I'm Your Man (15 page)

Ethan laughed and handed me a book titled
Shamanic Dance.
I noticed that he was the author, but before I could open it to see if he'd signed it for me, he said, “Don't read the inscription in front of me. That always makes me feel stupid.”

“I'm at a loss for words myself,” I said.

“No words necessary,” he said. “It's been a great week. I feel recharged.”

“That's exactly how I feel,” I agreed, and we hugged goodbye. After he drove away, I opened the book.

Blaine,
he'd written,
thank you for helping me remember to lighten up. And especially for discovering, with me, that friendship grows in unexpected places. With deep affection, Ethan.

I smiled, thinking how perfectly he'd expressed my thoughts.

Gretchen slept most of the way back to Manhattan. After dropping her at her loft, I went directly to my office at Breslin Evans to catch up on anything I might have missed. Since Violet had practically done my job as well as hers in my absence, there were only a few contracts to sign and bills to approve. Once those were out of the way, I looked through a folder labeled
REAL ESTATE PROSPECTS,
which Violet had left to keep me up to speed on the office properties Lillith Allure was considering. As I read through the listings, I stumbled upon the one office that I knew would be the perfect space. I only hoped that Lillith and Frank would like it, too.

Owing to the increasingly rapid drop-off of Internet businesses, valuable office space was popping up left and right. One of the larger, but now diminishing, companies had moved to a smaller office on the Lower East Side. They had vacated two floors at the top of an office building in Chelsea, which had a view of the Hudson River from a terrace that surrounded the building. Because the walls were made entirely of glass, there was light from every angle during the day.

I set the commercial listings aside and riffled through another folder Violet had made of residential listings. My heart sank at the prospects. Even though I'd only lived in Manhattan for three years, I noticed a marked increase in property values for co-ops and condos. I'd learned to shudder at the words “cozy,” which meant cramped; “charming,” which meant inefficiently designed; and “unique,” which translated to,
You would never want to live here if it was the last apartment available in Manhattan.

Despite the view of my ex-boyfriend's garden, my rent stabilized, two-bedroom dive of an apartment was a dream in comparison to some of the cramped quarters that I'd heard about from my coworkers. But I felt like it was time to own a place that I could redesign any way that I wanted. Even though I'd originally imagined undertaking that with Daniel, there was no reason I couldn't do it on my own. Especially with Gavin's calm reason and Violet's enthusiastic input to guide me.

The following morning began with a surprise visit from Lillith, who strode into my office wearing black from the collar of her coat to the tip of her boots. Her hair was pulled into a tight knot, and a stone, suspended from a long chain around her neck, swung back and forth as she walked. The grim look of determination on her face made me wonder if she intended to take off her necklace and beat me with it.

“Good morning, Lillith,” I said tentatively. “I wasn't expecting you.”

“Of course you weren't. We don't have an appointment. But I'm free of toxins, and there's a small window of time when it's safe to talk about new projects today.”

“I have to be honest, Lillith, I have quite a lot on my pl—”

She cut me off before I could finish, raising her silver-ringed left hand in the air and causing her many bracelets to slide down her arm in a cacophony of clanging. “I feel that there is an entire market we're missing out on. I need you to come up with a concept for a line of men's products. This is not your first priority. Keep it in mind until we're caught up with the Zodiac campaign,” she said, then stopped short. Her eyes fixed on the sheet of paper which detailed the space in Chelsea. She picked it up and quickly scanned it, then looked at me with a broad smile replacing the tension on her face.

“We want this space, Blaine. Tell Violet the decision has been made. I have a meeting with an art dealer uptown, so we'll catch up later.” She whirled around to make an exit, but stopped short and turned back to me. “By the way, it's too bad you aren't trying to have a child right now, because the next two weeks are excellent for the houses dominating conception.”

I shivered inwardly as she walked out of the room. I figured that she would eventually stop shocking me with her eerie accuracy. But her words gave me pause for thought. I picked up the phone, intending to test Lillith's prophecy by calling Gretchen and asking her to take a home pregnancy test, but quickly dropped the phone back in its cradle. Not only would the test be unreliable—it was still too early—but even entertaining the idea would be giving credence to Lillith's beliefs. The thought made me cringe.

I told Violet that Lillith wanted the Chelsea space and had her set up meetings for me to look at apartments. Still reeling from Lillith's visit, I put the idea of a men's product line out of my head, worrying that visions of pendulous rocks would distract me from devising a masculine line of colognes, shaving lotions, and balms.

 

On Sunday, I picked up Gavin at JFK. During our drive back to the city, I told him what was going on and what I would require of him. I gave him a PalmPilot with all of my pertinent numbers and addresses already downloaded, as well as lists of my favorite restaurants, clubs, car services, cleaners, gym, and grocery store. He was very professional and seemed to retain every word I said.

“I don't expect you to remember everything I've said, Gavin. I understand how taxing a move can be,” I said.

“No, I'm fine,” he assured me, sitting on the leather sofa in my living room with a bottle of Poland Spring water. “Ever since Violet called with your offer, I've been excited to return to the city. You're right; change can be daunting. But only if you let it. I guess I knew that my time in Baltimore was only temporary. My horoscope even said I could expect a new job prospect. Then the universe offered me a new path, so I thought, why not take it?”

For a moment, I was unsure about my decision to bring Gavin into my life. I didn't really know much about him, other than what was on his résumé. His personality seemed to lie somewhere between Ethan's New Age philosophies and Lillith's astrological extremism. As long as he leaned toward the former and not the latter, I figured things would be fine between us.

“Change is in the air,” I agreed. “I'm about to change companies. My new employers are relocating to Manhattan, too. Let me show you your room.” I lifted the case that held his massage table. Gavin recapped his water bottle, picked up his bags, and followed me to the second bedroom. “This used to be my friend Sheila's room. She left a few months ago to move in with her fiancé, Josh. She didn't take the furniture, because she wanted new stuff. If you don't like any of it, just let me know, and we'll replace it.”

“I'm sure it'll be fine,” Gavin said, dropping his bags by the door and sitting on the bed. “The mattress feels firm. As long as my spine is supported, I'll be okay.”

“I'm thinking about moving,” I said, grateful for his easygoing nature. “So don't get too comfortable. My financial advisor, Gretchen, assures me that investing in my own home will only benefit me in the long run. I'm looking into it. I could use your help.”

“Not a problem,” Gavin assured me. “Whatever agency you use, give the realtors my cell number and have them call me if you aren't available. I can always check out any apartment they have and tell them to hold on to it until you have time to see it. We'll work it out. Are you hungry? I am. Point me in the direction of the nearest grocery store, and I'll make whatever you want for dinner.”

“Gavin, I meant it when I said you can relax. We'll order takeout or something.”

“I won't hear of it,” Gavin said, holding up his hands. “Not only is takeout food a waste of money, but if I cook, it'll be healthier. And it'll give me a chance to get used to your kitchen. Plus, I'll admit, I'm a little nervous being in a strange place. If I'm doing something, I'll relax.”

Later, he made me grilled chicken on a bed of saffron rice with steamed asparagus. After one bite, I knew that hiring Gavin ranked up there with hiring Violet as among the best decisions I'd ever made.

The next morning, I woke up to the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. I followed the smell to the kitchen and was pushed to the table by Gavin, who offered me crepes with fruit, orange juice, coffee, and the paper.

I stared at my plate, and Gavin asked, “Is everything okay? Do you need protein, too? I can do a quick steak if you want.”

“No, everything looks great. I'm just waiting for a voice-over by Rod Serling. I feel like I'm in a parallel universe. But I like it.”

“Good,” Gavin said. When I began eating, he slipped behind my chair and stage-whispered, “Submitted for your perusal. We've secretly replaced Blaine Dunhill's regular coffee with dilithium crystals. Let's see if he goes into warp speed.”

After I finally managed to swallow my crepes through my laughter, I said, “I'm going to take you around the neighborhood this morning and show you all the places that make my life run from day to day. I guess we can cross the grocery store off the list. But I'll show you where Whole Foods is later. That's where I get all the healthy stuff. I should call Violet to remind her that I'm coming in late today.”

I dialed Violet at home, and she picked up on the second ring. “Hi, Blaine,” she said.

“Good morning, Violet. I'm sorry to bother you at home.”

“That's okay. Don't forget that you're coming in late today, so you can show Gavin around.”

“I was wondering why I called you. Thanks.”

“Don't mention it. I logged in to the office e-mail from home this morning. We already have an e-mail from the broker regarding the Chelsea offices.”

“That was fast,” I said. “What's the word?”

“I think it's in the bag. Show Gavin the dry cleaners first, because you always get there after they close.”

“I swear they see me coming and lock the doors,” I grumbled.

Following Violet's advice, our first stop was the dry cleaners, where I introduced Gavin to Mrs. Chan, who gave a polite nod and a smile.

“It is nice to meet you,” she said to Gavin. To me she said, “I have not seen you for a very long time.”

“I can never seem to get here before you close,” I said sheepishly.

“We close at four. Every day. But where is that nice lady friend of yours who picks up your cleaning? Violet?”

“Gavin will be taking care of my cleaning from now on.”

“Oh. That's a shame. She is such a nice lady. I will miss her very much. But I will look forward to seeing you again soon, Gavin.”

Next, I showed Gavin the only deli in my neighborhood that I trusted to get everything right.

“Hey, Mr. Blaine! How are you?” the man behind the counter shouted as if I was deaf.

“I'm great, Amir. I wanted to show my friend, Gavin, your deli. I was just telling him that it's the best in town.”

“Such kindness, my friend! But where is your sexy Violet today? I have not seen her in so long that my heart grows heavy.”

“I'll tell her, Amir. And I'll tell her you wish to marry her and take her home to your country, where she'll live like a princess.”

“A man can dream, no? Can I make you a sandwich, Mr. Blaine?”

“Not today, thank you.”

We continued our tour so I could point out the closest restaurants that I found palatable and the laundry where I dropped off everything that didn't get dry-cleaned. Then I took him to Barneys to introduce him to Nathan, the sales associate who I entrusted to pick out my suits.

“Gavin will pick up any items I buy over the phone,” I explained.

“What happened to Violet?” Nathan asked with a look of concern. “You didn't fire her, did you?”

“No. Nothing like that. Her work will be limited to the office from now on. Don't worry. I'm sure her love of shoes will bring her in to see you.”

“Good. I just love her,” Nathan said.

“Is Isaac in today?” I asked, then explained to Gavin, “Isaac is the best tailor in Barneys.”

“He is in,” Nathan answered. “Speaking of Violet, you should go see him. Isaac's son is having his bar mitzvah, and he wanted to invite Violet. You could hand-deliver the invitation.”

After leaving Barneys, we took a cab down to Chelsea, where I took Gavin on a tour of my gym and added him to my membership.

“Thanks, Blaine,” Gavin said. “There weren't any gyms like this in Baltimore. I usually just went to the weight room in my building.”

We left the gym and walked to Whole Foods on Seventh Avenue. I explained to Gavin that I liked to shop there after my workouts. We wandered up and down the aisles so I could show him the kinds of foods that I liked to keep stocked in the apartment. As we passed a large display of a new cereal called Eighth Wonder Grains, I heard a familiar voice say, “Get your zucchini away from me.”

With my heart pounding, I rounded the corner into the produce section, where I came face-to-face with Daniel. A hand extended from behind the cereal display, brandishing a very large zucchini in his direction, like a sword. As the hand dropped out of sight, I heard a voice I didn't recognize answer, “I've never heard you complain about my zucchini before.”