My apartment was small, noisy, and barely functional—but it was mine.
Violet showed up with groceries and optimism I didn’t believe in.
“You need curtains,” she said.
“I need rent money,” I replied.
That’s how I met Rick—her grandfather.
The first time I visited his estate, I felt completely out of place.
The silverware alone intimidated me.
Rick noticed.
“Is there a reason you’re negotiating with the cutlery?” he asked.
That was the beginning.
After that, he spoke to me differently.
He listened.
He remembered things.
“You notice the price of everything before the beauty,” he once said.