Page 17 of Love Decoded

Charli,

I could never forget. But, in the spirit of being on the same side now, how about we leave that in the past and not continue to mention it?

Lucas

Lucas,

Never.

Charli

Charli,

Honestly… that’s fair. I’ll just expect that to be your trump card any time you feel like you’re losing an argument with me.

Lucas

I glare at my computer screen, wishing he could see it. This is what it’s going to be like for the next two to three months, isn’t it?

Another email pops up at the end of our chain.

Charli,

I’ll have Samantha write up our contract and send it over to you for review. Once that’s signed, she’ll get you onboarded. Then we’ll get you started on the actual case.

In the meantime, please put my email on any invoice needed for a moving company.

Welcome to Philadelphia, Ms. Miller.

Lucas

P.S. You WILL lose arguments with me. I’m a lawyer.

Again, I roll my eyes at the screen. That’s such a lawyer thing to say.

I don’t bother responding to Lucas’s email. I need to focus on finding an apartment and getting myself packed up. Thankfully, I don’t own much.

In the end, it takes me two websites and a dozen emails to find a small studio apartment in Fishtown that allows cats and has an immediate—possibly temporary—vacancy. By the time I get the lease signed and the deposit paid, I’ve also received the contract from Lucas’s team. It’s mostly standard, as far as freelance PI contracts go, but I still work into the night reading over it. Charming smile or not, I’m not assuming the best about Lucas Price.

The next day is spent packing, and by the time the weekend rolls around, I’ve been boxed up and waiting for the movers to arrive. Now that my plan is solidified and my contracts are signed, I’m eager to get going. Once the movers have packed up my dozen boxes, I get myself situated with Milton in the Uber and gesture impatiently for the driver to get going. I’ll need to come back for my bike later, since I can’t exactly strap my cat to the back of my motorcycle.

The apartment is…fine. I couldn’t exactly be picky with my last-minute options, so I chose one that was in my price range and looked like it had running water. The true test will be walking around the area to see where I landed, but I’ll have time for that later.

I spend the rest of the weekend cleaning and unpacking. I do a full scrub of the kitchen and bathroom, and two passes on the tub to try to clean up some of the colored grout. Temporary or not, I’m making this place safe and cozy for me and my cat.

By the time I’ve cleaned everything to my satisfaction and have unpacked one suitcase of clothes, I’m exhausted. All I want to do is order in some food and pass out on the couch for the rest of the night.

But when my phone beeps with an email, I drop onto the couch with a groan. “What is it now?”

Charli,

Welcome to the team! Thank you for signing your contract so quickly. I’ve asked Samantha to give you access to the electronic files of the case, but admittedly, there’s a good bit of physical files as well. Would you mind coming into the office tomorrow for a brief meeting to get you set up the rest of the way?

Also, do you need access to any of our conference rooms or temp offices? I assumed you’d prefer to work from home, but wanted to make sure I gave you the option. I can have Samantha create a badge to get into the building.

Let me know,

Lucas