Page 93 of Last Letters to Ara
I can’t get the driver’s door of my Beetle unlocked fast enough, making me feel like one of the idiots in the horror movies. That’s the issue with driving an old Beetle. Lots of charm and absolutely no helpful features.
Finally, I get it open and let out a frustrated growl. She takes a few turns to get going but finally grumbles to life. I’m about to peel away when I realize a tiny little detail: I don’t remember how to get to Theo’s penthouse.
Damon never has toaskElena for her address. He simply shows up and makes our panties suffer for it every time. This is why grand gestures never happen in the real world. Nobody can get around anymore without GPS showing the way.
I close my eyes and try to remember everything I can from the morning Theo drove me from his place back to the bar. I had been so wrapped up in my embarrassment that I hadn’t paid attention. All I can remember is a few glimpses from when I came up for air between thoughts.
The bar was in St. Pete, so I know we came from the Tampa area. His building was extremely modern, and there’s only a handful of places in Tampa with buildings like that. I’m sure I could recognize it from the outside if I managed to at least get on the correct street.
I mean, how many giant blue, window-paned buildings exist?
I’ll start where the most modern, high-rise buildings are in Tampa.
• • •
After barely managing the one-way streets and traffic of Downtown, all I have to show for the first hour of searching is an army of angry drivers who would like to see my license revoked.
• • •
Another hour of searching the buildings nestled by the Causeway proves entirely fruitless. Davis Island and Harbour Island are next on my list, having the kind of properties rich lawyers would buy. I keep my eyes peeled for anything else I might recognize as I drive.
• • •
More searching and more nothing has me convinced that we came from an entirely different direction. With nothing to lose, I make my way to Clearwater where a handful of tall buildings were built in the tiny downtown area.
• • •
After two more hours in, I’m about to give up when an idea strikes me like lightning. The stupidity of not thinking to do thisbeforedriving all around Tampa Bay may counteract my current genius, but whatever. I have a good feeling about this.
Pulling over and whipping out my phone, I open Zillow and type in “Penthouse Tampa Bay” and skip all the ones listed for sale, looking only for those that are off the market. There are a lot more than I expected, and after a few pages of scrolling, I switch to Google and type in the same thing.
I scroll and scroll and scroll until I find an article fromThe Real Estate Timesfrom a few years ago with the headline reading, “Big Shot Tampa Bay Lawyer to Purchase the Most Expensive Penthouse Tampa Bay Has To Offer”.
Thishasto be it. I open the article, and Theo’s building looks exactly as I remember it. Clicking on the address I realize that I’m evenmorestupid than I thought as pieces begin clicking into place. It makes total sense why it was so easy for him to drop my car at my place, how Theo seems to know his way around my area, and suggested carpooling to the Mexican restaurant, where we celebrated getting my new job.
I drove all around Tampa Bay and didn’t think to check the ridiculously luxurious neighborhoodsdown the streetfrom where I live. Even though it’s within walking distance from my own building, I’ve never explored that area and wouldn’t have recognized it. The little strip right by the water always seemed a bit plastic for my taste, so I stuck to my little Hyde Park Village with trees and greenery.
I toss my phone into the passenger seat and put my car in drive.
This time, I don’t need navigation to get to my destination.
Present - Ara
NOT SURE WHYI thought I could just walk into the most expensive building in Tampa Bay, but after fifteen minutes of pointless attempts of convincing, the doorman hasn’t budged an inch. His job is way too important to him to risk letting an unwanted stranger into the building, which is fair enough.
Clive, the doorman, offers again to call Theo and get permission to let me up, but I refuse. Nothing epic starts with a call from a doorman. There is also the risk of standing here for so long that Theo himself comes by, catching me outside his building like a weirdo.
Walking back to the car with my tail between my legs starts looking better and better when I spot a sandy brown head with the top of a guitar case sticking out from behind it.
Connor!
Maybe the universedoesn’thate me. I try to look as casual as possible as he approaches.
Wait, what if he doesn’t remember me? I only met him that one incredibly awkward morning. Or what if Theo told him that he no longer wants anything to do with me? Just as I start to panic and consider jumping into a bush, Connor spots me.
He breaks out into a grin of recognition. “Are you here to see Theo?”
“Yeah! I was just about to call up, actually.” I can feel Clive’s eyes digging holes into my back.
