “You got one too.”
“Hmm.” She unlocked her door and opened it for everyone.
“Let me take Brady.” Sharon took the sleeping boy from Wyatt’s arms. “We’ll put him to bed, and you two can see what those are all about.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Kayla ripped her envelope open and pulled out the card. “It’s an invitation.”
Wyatt had his out too. He turned it over to read the back. “A party.” Dennis had invited them to his place for a gathering to be held on Sunday evening at six. Food and beverages would be provided, and children were welcome.
“I am not looking forward to breaking the bad news, but since everyone will probably be there, I might as well make the announcement then.”
“I wonder if it would be better to e-mail everyone first, or would that ruin the party?”
“I don’t know.” Dennis had included a note at the bottom of his invitation. Wyatt was supposed to extend the invite to Josey, Sam and Haley. “Let’s think about it tonight and make a decision tomorrow.” He drew her close. “I’m going to miss having you in my arms tonight.”
“I’m going to miss being in your arms tonight. How are we going to handle all this with Brady?” She peered into his eyes, concern shadowing her features.
“I say we be completely honest with him.” He squeezed her bottom. “We’ll tell him from now on, you and I are planning to have a lot of slumber parties.”
She laughed. “Slumber parties, eh? Sounds completely honest to me.”
Grinning, he tightened his hold around her and rested his chin on top of her head. “As far as I’m concerned, you and I are a permanent thing, Kayla. I’m figuring it’ll take months before we have to vacate our current apartments. When we get to that point, I suggest we sit down and figure out where we are as a couple . . . as a family. Maybe we’ll be ready to look for a place together.” His heart hammered against his ribs, and heat surged to his face. “What do you think?”
She tightened her arms around him and sighed. “I think that sounds like an excellent plan, Wyatt.”
“Whew.” His breath came out in a rush, and relief turned his insides to jelly. “I don’t suppose you want to sneak downstairs to my place later. Your parents will be here to look after Brady.”
“Not tonight, but join us for breakfast here tomorrow morning at eight?”
“OK.” He smiled and leaned in for a good-night kiss. “It was worth a try.”
“So, we’re in agreement,” Wyatt said, glancing around his living room at Kayla, Sam, Josey and Haley. Brady was at Mariah’s, playing with Rosie, and she agreed to bring him to the party with the two of them later. He and Kayla had decided not to tell Mariah the building had been sold until they told everyone.
“I’ll pull Dennis aside, tell him what’s up, and let him decide whether or not we should give everybody the bad news during the party, or wait until tomorrow and send an e-mail.”
“Agreed.” Josey nodded. “It’s fair, and that way we don’t ruin his big night.”
“I think it’s kind of touching that he’s doing this,” Haley said. “It seems like the fire and the building going up for sale has brought all of you closer. It’s a shame somebody swooped in and bought the place out from under you.”
“It is,” Kayla said, her tone forlorn.
“Well, it’s two minutes to six.” Sam glanced at his phone. “Should we head up?”
Wyatt heaved a huge sigh. “Yeah, I guess. Dennis is going to be bummed.”
The five of them trudged up to the third floor, not saying a word on the way. Dread and nervousness churned Wyatt’s stomach into a froth. He’d finally gotten comfortable with his neighbors, and now everything would come to an end.
Kayla knocked on the door, and Wyatt stood behind her. A stranger opened the door, a wide smile on her round face. In fact, everything about her was round—short and round, and her hair was a mass of blond and gray ringlets. She wore a long dress and Birkenstock sandals, another throw back from the late sixties, early seventies, like Dennis.
“Hi, I’m Sandy, Dennis’s old lady. Come on in.” She threw the door wide. “Dennis is fussing over the way I arranged the food on the table.” She laughed. “He’s a fusser.”
Dennis had an old lady? Wyatt’s brow rose. How come he’d never seen her before? He caught Kayla’s eye, and one side of her mouth turned up.
“Hi, I’m Kayla from the second floor, and this is Wyatt.” She pointed to him as they started through the door. “Wyatt lives on the first floor, and this is his sister, Josey, his brother, Sam, and this is Haley, Sam’s fiancée.”
“Nice to meet you, but don’t be surprised if I have to ask what your names are a time or two.” Sandy laughed. “I have trouble holding on to names.”
Wyatt glanced around Dennis’s apartment, finding Erik and the Meyers sitting on the sectional couch. “Hey,” he greeted them with a nod.
Dennis came around the corner into the living room, and even from where he stood, Wyatt could tell the guy was wired up with excitement. Lord, he really didn’t want to have that pull-aside conversation with him. Good thing they were among the first to arrive.
“Hey, man.” Dennis hurried over. “Glad you could make i
t. Make yourselves at home, and go grab a beer or a glass of wine.” He shook everybody’s hand. “Everything is set up in the dining room.”
“Hey, Dennis, can I have a word with you before the rest of our neighbors show up?”
“Not now, man. Later.” Dennis turned to Kayla. “I have juice boxes for the kids. Is that all right?”
“It’s perfect. Thanks, Dennis. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Nah. Me and Sandy got it covered.” He gestured toward the dining room. “Go get something to eat and drink.” And then he was off to answer another knock on the door.
“He’s a little keyed up,” Josey whispered. “Might be tough to catch him until after everyone is here.”
Wyatt nodded. Dennis’s dining room table was loaded with platters of deli meats, a variety of cheeses, pickles, olives, different kinds of buns and condiments, chips and salads. Two aluminum tubs had been set on the kitchen counter. Filled with ice, one held bottles and cans of beer, and the other held opened bottles of wine. A huge bakery cake with blue roses and white icing sat on top of the stove. “He’s gone all out.”
“Wow.” Sam grabbed a plate. “I’ll say.”
Sandy entered the dining room then. “Dennis is happy, and he wants to share his happiness with all of you.” She came to stand beside Wyatt. “I’ve heard a lot about you. Denny thinks very highly of you, and he’s a man who doesn’t let people into his circle easily.”
Wyatt heaved another sigh and wiped his sweaty palms over his jeans. He didn’t know for sure what Dennis was so happy about, but he hoped it wasn’t because he thought they were forming a commune. “How long have you and he been together?”
“Oh, it’s been about fifteen years now,” she shrugged. “But I’ve known him since we were kids. We grew up in the same neighborhood.”
“Wyatt!” Brady called.
“Hey, Superkid.” He glanced up to find Mariah and Rosie right behind Brady. The apartment was filling up fast, and Dennis flitted from one neighbor to the next, beaming at everyone. Brady’s hand in his, Wyatt moved to stand next to Kayla. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to tell Dennis the news.”
She frowned. “Not really, but if you really can’t . . .”
“I can. I just don’t want to.” Maybe he and his neighbors could find a different building to buy. A little extreme, maybe?
“Mommy, can I have something to eat?” Brady tugged at the hem of Kayla’s shirt.
“Of course you can.” She flashed Wyatt a sympathetic look. “Would you pour me a glass of white wine while I fix a plate for Brady? Then I need to find somewhere for him to sit.”
“Sure.”
Wyatt fixed Kayla’s glass of wine and took a can of beer from the tub. He was too nervous to eat, but maybe he’d be able to summon the will to have that talk with Dennis after a beer or two. “Oh, wow,” he said, handing Kayla her wine. “Even the two old ladies from the first floor are here. What do you suppose Dennis is celebrating?”
“Maybe it’s his birthday.”
Brady’s eyes widened. “Is there cake?”
Wyatt tousled his hair. “There is. Do you want to see?”
“Yeah.”
He set down his beer, lifted Brady into his arms and took him over to the cake, where it sat in its box on top of the stove. “Here it is.”
“Wow.”
Wyatt chuckled. “Wow is right. I love cake.”
“Me too.” Brady grinned.
Just then a clinking sound came from the living room, and then Dennis’s voice filled the apartment. “Hey, everybody. I have something I want to say. Come on into the living room.”
Wyatt’s gaze flew to Kayla, who stood with Brady’s plate in her hand. Shrugging, she tipped her head in the direction of the living room, and he joined her at the threshold between the dining room and the living room. Curiosity overrode his nervousness, and his attention was riveted on the wiry man taking center stage. Dennis caught his eye and grinned.
“OK.” Dennis drew in a long breath and looked around the room. “First, thank you all for coming. I haven’t had a party since . . .” He canted his head, his eyes on the ceiling, seeming to think about it. “Well, it’s been a long time, man.” He scratched his beard. Sandy came to stand by him, and you could see the guy visibly relax with her beside him.
He could relate. Wyatt glanced at Kayla. She had the same effect on him. Brady curling against Wyatt’s chest—probably thinking about cake—also anchored him.
“Well, anyway,” Dennis continued. “Things started to change around here when Kayla’s kitchen caught on fire, and our hooded hero chased us all out of the building.”
Everyone in the room turned Wyatt’s way. His face burned, and . . . yeah, there went his heart. Oh, great. What he wouldn’t give right now for one of those hoodies, so he could pull himself into his shell like a turtle. Kayla put her arm around his waist, and he blew out a breath.
“And then our hooded hero rewired our entire building, man, and we don’t blow fuses on a daily basis anymore.” Dennis held up his bottle of beer as if toasting him, and a round of laughter and applause filled the space.
“Oh, God,” he mumbled, his gaze flying to the door and possible escape. Kayla tightened her hold around him. Did she know he was a flight risk?
“To top it all off, once our building went up for sale, who do you think organized us into a cohesive group to buy our homes collectively?”
Aw, shit. He hadn’t had the conversation with Dennis he needed to have. Nobody in the room knew their deal had fallen through. Now his heart had lodged itself in his throat. “Dennis, wait. I have to—”
“In a minute, man.” Dennis shook his head and shifted. “When Wyatt came to my apartment to tell me the owners wanted to keep the building on the market because our offer was contingent, I got worried. Real worried.” He drew in a long breath, looked at Sandy for a second, and then announced, “So, I bought the building.”
“What?” Wyatt’s brow shot up, and gaped.
Dennis grinned. “I bought the building, and as soon as I close, we’re going to proceed exactly as we planned. Everybody can buy their condo from me at the already agreed-upon price, and we’ll make all the improvements you suggested.” He stroked his beard. “Only, I want to add an elevator to the plan.”
Stunned, all Wyatt could do was fixate on Dennis’s last sentence. “An elevator? Where would we put it?”
“There used to be an elevator here,” Dennis said. “Haven’t you ever noticed the extra space between Mrs. Hanson’s apartment and the stairwell? It hadn’t worked for years, and rather than get it fixed, the owners walled it up.” Dennis moved to a set of bookshelves against the wall and pulled out a leather photo album.
“That’s true,” Mrs. Hanson added. “It was an elegant old elevator with a polished brass gate, and it’s a damn shame it’s been walled up.”
“Here, look at this,” Dennis said, opening the album. He held it out for Wyatt to see, and soon everyone crowded around to peer at the old black-and-white photo of a little boy and his mother standing in front of an elevator.
Excitement thrummed through Wyatt’s veins. “Wow, do you suppose it’s still there behind the wall?”
“I know it is,” Mrs. Hanson announced. “I lived here when the owners had it walled up.”
“Look at that marble floor,” Sam said, his voice tinged with awe. “I wonder what shape it’s in under the funky old carpet. We can put in new era-appropriate light fixtures here, take up the carpet. It’ll be really something.”
Wyatt glanced at Dennis. “Who are the woman and child in the picture?”
“That’s my great-grandmother and my grandfather, man. My family lived here back in the twenties. When I found out, I kept an eye on the place until an apartment became available. I thought it would be cool to live in the same building they had for a while. Nothing permanent, though, just for a while. The rest is history.” He lowered the album. “I didn’t like that whole co
ntingent business, man. Like you said, I passed into permanent here quite a while ago.”
“Dennis . . . where did you . . . how . . .?” Wyatt stammered.
“Denny is brilliant,” Sandy cut in. “He has a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from MIT. He’s sold a number of patents over the years and earned a mint.”
“Sandy is brilliant too.” Dennis draped his arm around her shoulders. “I made enough to set up a trust, and she taught me all about investing. I don’t spend much, and the money keeps growing.” He shrugged, like money was no big deal. “I’m not out anything, since most of you are going to buy the apartments anyway. Is everyone still in?”
“Hell, yes,” Wyatt said. Then he laughed. “An elevator. Who knew? I can’t wait to get that uncovered.”
Now that the big announcement had been made, their neighbors approached, shaking Dennis’s hand, chatting excitedly about what they wanted to do to improve their soon-to-be condos. Then they’d drift off, forming groups to talk or to get food and beverages. Kayla took Brady from his arms, and she and Mariah found a place where the two kids could sit and eat. Wyatt followed Dennis to the bookshelf, where he put his album away.
“Dennis . . .” A lump had formed in Wyatt’s throat. “I want to thank you. This place means the world to me, and I’ve gotten way more out of the past few months than I put in. Believe me.”
“No problem, man. I’m happy. You’re happy. It’s all good.” Dennis shrugged. “This old building means a lot to me too. Family history, you know? Can’t wait to see what Haney & Sons does with the renovations, but you’re going to have to write up quotes and stuff for each job. Gotta keep it on the up-and-up. I plan to run for the HOA board of directors.”
“Of course.” Wyatt’s gaze drifted to Kayla and Brady, and the lump in his throat grew. “Here is where I got the girl, the love of my life and a family of my own,” he said, mostly to himself, because . . . old Hippie Guy had already wandered off.
Wyatt laughed, shook his head and set out for the table to fix himself a plate, so he could join Kayla and Brady. Just then, a new idea for his Elec Tric series popped into his head, and he couldn’t wait to write it all down.
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