by Allyn Lesley
He pulled Cass toward him, finding his ear since they were the same height. “You leave now, and Beth will never cook for my ass again.” He moved back, pushing Cass toward his wife. “I’m good.”
Cass pulled him back and threw an arm loosely around Noah’s shoulders. “You got heat?”
Noah looked at the man, who’d had his back since Afghanistan, as if he’d lost his mind. I’m always packing, even to take a shit in my own bathroom. Noah chuckled and tapped Cass’s chest. “See you.”
“Make sure Zach walks you inside. None of that drop you at the curb bullshit,” he said.
Noah shook his head at Cass’s paternal display, especially since both men had never known their biological fathers and Cass was only a few years older than Noah’s thirty-three years.
Noah said his goodbyes, noticing that Sofie had made her way over to Gavin’s side. He chin-checked Gavin, impaling him with a hard stare, which Gavin read with accuracy and backed away.
Then Noah’s feet carried him to her.
As he approached, she sank into the other man’s chest behind her. Her expressive eyes darkened as she followed the long strides he took toward her. In the next instant, she donned her mask. But Noah wasn’t fooled.
Two can play that game.
He extended his hand in her direction and smiled when she took it. He stole her from Poindexter’s loose embrace. If she was in his arms, another man would never get to her. But the one behind her was too interested in the passing server, who was offering complimentary drinks, to notice what was happening in front of his face.
Noah teased Avi’s palm with his thumb, luxuriating in her softness.
I bet she’s soft all over.
She pursed her lips in response, but he didn’t stop, not even when she tried to tug her hand away. He tightened his hold. The lazy, swirling patterns he drew into her warm, small hand affected her just as much as it affected him, if the flaring of her nostrils were an indication.
Is the rest of her this responsive?
Easing his grip, he allowed her to slip her hand from his. “Nice meeting you...?” he said, waiting for her to fill in the rest.
She leaned toward Noah as if about to share a secret. Her tongue darted out, moistening her lips. “Not interested.”
The slow smirk gracing her mouth was cute...her lying words, not so much.
He was tempted to introduce her to the real Noah Adams. Instead, he chuckled at her audacity and left without another word.
Zach led his boss out of the area. A sense of being watched compelled Noah to glance over his shoulder. He was met with a pair of smoldering violet eyes. Avi’s gaze was direct, even as she nestled back into Poindexter’s chest.
She had made her choice, and hell if he’d cry over a missed opportunity. He was a man of action.
In business, and elsewhere, when one door closed, Noah smashed through a nearby window.
“Let’s go.”
The leggy blonde near the stairs gripped onto his forearm.
Inside a four-story apartment building in Harlem the following morning, Avi turned over in her full-sized bed almost positive whoever was at her bell was really there for a neighbor. In the three months since her big move to New York, she had never had a visitor or an overnight guest.
The shrill noise buzzed again.
“Ugh. Who could that be?”
When she dragged her tired body from the bed toward one of her street-facing windows, outside was already alive at only 8 am—something she was still getting used to. A peep through her blinds revealed a few people milling about at the intersection and sanitation workers collecting bagged garbage along her street. Avi was struck by a man walking back to a black car. When the man approached the back window, a woman’s tilted face pushed out. Recognition hit Avi.
“Sofie?” she whispered. What the heck was she doing here?
She scampered around her bedroom for her robe, threw it on and her bed slippers, and ran out the door. By the time her feet hit the first floor, Avi was out of breath and chiding herself, not for the first time, about her walk-up building. Just as Avi was pulling the security door open, there was Sofie getting out of the car. The cool September morning curled her toes, and Avi pulled back inside just a bit.
“There you are.” Sofie said something to the man who’d rung Avi’s bell, apparently, then came toward Avi with two tall steaming cups. Sofie walked by her with a bright smile on her mischievous face. “Did you forget we’re going shopping?”
Avi slapped her forehead. That’s it. Last night, when Sofie had helped Avi into a cab, she squeezed a promise to “hang out soon”. In a haze of drunkenness and euphoria, Avi had agreed, believing soon was at least a week or so away.
“There’s no elevator,” Avi mumbled as her eyes dropped down to Sofie’s blush-colored pumps.
Sofie offered Avi the cup in her hand then removed her glasses. She could only imagine what was running through Sofie’s head as she spun around the entry. The apartment building wasn’t the worst—there was no graffiti and people weren’t loitering in front of it. Actually, none of the things Avi feared from watching one too many movies about New York City had materialized so far. But her building couldn’t be mistaken for the luxury condominiums Avi was sure her friend was more familiar with.
Once she graduated from College, she’d known she wouldn’t stay in Florida. Her mother had once lived in New York, and Avi believed the state would be a good place for her to start over. It was far enough away to put space between her and the oppression she felt in her home state. She’d settled on Harlem because her research had told her the neighborhood was undergoing a major revitalization. The downside was that revitalization meant higher rents, which was something Avi couldn’t afford. She considered herself lucky to have found an apartment on West 137th Street that was blocks from her job and within her budget. She would have loved if the building had elevators and a laundry room, but Avi made do.
“Come on, then. Let’s climb this mountain of yours.” Sofie moved out of the way, allowing Avi to walk in front of her. Avi didn’t miss the twinkle in the other woman’s eyes.
When they hit the fourth floor, Avi picked up her speed, remembering the stack of letters by her door. She opened the door, shielding the small, rickety foyer desk she’d gotten at a nearby Goodwill store a few weeks back.
“This is it.” She swept her hand over a small living room and eat-in kitchen.
“This is nice.”
Avi snorted, but was pleased Sofie liked her choice in space-saving furniture pieces that still showcased her taste.
“If you’re ever looking to move, my uncle works for a company that owns a few properties,” Sofie said, sitting on the love seat and taking a sip from her cup. “Are you going to stand there all day, or are you going to get dressed?”
“Sofie, this is too early. When you said ‘soon’ last night, I don’t remember it being Saturday, for goodness’ sake,” Avi grumbled. Plus, Avi was hung over, the first time she’d broken her rule in years—three years and four months to be exact.
She was beating herself up about that sad reality, especially when she closed the door and her sight landed on the letters she was determined to return to their sender on Monday.
“Please,” Sofie requested. “Please come with me. I promise we’ll have a good time.”
Avi shook her head, succumbing to her persuasive friend. “Fine. But I don’t know how if I’ll be good company.”
As she left the room, she heard Sofie say, “Whatevs, just haul butt.”
As they settled into the back of the car a short while later, Avi was more than a little nervous, clamming up right away. After daily lunches at work and texting each other at ungodly hours, the two were already making surprising headway in their friendship.
Sofie tilted her head to the side, curiosity pulling her eyebrows up. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.” Avi cleared her throat. “It’s just...I don’t know. This will be...�
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“Be what?” the other woman asked.
“Maybe all day, Sofie. We’ve never spent all day together.”
What if they ended up hating each other? That would put a huge damper on Avi’s spirit, since she was still getting her bearings around New York and didn’t know many people.
“Chillax. You’ll love me even more, and I’m sure I’ll go from kinda tolerating you to actually liking you,” Sofie teased, sliding her glasses from the top of her head to cover her eyes. “We’re going to give my uncle’s card such a workout.” She held up her palm in Avi’s direction. “Don’t leave me hanging.”
Avi high-fived her friend, chuckling at her enthusiasm.
“Hells yeah.”
That made Avi laugh out loud, relaxing at her words. Sofie’s witticism and quick retorts kept the rest of the car ride light and airy.
“It’ll be another forty minutes before we’re in New Jersey, Ms. Walker,” Sofie’s driver, Joe, announced.
“I still can’t believe you have a driver all to yourself,” Avi said so only Sofie could hear. “Here I thought we’d be taking the train.” She still didn’t totally understand the city’s transportation system, having gotten lost more than once when she tried to go to 34th Street.
“Ew. Trains. Are you serious?” Her head jerked backward. “Just like my kitchen will never see me for more than a hot second, MTA will never get a dime of my money.”
They both grinned at the same time at Sofie’s fake haughtiness. She was the most down-to-earth person Avi had met, but her access to Joe stumped Avi.
During the long ride, they learned that they were both foodies, though only one of them enjoyed cooking, and that person was not Sofie. While her friend spoke with her aunt, Avi got lost in the passing cars on the George Washington Bridge. She was glad Sofie was her first guest, although she’d only been in her living room for under an hour, and that they’d decided to strengthen their budding friendship.
Avi leaned against a pillar, closing her eyes against the blur that was Sofie inside the store.
“So like I was saying, I’m not going to be bothered...”
The rest of whatever Sofie said was lost to Avi; she was having a hard time focusing. They were “taking Jersey by storm”—Sofie’s words—and had been in the Garden State for more than five hours now. Avi swore that others could hear her growling stomach.
“Sofie, I get cranky when I’m hungry,” she said, sharing another strong hint with her friend. This was probably the millionth store they were visiting.
Avi was running on less sleep than she liked, and the niggling start of a headache she’d felt in the first store had intensified to a full-fledged one. That and being hungry were affecting Avi’s disposition. She covered a yawn while following Sofie, who moved at a brisk pace around the store. On any other day, she’d be right there with her energetic friend. But right now, her body felt like it had been ran over by a tractor-trailer. Sofie moved to another rack filled with clothing, checking out what was there. Her friend’s hand already overflowed with items she planned on purchasing.
“I think I’m going to sleep with that security guard over there.”
Sofie’s shocking words propelled Avi’s lethargic brain into action. Her features scrunched in confusion. “What?” Avi screeched out.
Sofie’s goofy face and saucy wink greeted Avi. “Just wanted to see if you were listening. You’re miles away,” she said, walking down the aisle toward the back of the store.
They were inside yet another high-end mall, where Birkin bags swung from women’s arms and everyone looked like they had stepped out of the pages of a luxury magazine. I must resemble road kill, Avi thought as a female shopper ambled by her inside Saks Fifth Avenue. Maybe that was pushing it. She was more than passable in her velour sweat suit that clung to her curves. But she also knew there was a slight puffiness under her eyes she’d hidden behind her favorite pair of sunglasses. Up ahead, Sofie walked through a dressing room door while Avi took a seat. Joe stood a few feet away with some of Sofie’s recent purchases.
“Rest your weary bones, old woman.” Sofie closed the door, but her giggles could be heard.
Not bothering to respond, Avi got comfortable. “You just wait ‘til you turn twenty-four. The jokes will be on then, my young friend.” The words slipped off Avi’s tongue and felt right. Sofie wouldn’t turn twenty-four for another two years. She gasped. Avi was anticipating Sofie being in her life. Her mouth became slack with wonderment. Sofie had snuck into her life when Avi’s goal was to languish in seclusion, which was what a woman like her deserved.
“Ugh, this is tight.” Sofie stepped from behind the door, snapping Avi out of her head. Sofie spun around. “How does it look?”
“What are you talking about? You look good.” Avi approached Sofie, who was busy tugging the dress into place. Avi circled her. “This one is a must buy.” She nodded, facing Sofie.
“You think?”
“I know.” Avi walked back to her place and sat down, shooing the woman with her fingers. “Now go model the rest of those clothes.” The headache, tiredness, and hunger were momentarily forgotten while Avi got a burst of energy from coming to grips with the fact that she had a friend.
“Aye, aye, captain,” Sofie said, saluting Avi. She walked back to the dressing room.
Avi’s sniggering shook her shoulders. One thing she was learning about Sofie: she resided in a state of perpetual happiness. Sofie always had a teasing smile on her lips and snarky words flying from her mouth—both intended to make others laugh. In Sofie’s presence, her own laughter was loud, long, and came from her gut. It was something she’d rarely done in the last few years. She acted her age, rather than the stiff, guarded woman Avi had molded herself into.
Several hours later, surrounded by “items saved from loneliness” —Sofie’s words—the two waited in a restaurant’s enclave for a table. Joe’s hulking frame stood nearby.
“Table for two,” the hostess said.
When Avi and Sofie stepped forward, the hostess led them to a table where Avi was quick to grab one of the menus placed on the table.
“Someone will be with you shortly,” the hostess said before leaving.
Sofie snatched the wine list from the metal rack. “We need a pick-me-up. It has to be five o’clock somewhere.”
Their server approached them. “What may I get you ladies today?”
“I’ll have a glass of water—”
“No. She’ll have the Lemony Spiked Iced Tea and I’ll take the Kiki Mango Mint,” Sofie said.
“Right away, miss. I’ll give you another ten minutes to decide on your meals?” he asked.
“Yes, thank you.” Sofie’s face was covered by the glossy restaurant menu. She peeked over the edge when the waiter left. “No water drinking for you, Avianna Linton. We still have another day before we have to be responsible adults.” She tsked, returning her focus to what she’d like to eat.
But Avi heard her teasing tone. “What am I going to do with you?” Avi asked, still deciding on what to eat.
Not much later, they placed their orders and soon were digging into their meals: chicken marsala for Avi, and a lemon, capers, and salmon dish for Sofie.
“This is good,” Avi shared, slicing into her meat.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying your food.” Sofie took a taste from her drink, rolling her eyes. “Now that...that is good. Listen, how come a sexy woman like you is unattached?” she asked, the telltale flush on her face an indication that she might be tipsy.
Avi stopped eating. Sofie’s frank question rattled her. Her shoulders curved, trying to curl into herself from embarrassment, and her heart sped up. She inhaled then straightened her posture, remembering she was in a safe space with Sofie. Her friend was probably curious and wasn’t trying to remind Avi of what she didn’t have.
“How come you aren’t?” she quipped back.
Avi pushed her third, or maybe it was her fourth, glass of iced tea far from
her. The alcohol was slow to work its way through her system, but she was now feeling its effects—loosening her limbs and tongue.
Sofie put her glass back on the table then slouched back. “When you have an uncle named Cass and friends like his, it’s pretty hard to get a man. Even if you have all of this.” Sofie’s hand swept from her head to her bust.
Sofie’s pout was unmistakable. When she added the batting eyelashes, both women grinned at Sofie’s predicament.
“It’s tough having over-protective people in your life,” Avi said. Her mind flashed to her mother. She averted her gaze from Sofie’s bright face.
“Hey, what’s the matter?”
She knew all about people like Cass. “Your uncle just wants to shield you from losers. I had a loser once, who ended up sleeping with my so-called best friend.”
“Someone cheated on you?” Sofie’s incredulous words were comical. “Get the hell out of here.”
“Believe it.” Avi nodded, even though they were facing each other. “But that was the least of my worries back home,” she muttered under her breath.
“Your best friend you said?”
Avi nodded again.
“Can’t trust bitches these days.” Sofie pulled her beverage toward her.
Between Sofie’s saucy words and her innocent face, Avi laughed so hard her face became warm. When she came back to herself, she said, “Listen to you. Where’d you get that from? Watching—”
“It’s what my aunt says.” Sofie gulped down the last of her drink. “Well you can trust I’ll never sleep with Noah.”
Why’d she bring him up? Avi’s eyebrow rose. “You probably mean...” What is the guy’s name I’m meeting later on? Snapping her fingers, she was reminded of the name that had more potential of ever being considered a lover. “Jayson. You meant to say Jayson.” Why Sofie brought his name into the conversation puzzled her and caused strange stirrings in Avi’s stomach.
“Uh huh. Totally. So you guys have a date or something?”
Again, Avi nodded, this time with force, hoping that her stomach would right itself and stop twisting and turning with lust at the mention of Noah’s name. “Jayson asked when we were at the club last night.”