by Cassia Leo
“Walk me to work? I don’t need you to do that. I walk to work every day. It’s literally four hundred feet away from here.”
“I know, but I have to take this stalking gig seriously.”
I wish I didn’t feel even the slightest bit excited by this, but I am just a girl, and apparently I am easily impressed. Now I’m angry with myself when I should be annoyed with him.
“Fine. Let’s go.”
I storm off and round the corner toward the front of our little three-apartment complex and quickly make it to the sidewalk on Lumina.
“Where’s your friend? I thought you were roommates.”
The chill morning air that rolls in from the ocean is slightly briny and I inhale a deep, cleansing breath. The ocean breeze is definitely one of my favorite things about living in Wrightsville.
“She’s visiting her parents this weekend. I couldn’t go with her because I’m working today.”
“Do you always work on the weekend?”
“Pretty much. It’s been months since I got the weekend off. I don’t really have much else to do and I’ve got rent to pay.”
“Are you working next Saturday? I want to take you somewhere.”
“Yes, I’m working both Saturday and Sunday next week.”
We’re just a few feet away from the café now so he speeds up to open the door for me.
“Can’t you ask for the day off?”
“No, not to go on a date.”
“Who said it was a date?” he says with a grin and I roll my eyes.
I stop next to a display of espresso machines and lean in closer so I can whisper. “I can’t take a day off. You saw how I screwed up the other day. I’ve been doing that a lot lately and I need this job.”
He narrows his eyes as if he’s contemplating this information then he nods. “I’ll take care of it.”
“No! You have to go check on Cora.”
I grab fistfuls of his shirt to push him toward the door and he smiles at my feeble attempts to make him move as he stands solidly still.
“All right. Just tell me what I need to check on.”
I release his shirt and give him all the details to check for at Cora’s: check the cupboards to make sure she hasn’t run out of instant oatmeal packets; check the refrigerator for expired foods; make sure the cat hasn’t been getting into the trash bins; make sure none of the faucets are left running; and make sure her enormous Maine Coon, Bigfoot, has enough food and water.
“Doesn’t she have a caregiver?”
“Tina doesn’t get there for another five hours and she’s not the most attentive caregiver.”
“Got it.” He pulls me into a hug so suddenly that my face smashes against his solid chest and I laugh as I push him away. “That was awkward,” he chuckles. “The next one will be better.”
I turn my face to hide my uncontrollable grin as I walk behind the café counter.
Linda cocks an eyebrow as I approach. “Who is that tasty young thing?” she whispers as I pass her on the way to the stockroom to clock in.
I could clock in on the register, but I’m five minutes early and I need that five minutes to wipe this stupid grin off my face.
“I’ll tell you as soon as I clock in,” I say, pushing my way through the swinging door.
I sit in the folding metal chair, which Linda refuses to replace with an ergonomic desk chair, and pull my cell phone out of my jeans pocket. I dial Senia’s number because, though I know she’s still sleeping at 8:55 a.m. on a Sunday, I can’t hold in the events of the past day and a half any longer.
She picks up on the second ring. “What?” she groans.
I take a deep breath then spill everything in less than three minutes. When I’m done she’s silent.
“Am I crazy?” I ask. “Is this too fast?”
I’m not asking if this is too fast since Chris left, because he left a year ago. She knows what I’m asking and her silence has me twirling my hair nervously.
She clears her throat before she speaks. “Of course it’s not too soon. I told you last week, you need to stop being so afraid of people knowing.” She clears her throat again and I can hear her taking a sip of water. “Do you need me to fill in for you at the café so you can go on your date?”
I laugh because she doesn’t even work at the café, but she probably could fill in for me. There is very little Senia can’t do. “No. I’ll figure something out. I have a week to think of something.”
“Let’s conspire together, my love,” she says, her voice still thick with sleep. “I’m coming home tonight instead of tomorrow. Eddie is getting on my last fucking nerve.”
Eddie Goodman, Senia’s boyfriend of eight months, nearly drove his car off a cliff when she told him she was moving in with me for the summer. He’s possessive as hell and has serious attachment issues, but he’s also super hot and shares none of the same classes with Senia—a must for her. She hates dating classmates. When they’re not at each other’s throats, they’re sickeningly adorable together. I call them Enia even though Eddie hates it.
After we hang up, I sit for a minute staring at the computer screen before I clock in two minutes late. Now I have to come up with an excuse for Saturday. When I walk out of the stockroom, Joanne is staring at me from where she stands next to the giant espresso station. Joanne is twenty-two, two years older than I, but she’s super timid.
“What’s up, Jo?” I ask as I pull my black apron over my head.
She quickly looks down at the floor. “Nothing. I was just thinking of what I’m going to do on Wednesday.”
I tie my apron strings over my lower back and grab a plastic cup to get myself some water. “What are you doing on Wednesday?”
She looks up at me, somewhat confused, as she nervously rubs her dark hair between her fingers. “I have the day off. That guy told me you wanted to switch days off with me. The one you were just talking to.”
I shake my head as I realize Adam must have come back in after I disappeared into the stockroom. “You don’t have to do that, Jo.”
“No, I want to,” she says abruptly. “I like working on Saturdays. It’s busy.”
I suddenly have a feeling that Jo must have her own memories she’s trying to bury. “Okay. Thanks.”
She smiles and nods as she grabs the plastic cup from my hand and fills it with cold water from the filtered pitcher inside the refrigerator under the counter. She hands the cup back and I’m taken by a sense of concern for her. I wish I knew what it was that made her so shy. Before I can stop myself, I pull her into a hug and I can feel her surprise as she draws in a sharp breath.
“Thanks, Jo.”
When I arrive at Cora’s house at five after three, I only knock once before the lock turns and the door creaks open. Adam is standing before me wearing a soft smile and I know he’s probably been here all day.
“Come on in,” he says, holding the door wide open for me.
I walk inside and Cora is sitting in her recliner in front of the television with Bigfoot in her lap. The apartment is clean and the usual sharp litter box smell is gone. Cora looks up and smiles so big I can see the gap where she’s missing her two back molars.
“Hello, honey. Have you met Adam Parker? He’s your new neighbor,” she says in a voice that makes me feel a little like a preschooler being introduced to a classmate. “I think you two should get to know each other.”
She obviously doesn’t know about our date yet.
Adam takes a seat on the sofa, on the side closest to the recliner, and pats the cushion next to him. “Yeah, come sit down, Claire. Let’s get to know each other.”
I take a seat on the sofa, making sure to put at least a foot of space between Adam and me.
“What did you do today? Where’s Tina?” I ask as I turn to Cora.
“Adam’s been taking care of me today. He gave her the day off,” she says, her eyes crinkling with delight.
I narrow my eyes at him and he grabs Cora’s hand as he turns back
to her. “It was my pleasure. I didn’t have anything to do today since the only other person I know in this town was working.”
“You work too much, Claire,” Cora chimes in as she continues to stroke Bigfoot with her free hand.
Geez. It’s like these two have spent the past six hours scheming to get Adam and me together. First he switches my schedule without my knowledge and now he’s using Cora to get on my good side. He is a master conspirator.
I stand up and do a quick check around the kitchen just to satisfy my curiosity. As expected, he did everything I asked. He even stocked her cupboard with plenty of hot cereal packets and her refrigerator with lots of fresh fruit.
“Well, it looks like you’re all taken care of so I’m going to head home,” I say as I plant a kiss on Cora’s forehead and rub Bigfoot’s head. “I need to shower and get to bed early. I have the early shift tomorrow.”
“Walk her home, Adam,” she says sweetly and he immediately pops up off the sofa.
“See you later, Cora. We’ll have to watch that movie another time.”
“See you later, sonny,” she says, and I know what’s coming next. “But just because I call you sonny, doesn’t mean you’re bright.”
He laughs and points at her. “I can’t keep up with you, C.”
Adam follows me out of the apartment and uses his own key, which Cora must have given him, to lock her deadbolt.
I take a few steps and turn around when I reach my door. “C? Did you spend the whole day with her?”
“I ran a few errands for her, but other than that, yes, I spent the day with Cora. She’s funny and we were about to watch a movie before you interrupted us.”
“Oh, well, don’t let me interrupt your date with Cora. Please, go right back in.”
He steps forward and my back hits my front door as I take a step back. He leans against the door with his hands on either side of my head, effectively caging me in.
“Are you jealous of my relationship with Cora?”
His breath is hot against my nose and warmth rushes through me, lighting up my core.
“I just don’t want her to get used to having you around. She’s had a lot of people bail on her and I….” His face is getting closer with every word I speak. “I don’t want her to get hurt.”
“Are you sure we’re talking about Cora?” he whispers against my lips, lingering for a moment before he pushes away from the door. “I work all week, but I’ll be by your house at nine a.m. on Saturday. Wear a bathing suit under your clothes.”
I let out a deep sigh and scramble into my apartment, slamming the door behind me. I take a few calming breaths, trying to ignore the ache pulsating between my legs as I make my way toward the bedroom to meditate.
Chapter Seven
Relentless Games
I don’t hear from Adam all week. And, although I do hear him coming in and out of his apartment a few times, he never stops by to say hi. But I know he’s still visiting Cora because every time I pop in on her, she’s always wearing an enormous grin. When Senia and I arrive at her house on Friday evening at seven, Tina answers the door.
“Oh, hi, Claire,” she says in an exasperated tone.
She quickly waddles into the kitchen to continue washing the dinner dishes. I try not to get upset with Tina. That’s just her manner. She’s never been particularly friendly and I’ve never taken the time to get to know her enough to find out why.
I step inside with Senia and find Adam and Cora engaged in a game of cards on a wooden TV tray table. Neither of them look up from their cards. I know he said he was going to be working all week, but it’s not as if he couldn’t just drop by and say hello—at least pretend I exist. The fact that I neglected to ask him what he does for a living just made the entire week of waiting even more uncomfortable. When Senia and I discussed it, our best guess was he changed his mind about the date and couldn’t bring himself to break the news to me.
“We’ll come by later,” I say, turning to head out the open front door.
Senia grabs my arm to stop me. “No, we can’t. Or at least, I can’t. Eddie’s coming over.”
I wrestle my arm out of her firm grip and Cora finally looks up at me from her cards. “Oh, hi, honey. I didn’t see you there. Want to get in on this action?”
Adam smiles, but he still doesn’t look at me. What is his problem? My stomach is in knots and I feel like a total idiot for allowing myself to think that a guy like him could be interested in me.
“What’s your problem?” Senia asks and Adam finally looks up.
“Senia, please don’t do this. Come on. Let’s go home.” I try to pull her toward the door, but she’s four inches taller and at least fifteen pounds heavier than I. She’s not budging.
“I’m sorry. Are you talking to me?”
To his credit, Adam looks genuinely confused. Maybe he’s a professional actor.
“Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. You left Claire hanging all week wondering if you two were still hanging out tomorrow and now you ignore her. What kind of asshole does something like that?” She turns to Cora, whose mouth is hanging open, and apologizes. “Sorry, Cora.”
“Is this true, Adam?” Cora asks, laying her cards on the TV table face-up.
Adam lays his cards down and looks straight at me. “I didn’t visit you during the week because I was working.”
Senia shakes her head. “We heard you coming and going from your apartment.”
He turns on Senia. “You didn’t let me finish.”
She crosses her arms. “Go ahead.”
“I was working, and when I’m working I’m usually in a shitty mood. I didn’t want you to see me like that so I just stayed away.”
“That doesn’t explain why you ignored me when we came in here,” I say, and he turns to me with what I know is an apology ready to roll off his tongue.
“That was just bad manners,” he says, and a tiny smile curls the corners of his lips. “Cora’s a sneaky one. I have to keep my eyes on her at all times when we’re playing cards.”
If this guy is any fucking sweeter I’m going to need a dentist. I can’t even be angry that he’s moving in on my turf because he seems to be doing a better job than me at keeping Cora company.
I turn to Senia and she raises her eyebrows as if to say you’re on your own.
She claps me on the shoulder and heads for the door. “I have to go wait for Eddie. Don’t want him to accuse me of getting too friendly with the new neighbor.”
“Sit down, honey,” Adam says, using Cora’s favorite term of endearment as I shut the front door behind Senia.
When I turn around, he’s rubbing the cushion next to him and wearing a sexy smile. I don’t know if I’d rather punch him or kiss him.
“I’m not your honey,” I mutter as I sit next to him.
He drapes his arm around my shoulder and presses his lips softly against my temple. I’m frozen as my shoulders and arms go weak.
His lips are warm against my cheek as they travel to my ear. “Just play along. I told her we were going on a date and it made her so fucking happy.”
I shake my head and turn to face him. “You think you’re so clever, using Cora to get to me.”
He shrugs, keeping his eyes on me as he reaches for the cards on the table. “Can you blame me for wanting to keep her happy?”
“Adam, honey, I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck and run over twice,” Cora says as she shoos Bigfoot off her lap. Bigfoot immediately scurries towards me to rub his fluffy body against my bare legs. “I’ll have to finish embarrassing you tomorrow. Can you lock up on your way out?”
Adam quickly gets to his feet to help Cora out of the recliner. “Of course, right after I help Tina clean up.”
I watch in awe as he guides Cora to her room, followed closely by Tina. I spring up from the sofa and make my way into the kitchen to finish doing the dishes. I grab a pot with a little left over chicken soup and dump the contents down the drain befo
re hitting the switch on the garbage disposal. A few bits of carrot stick to the sides of the steel sink and I push them into the drain with my hand. I listen to the sound as they hit the blades inside the garbage disposal, so lost in the squishy, grinding noise that I jump when Adam appears at my side.
“You scare easily,” he says as he flips the switch on the garbage disposal and the grinding noise dies.
I wipe down the sink one last time before I turn to face him. “Thanks for hanging out with her.”
I step sideways to get around him and he steps sideways to block me. “I know our date isn’t until tomorrow, but what are you doing tonight?”
I stare at his chin to avoid staring at his mouth or eyes. “Probably watching Senia’s boyfriend get drunk. Then I’ll be listening to their wall-banging from the safety of the sofa.”
He tilts his head as he considers this information. “You’re welcome to hang out with me tonight, you know, if you need to escape.”
Tina walks in before I can answer. “She’s down for the count,” she says, snatching her tan leather purse off the kitchen counter. “I’ll see you two on Monday.”
She appears peeved that Cora now has two companions around to keep her from slacking off. Once she closes the door behind her, I slither around Adam and dart toward the door. He quickly follows and hooks his arm around my waist.
“Hey!” I whisper-shout at him over my shoulder. “Personal space!”
He grabs the sides of my waist and turns me around so we’re facing each other. “We’re beyond that, honey.” He chuckles softly and I cringe at his arrogance. “I’m kidding. Go ahead and get whatever you need for the night. You can sleep in my bed and I’ll sleep on the sofa. I know how important it is that you get your sleep.” I narrow my eyes at him and he laughs again. “What? I’m just trying to help. I swear I’ll keep my hands to myself.”
It’s a very tempting offer. I won’t get to sleep until three or four in the morning or whatever God-forsaken hour Senia and Eddie tire out. Of course, I hardly know this guy other than the fact that he’s extremely patient and charming, and more than a bit persistent. He doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who would force himself on me. Plus, it will be convenient not to have to wake up Senia and Eddie when I get ready for our date tomorrow morning.