Chapter 237: [237] "JULIETTE AGREED"

And the primary liability which was an unknown neighbor, had just been neutralized.

"I find this arrangement agreeable," Hugo stated definitively.

Luc smiled. "You’re deciding on this house then?"

"Yes," Hugo confirmed, pulling his tablet out and opening his email client. "The interior layout meets all my requirements. The location fulfills Valérie’s requests too. The security is adequate, and the neighbor is vetted.You. I’ll inform the real estate agent to draft the lease agreement immediately."

"Make it both units," Luc instructed.

Hugo paused, his finger hovering over the keyboard.

Luc’s decision solidifying in his chest. It wasn’t a reckless impulse. It was a calculated evolution of his lifestyle. "Tell the agent to draw up two leases. I’ll sign for the right side."

Hugo nodded, his fingers moving rapidly across the screen. "I am sending the email now. I will request so we can finalize the paperwork a.s.a.p."

Luc walked back into the living room, pulling his own phone from his pocket. The screen lit up, displaying the time. It was approaching late afternoon. The drills from the morning felt like a lifetime ago, overwritten by the massive life decision he had just made in the span of mere minutes.

He unlocked his phone and tapped Juliette’s contact.

He didn’t want to send a text. A decision like this required a voice. He pressed the call button and raised the phone to his ear.

The line rang twice before she picked up.

"I’m in the middle of reviewing something for the reserve squad," Juliette answered, her voice carrying the crispness she utilized when she was buried in medical administration. "Did your knee swell? Are you experiencing heat or stiffness in the joint?"

"The knee is fine, Jules," Luc replied, a warmth flooding his voice. "Not a single issue. I’m fucking flawless."

"Then why are you calling me?" she asked, though the sharp edge softened slightly.

"Because I just bought a house, about to anyway," Luc said.

The line practically went dead for three seconds. Luc could hear the faint sounds of papers shuffling in the background, then stopping entirely.

"I’m sorry," Juliette said, her voice dropping in volume, losing all traces of professional detachment. "You did what? You went to assist Hugo with a real estate viewing and you bought a house?"

"Rented," Luc corrected, walking toward the front door where Hugo was currently locking the lockbox. "Well, leased. It’s a single-story twin house out in the western woods. Huge trees, super quiet. No stairs. Private parking. Shared pool in the back."

"A twin house," Juliette repeated, clearly struggling to process the rapid escalation of events. "Who is living in the other half?"

"Hugo," Luc said smoothly.

Another second of silence.

"You are moving in with a seventeen-year-old teammate," Juliette summarized, her tone hovering dangerously between amusement and disbelief. "Luc, what is going on in your head right now?"

"It makes sense, Jules," Luc explained, stepping out onto the front porch and waiting for Hugo to secure the lock on the door. "My apartment is terrible for recovery. The city noise is relentless. This place is dead quiet. Hugo takes the left, I take the right. We share the yard, but we have completely separate living spaces. It’s the perfect setup to close out the season."

"Okay," Juliette breathed out slowly. "Okay. I suppose escaping the downtown traffic has its benefits. When is the lease starting?"

Luc paused. He looked out at the dense tree line bordering the property. He took a slow breath.

"I don’t know yet. I’ll sign for the right unit," Luc said, his voice dropping into a quieter, more intimate tone. "But I don’t want to live in it alone."

The silence on the line stretched out again, but this time, it carried a completely different weight. The ambient noise of the medical office vanished.

"Jules," Luc continued, standing on the edge of the driveway. "You basically live with me some times. You drove back and forth across the city, dealing with my bad mood and my injuries. It worked. We worked. I don’t want to go back to you driving minutes across town just so we can sleep in the same bed."

He waited. He didn’t push.

He had laid his expected reality on the table, offering her the pass. It was up to her to trap it.

"You want me to move in with you," Juliette said softly. It wasn’t a question. It was an acknowledgment.

"I do," Luc confirmed. "The house has plenty of space. It’s a clean slate. We set it up together."

He could hear a slow, shaky exhale on the other end of the line.

"A twin house in the woods," Juliette murmured. "Next door to Hugo Blanc."

"It’s a package deal," Luc smiled. "He’s very quiet. And he promised he’ll continue to be."

A m laugh finally broke through the speaker. "Beaumont."

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes, it’s a yes," Juliette conceded, the smile evident in her voice. "I will move in with you. But I get final say on the interior design. If you try to bring that terrible black leather sofa from your apartment, I am burning it."

"Deal," Luc agreed instantly. The sofa was a casualty of war he was more than willing to accept. "I’ll let you get back to your work. I’ll see you later."

"See you later, Captain," Juliette replied, hanging up the phone.

Luc lowered the device from his ear. A sense of stability anchored itself in his chest.

Hugo walked down the steps.

"The agent has acknowledged the email," Hugo reported. "The lease agreements will be sent to our respective inboxes within the hour. We can execute the signatures remotely."

"Perfect," Luc said, unlocking the Porsche. "Let’s get out of here."

Hugo opened the passenger door. "I can provide a plan for furniture if required."

"I might take you up on that, neighbor," Luc laughed, dropping into the driver’s seat.

He fired up the engine. The roar of the exhaust echoed briefly through the quiet woods before settling in. Luc shifted into drive, steering the car out of the secluded driveway and back onto the main road.

The house hunt was over. The new home was secured.

Now, every ounce of their focus, every tactical, and every physical resource had to be redirected toward the pitch. Sunday was coming, and SC Valois needed three points.