Match made in a boardroom

Chapter 23

Rory and Logan walked into the lobby of the luxury apartment building later that afternoon and were immediately greeted by the leading agent.

"You must be Logan and Rory.  I'm Claire.  It's lovely to meet you both.  Shall we go take a look at the apartment?" she asked as she walked over and greeted them.

"Thank you for meeting with us on such short notice," Logan said as he shook Claire's hand.

Claire led the young couple into the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor.  "This apartment is on the tenth floor, and you have access to the rooftop.  It has a lovely sitting area and a beautiful view of New Haven.  It's reserved for those on the tenth floor, and there are only two apartments on that level," Claire explained.

"Will we be able to see that area today?" Rory asked.

"Of course!  I'll make sure that you get to see the entire building so you can make an informed decision.  There's a gym on the ground floor, and the front desk is manned around-the-clock.  I think you'll love the layout of the apartment as well," Claire said as they walked out of the elevator and she unlocked the front door.

Logan and Rory stepped into the apartment and Rory immediately smiled and reached out for Logan's hand.  He looked over at her and his heart warmed as he watched her eyes sparkle as she looked around the apartment.

"I'll let you two look around the apartment and will meet you out on the balcony when you're finished," Claire said, leaving Rory and Logan to look around in peace. 

As soon as they were alone, Rory turned to Logan.  "This place is beautiful," she whispered.  "The fireplace, the built-in bookcases, the view.  I love it."

"You haven't even seen the whole apartment yet, Ace," Logan chuckled. 

"Well, if it's anything like what I have seen I'm going to love it," she assured him.

They walked into the kitchen together and Logan pointed out the high-end appliances, the beautiful granite countertops and the large island.  "This place would be perfect for entertaining our friends or families," he commented.

"I can see our Christmas tree right over in that corner," Rory said, pointing toward a corner of the living room, "and our stockings hung above the fireplace.  We could hang lights on the balcony, too."

"Slow down there, Ace.  We'll barely be moved in before Christmas, and almost as quickly as we could move in we'll be leaving for our trip."

Rory pouted and turned to face him.  "You know, we could always cancel our trip and not tell our families that we're staying in town.  We could get settled into our new apartment and just enjoy some quiet time together," she suggested.  "We were taking your family's jet, and the hotel can still be cancelled at this point."

Logan pulled her into his arms and kissed her.  "I'll make you a deal.  Let's finish looking at the rest of the apartment and decide if we really want to live here before making any decisions about vacation.  I would love nothing more than to hide away in our new place with you, but we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves."

"Fine, have it your way," she teased, rolling her eyes at him.

He shook his head at her antics and followed her into the master bedroom.  She looked around the large room that had plenty of natural light and then walked into the master bathroom.  The minute she saw the large garden tub, the huge shower, the double vanity and the huge walk-in closets, she was sold.  "Look at this bathroom, Logan!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"It isn't any nicer than the bathroom at your parents' house in Hartford," he said with a laugh.

"No, but it is much nicer than the bathrooms in our dorms.  Look at that bathtub and shower - there's room for both of us in them!"

"You know just what to say to get me to say yes to this apartment, don't you?" Logan growled jokingly.  "Now I'm picturing us in the shower together."

"Hmm...is it working?  Am I winning you over?" she teased.

"I love the apartment, Ace, so you don't have to win me over.  This place is absolutely perfect for our first home together," he replied softly.

"Look at you - Mr. Playboy is talking about starter homes and the future," she giggled.

"Is that a problem?  Because I can stop," he offered teasingly.

"Don't you dare!  I love it," Rory replied, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him gently.  "I think it's sweet that you're already thinking ahead."

Logan led Rory into the second bedroom and the guest bathroom and then they walked out onto the balcony and met Claire.

"Did you two have any questions about the apartment?" Claire asked.

"No, but I would like to see the rooftop area," Logan reminded her.

"Of course!  There's a staircase only accessible from this floor that will take us to the roof.  Just follow me," Claire said.

They followed Claire up the flight of stairs and through the door onto the rooftop.  Logan looked around and smiled.  It had a beautiful view of New Haven - you could actually see the Yale campus from up here - and was quite cozy and inviting.  He looked over at Rory and noticed her shivering.

"You cold, Ace?" he asked.

"Just a bit.  I left my coat in the apartment," Rory replied.

"Well, I think we've seen enough up here.  I'm sure that it would be great during warmer weather.  Let's head back down to the apartment and talk," Logan replied, opening the door for Rory.  They walked back downstairs and Claire turned to them.

"So, what do you think of the place?" she asked, looking back and forth between Rory and Logan.

Logan looked to Rory and she nodded slightly and squeezed his hand.  He turned back to Claire with a smile.  "We love it.  We'll take it, and we'd like to move in as soon as possible since we're starting winter break."

"Wonderful!  Let's go back down to my office and take care of paperwork.  We're happy to have such a prominent couple here in our building," she replied happily.