“I don’t know, Nina,” he started, quickly glancing around the room.

“I know it doesn’t look like much right now. They didn’t stage it, but just imagine it with some cool furniture. And it would need some new paint too, but I’m sure you can get a few of the guys to help you with that,” she interrupted.

She sounded like a real estate agent, touting a rat-infested fixer-upper.

“Come, I’ll show you the kitchen.” She grabbed his arms and pulled him to the back of the house.

“The kitchen isn’t really my big concern,” he answered as he followed her. “As you know, I don’t eat; hence I don’t cook.”

She turned her head and rolled her eyes. “It’s important for resale value. Kitchens sell homes,” she claimed.

“Resale?”

“Yes, the place is for sale. I figured you might as well buy a place here, rather than rent.

Rents have really gone up in the city, and if you don’t buy now, you won’t be able to afford anything decent in a few years. Trust me on that!”

Nina stomped into the kitchen. He entered behind her and had to admit that it was large and roomy, despite the fact that it looked dated.

“Original 1960’s tiles, but all that can be changed. Imagine some stainless steel appliances, a granite counter top and some new cabinets. You can even put an island in the middle and there’ll still be enough space to move around comfortably.”

Eddie sighed. “Nina, I’m not really interested in buying. I just wanted . . .” Well, he wasn’t sure anymore what he wanted. Things had somehow changed. But he couldn’t tell his sister any of it. And if he suddenly told her that he didn’t really want to move right now, she would smell a rat and continue digging until she’d unearthed the truth. It was best if he lied.

“If you’re worried about the money, Amaury said he’d give you a loan, so you won’t have to apply to a bank,” Nina said.

“That’s nice of him, but I really don’t want this. I’m not ready for a house. I just wanted a small flat.” And if he were honest, he’d admit right now that he wasn’t even sure he wanted his own place. Having spent the day in Thomas’s bed had made things complicated and confusing.

“If you don’t like this house, I can look around and find you others. And it doesn’t have to be as big as this either. Maybe just a little cottage like the one Yvette and Haven have?” Her eyes suddenly sparked. “Oh, I bet now that they have the baby, they’ll probably want a larger place.

They only have two bedrooms, and I know the second bedroom isn’t large. Maybe they’ll want to sell their house. I can ask them.”

“No!” That was all he needed: everybody at Scanguards finding out that he was looking for a place to live. It would take all of two seconds to reach Thomas’s ears.

“Why not? Telegraph Hill is an excellent neighborhood.”

Eddie let out an exasperated breath. “Nina, I just told you that I don’t want a house.”

She shrugged, sighing. “Fine. But you know that with a flat you’ll always have neighbors and have to be more careful so that nobody finds out what you are.”

He nodded automatically. “I’m aware of that.”

“Well, I guess your mind is made up. I’ll have Amaury tell the agent it’s not what you’re looking for.” She walked toward the exit.

Relieved, Eddie followed her. “How did you even get the key? Aren’t real estate agents supposed to accompany prospective clients?”

Nina opened the entrance door and stepped through. “You forget that Amaury has a real estate license too. He gets keys from other agents whenever he wants one. Trust me, they’re happy not to do an evening showing when they’d rather be at home with their families.”

Eddie waited on the stairs while Nina locked up and stuffed the key back into her pocket.

“Can you give me a lift?” she asked. “Amaury dropped me off earlier, but he needed to get to the office to take care of a few things.”

“Sure, I’ll drive you home.” He walked to the parked motorcycle and swung himself onto it, raising the kickstand in the process.

“Oh, I’m not going home. Can you drive me over to Portia’s? She and I wanted to go shopping to get a few things for Yvette’s baby.” Nina mounted behind him. “We’re throwing her a shower.”

“A shower?”

“Yes, a baby shower, you know, where all the girls get together and bring gifts for the baby.”