Page 30 of See You at the Sunset

“The happy hour here is great,” Matthew said, changing the subject. He’d mentioned the same thing to her when they’d first crossed paths at the airport. Jia wondered if it was a practiced line he used often.

He raised his hand to get the server’s attention, and they ordered one of each of the things off the shared-bites menu. Jia got herself a glass of sauvignon blanc, and Matthew ordered a beer.

“So you’re a real estate agent?” Jia asked.

“I am. I specialize in homes in this area,” Matthew replied.

“Palm Springs?”

“Specifically North Palm Springs. I target older communities, investment opportunities,” he clarified.

Jia thought about some of the homes recently sold at The Sunset and the people displaced from them. There was a discomfort brewing in the back of her mind about Matthew’s target customer.Targetbeing the word she just couldn’t seem to get past. She shifted her weight in her seat, trying to get comfortable.

“I like helping older people, seniors who don’t have anyone there to advise them.” Matthew smiled at her warmly, and though the words were the right ones and the delivery seemingly earnest, Jia couldn’t escape a gut feeling that something was off.

“That’s really nice of you,” she said.

“My grandmother passed a couple years ago, and we were really close. I think about how important it was to her to get all her assets in order so that everyone would be taken care of. I hated that she had this on her mind, and I just want to make those kinds of decisions easier for people in their last years,” he explained.

Okay, so maybe he wasn’t an asshole after all. Maybe his intentions were good.

“I’m so sorry for your loss. But I’m sure your grandmother was grateful that you were there for her. My grandmother is the most important person in the world to me, so I understand how you feel,” she said.

“That’s great that you’re close,” he said. “You seem close to a lot of the folks there.”

“My parents, well, they have very different ideas of what life should look like for me... and my grandmother. We’re kinda living together in solidarity and rebellion. Everyone else, they’re my cheerleaders,” she said.

Matthew laughed in response. “You two make quite the team.”

“We do. In fact, I feel a bit like the team mascot for a lot of the residents. Betty, Gladys, Mildred, Gordon, Starla...” Jia thought about so many of the neighbors who she had grown to love, especially the ones without families actively involved in their lives.

“I’m actually helping Starla sell her home,” Matthew said.

“What? Starla’s moving too? This is all so... sudden,” Jia said, shocked. “They used to go years between people leaving The Sunset.” Jia hated the reasons why that was so. People usually didn’t leave until they’d passed on or could no longer live alone. But it seemed more people were leaving prematurely these days.

“Property values are skyrocketing in the desert. A lot of people from LA and San Diego are looking for weekend and vacation homes they can renovate. The houses at The Sunset have the best value because they’re older and primed for a flip. My clientele are in the fifty-five- to sixty-year-old demographic. It used to be you didn’t move into senior communities until well into your sunset years.” He winked at his play on words. “But now people much younger are finding they can afford homes in neighborhoods like Sunset Hills. By rotating the demographic, I’m really helping the older residents set themselves up financially to leave their families quite a healthy inheritance.” He squeezed her hand, and she felt trapped. Jia pulled hers away, masking the move by grabbing her wineglass and downing half of it.

She didn’t like any of this even one bit. Jia knew she was extra protective of the residents at The Sunset. But just because she didn’t agree with some of their choices didn’t mean she would question any of their abilities to make them. As long as the choice was still theirs to make.

She put on her best smile and finished her wine, raising her hand to signal to their server she’d like another.

By the end of the evening, Jia was nicely buzzed with a belly full of yummy bites. She and Matthew had switched topics of conversation, and she found him to be quite hilarious and spirited when they started talking aboutSurvivorandThe Real Housewives, he believing Beverly Hills the best city while Jia knew without a doubt that Salt Lake City was superior.

Was she warm in other places besides her belly? Not really. Matthew was nice and charming, but she didn’t feel an attraction there. Two weeks ago, she might have considered hooking up with him if he’d offered. But for some reason now, she was just looking forward to getting into her pajamas and being in bed by ten.

“Will you excuse me? Gonna go to the ladies’ room,” Jia said. She got up and walked around the corner down the hallway toward the restrooms. The lighting was dimmer back there, and Jia found herself almost going in the wrong door. That would have been embarrassing. As she turned to change direction, a hand grabbed her arm.

She was startled but not frightened. If this had been New York, she would likely have been on higher alert. Instead, she turned toward the man to see why he’d stopped her.

“Can I help you—”

But when Jia looked up, it was Henry there holding her.

And by the look on his face, he was not happy.

12

“Can I help you—”