Chapter 49.

I arrived at the hospital at eleven. It wasn't my fault that the delivery guys were so late or took so much time to set everything in place. At any rate, before I could open the door to my office, I was accosted by Wilson. I thought that Bonnie couldn't have called him yet, so this had to be about something else.

"House, we need to talk."

"I'm late. Come by later. Maybe after lunch, or even better, next week."

"House, I need your advice."

That stopped me short. Wilson was asking for my guidance about something? Had the world gone off its axis?

"What do you know about Jess Giordano?" he went on.

"Jess?" I shrugged. "Not much, other than that she's a spoiled little rich girl who's playing at helping my team."

He looked surprised. "Did the two of you have some kind of falling out?"

"What do you mean?"

"You seemed pretty cozy with her when you returned from Florida, and you did recommend her for the study."

"I told you already. She's organized and has half a brain in her head. Perfect for the grunt work that has to be done."

"And then I noticed there was a decided chill between the two of you yesterday, but she's...she's so hot! Something had to have happened to turn you against her, and I want to know what it was."

"Is that what this is about? You want to know what I have against Ms. Giordano?" I narrowed my eyes at him and smiled. "You're really interested in her, aren't you? Well, I'm afraid you're in for a let-down. I get the impression she's got a boyfriend."

"Where'd you hear that?" He was definitely surprised.

"It's just my superior deductive skills at work," I said loftily.

He was frowning by then. I wasn't surprised that he was really interested in Jess, but decided we'd made the right move by changing our plan to have her go after him. It could have been ugly. I spotted Jess approaching out in the hall but, seeing Wilson there, she turned and walked the other way. Luckily he didn't see her.

"Cheer up," I told Wilson. "Come buy me an early lunch."

"You just got here."

"That doesn't mean I'm not hungry."

He shook his head. "I have to go check on a patient." He turned and walked away, shoulders slumped. I guess I made his day.

He wasn't gone long before my phone rang. It was Bonnie. "I found a couple of places you might like to see," she said proudly.

It made me realize I'd be seeing them alone. Later we'd somehow have to find a way for Jess to see them too. She was supposedly looking for a place, but would it be something like the places Bonnie had in mind for me? And how could we arrange for her to be taken to see them? We'd have to find a way. Meanwhile I said, "Can I see them later this afternoon? Busy now with doctor stuff, you know."

"Oh, of course," Bonnie said. "I remember how hard it was for James to tear himself away from the hospital at times."

"Give me the address and I'll meet you there at five."

Once I was finished talking to Bonnie, I sent a text to Jess saying, 'Bonnie found two I'll see at five'. Over the next hour, through a series of texts, we made our plans. She'd find a way to tell Wilson, in utmost secrecy, that she was seeing someone, and that she and her boyfriend were looking for a place where they could move in together. It wasn't too far from the truth. We were both sure that Wilson would steer her to Bonnie, and then Wilson and Bonnie would delight in having Jess and me get into a bidding war for one of the places.

I'd always schemed on my own, hadn't needed a partner in any of my previous plots, but I must say, it was fun to strategize with someone who had the same appreciation of deception as I did.

At four-thirty I left my office. Wilson accosted me just as he had on my way in earlier. "Where are you going so early?" he asked.

"I don't have a patient, so I'm going home."

"What about the project?"

"My team has it under control. If they needed me, they'd let me know."

He shook his head, but for once I wasn't disappointed that he was disappointed in me.

"See you tomorrow, Wilson," I said, walking away from him. He didn't see the smile on my face.

I met Bonnie outside the building of the first condo she wanted to show me. It was in a series of two story townhouses on a quiet side street between the hospital and downtown Princeton.

"These were built ten years ago," she began her sales pitch. "There was only one previous owner, and it's well-maintained." She unlocked the door and we walked inside.

Going from room to room, I saw she was right. It was clean and in good shape. And very bright. Quite a contrast to the darkness of my place. "What's upstairs?" I asked, indicating the stairway from the entry hall. The place was certainly roomier than my apartment, but I'd wanted to avoid stairs, if I could.

"A master bedroom suite and a smaller bedroom that can be used as an office. Did you want to go up?" she asked, pointedly looking away from my leg and cane.

I hesitated, but I needed to see the entire place, so I started up with Bonnie right behind me. I looked in the master suite first, imagining my furniture and the pieces we'd bought for Jess filling it. But what I was really fantasizing about was what we could do in that room...

I pulled myself out of that daydream before Bonnie noticed. She was nattering on and on about the carpeting and the woodwork. I walked over to the bathroom and smiled when I saw the jacuzzi tub. It went straight to my must have list for any place we picked.

"It's possible," I said, leading the way back down the stairs. "What's next?"

"The next place is a little older, and might need some paint, but it's all on one level." She got into her car, and I followed her in my own to a street closer to where my apartment was.

Again, she was right. Slightly shabbier than the first place, the second still had a kind of charm. Hardwood floors in some of the rooms matched the woodwork. The rooms were slightly smaller but certainly bigger than mine. And this place, too, had a jacuzzi in the bathroom.

"You have to see the kitchen!" Bonnie gushed.

The kitchen was the only room that had been updated. New stove and range, French door refrigerator, even a high-end dishwasher. I could picture Jess and me standing side-by-side at the stove, preparing a meal.

It was time to get down to the bottom line. "How much?" I asked Bonnie.

Less than the first place, it cost more than I'd wanted to spend, not that I didn't have it. I took one more look around. Somehow this place already felt like home.