A/N: It seems that the last part of last chapter was misunderstood by some readers who felt it was OOC for Andy to act the way he did. While you might be right, I would like to point out that what happened in that chapter is a huge misunderstanding between Andy and Sharon, which will be addressed later on in the story. If anyone wants any further explanations (no spoilers, though), feel free to contact me.
Sharon stood in the doorway of the small apartment and looked into it with shock and even slight panic. The situation with Andy has slipped out of her control; he was so offended by what happened in New Year's Eve that he didn't even give her the chance to explain herself. If she wanted to attempt to reconcile and to be able to return to normal relationship with him, she will have to move out of his house first. Living with him created too much tension between them and it was quite uncomfortable to sleep on the couch in the living room anyway. She started hunting for short-term rentals where she and Rusty could stay until the insurance company determines the extent of damage in her apartment. She used the ads in the newspaper and called up about apartments that seemed to fit their needs, but none of the apartment owners allowed pets and she didn't want to leave Malin anywhere, not even for a short while.
This particular apartment that she was visiting looked so appalling from the doorway that she didn't even want to enter. The ads in the paper were the wrong way for her to look, she realized. If she really wanted to find an apartment that would suit her needs, she needed a realtor. She sighed as she went down the stairs of the apartment building; way too many stairs for a person who was still recovering from the damages of smoke inhalation. It must have an elevator, she thought.
Alex Tremblay was a tall man whose confident stature made people believe him. Sharon's eyes scanned him from top to bottom. He smiled at her reassuringly, as if he noticed her curious gaze.
"So, what kind of apartment are you looking for?" He asked. She liked his voice which was warm and slightly hoarse.
"Well, an apartment with two bedrooms, an elevator and pet friendly owners." She replied.
"Fully furnished and with appliances?" Alex asked and she nodded. He had a Canadian accent which sounded strange and appealing at the same time. She's always had a sensitive ear when it came to accents. Her husband was Dane and his accent was what originally attracted her to him. Alex browsed through his computer. "I have a few apartments that you might like to see." He said and printed out information about the different apartments he had found for her. He handed her the paper and she examined it.
"The second one sounds nice," she said. "And the third one as well."
"I assume that you'd like to see it," Alex smiled at her. His teeth were artificially white and it was most likely the brightest smile Sharon had seen in her entire life.
"Of course," she said. She couldn't explain it, but she felt an unusual attraction to him. She couldn't understand it, but the feeling was there and quite confusing. It was just the smell of his aftershave, she reasoned inwardly.
"I'll set up a meeting. Here is my card," he said and handed her his business card. "Call me if you have any questions." He smiled at her again. Oh, he was just too good at his job, she thought before shaking his hand and leaving his office.