“I’m looking for Haley Slater. I thought she’d be at home, but there’s no answer.”
“I told you, I’m no doorman and I’m sure as hell no babysitter.” The man started to close the door.
“But I really need to talk to her. And Thursday is always one of her days off.”
The man studied Damon. “You know that?”
“She’s a nurse at the hospital. She works nights, five eight hour shifts then two days off. Friday to Tuesday on. Wednesday and Thursday off.” He shrugged. “Unless she fills in for someone else as a favor.”
“Sounds like you do know her.”
“And I know that cat.” He pointed upwards. “I don’t like it or trust it. What if she can’t answer the buzzer because she fell or something? That cat would eat her alive without remorse.”
The older man smiled. “She’s not answering because she’s away.”
“Away?”
“Seems you don’t know her that well.”
“How can she be away? She didn’t mention anything about it.”
“Look, mister, I don’t know who my tenants know, much less what they tell to who, but I know that Haley Slater has gone to her mom’s for a couple of days because I got the job of feeding that cat you like so much.” He shook his head. “And I don’t like it any more than you do, but she seems to think that tom has a heart of gold.”
“He’s too big for a domestic cat,” Damon said. “And too mean to be a pet.”
“Well, I might agree with you on that, but it’s none of my business. The rules say one cat per apartment and don’t specify size or temperament, so she’s within the rules, if she wants to live with that beast.” He stretched out his hand. “Look at that.” There were scratches on the back of his hand and Damon knew what had made them.
“Mean cat.”
“You bet. This for opening a can of fish.” The older man dropped his voice. “When I was up there yesterday, that cat had knocked over the vase on the counter and broken it. If I hadn’t put that rose in water again, it wouldn’t have looked very pretty when Haley got home.”
“Rose?” Damon asked.
“Red rose,” the super confirmed. “Pretty as can be. Someone must have given it to her just before she left town.” He squinted at Damon. “Was it you?”
“No. I don’t send roses.”
The older man chuckled. “Well, that might be the problem, son. Whoever sent that rose is important to Ms. Slater, I’ll bet you my last dollar on that.” He nodded. “I bet she told him she was going to her mom’s.”
A red rose.
And Haley away.
Damon turned to leave. It was inevitable that Haley would meet someone else who would appreciate her.
He reminded himself that was what he wanted for her.
“It probably wouldn’t hurt to tell you that she’s coming back tomorrow.”
“Thanks,” Damon said. “I’ll get in touch with her then.”
“And I’ll go feed that miserable cat again.” The older man nodded and secured the door, then set his broom aside and headed for the elevator.
Damon turned up his collar and left the building, thinking.
It wasn’t unreasonable that some other guy had fallen for Haley. She was attractive. She was cute. She was passionate and smart and kind. She might not believe in love and happily-ever-after, but he had a feeling that a guy with forever on his mind could convince her to give it a try.
That guy couldn’t be him.
So, why was he jealous? There was no doubt that’s what he was feeling. It was raw and angry, as if he’d been cheated—but he was the one who had told her to go home. He was the one who hadn’t apologized or invited her to the service.
He was in the wrong and he didn’t like it.
Damon headed toward home, then recalled what he’d heard about Haley the very first night he’d asked about her in the hospital. There was only one day of the year that she wouldn’t work.
January 27.
That would be Saturday this year. In two days. He checked his watch to be sure.
But if she was at her mom’s, then she was in Illinois. And if she was coming back tomorrow, then she wasn’t going to visit her family on Saturday. Why wouldn’t she stay at her mom’s through the weekend if she had the time off?
Because she had something to do right here.
It was a family birthday. That’s what the nurses had suspected. Haley wasn’t going home to celebrate that birthday. She was coming back to New York.
With that realization, Damon had a very good idea what Haley was going to do with that single red rose, and where he’d find her on Saturday.
Good thing he had a few days off.
They offered Haley the job, even before she flew back to New York.
She didn’t tell her mom, because she’d also missed her period.
Not by much, only a couple of days, but Haley was never late. And she felt teary about the prospect of leaving Queens. She felt like she would be abandoning her dad. She’d given Ninja a big hug when she got back to the apartment and he’d more than tolerated it.
That wasn’t just about fish.
She was sure the big beast had missed her, although she also knew he wouldn’t have admitted it, even if he could talk.
She wondered about another brooding dark male, but was determined not to call Damon. It was disappointing that he hadn’t called her, but she wouldn’t dwell on it.
Should she take the job or not?
Haley pulled out a sheet of paper and made a list, benefits on one side and disadvantages on the other. Everything good was on the plus side, with only “leaving New York” and “Garrett’s influence” on the minus side.
On the upside, the offer had come so quickly that Garrett wouldn’t have had time to say anything to anyone. She must have gotten the job on her own merit.
Still, her heart was at war with her head, and that couldn’t be a good thing.
She decided to sleep on it.
All of it.
By the time Haley headed downtown to the World Trade Center memorial on Saturday morning, the possibility of a pregnancy was looming large in her thoughts. It was too soon for a urine test to show results and she didn’t want to get a blood test yet.
She had to add it to the list in favor of accepting the job offer. She knew enough about babies to recognize that being a single mother wasn’t for the faint of heart.
It was exactly the kind of thing she would have liked to have talked to her dad about.
Her mom was too practical. She’d immediately list Haley’s options, weigh them, and make a recommendation. To Haley’s mom, the emotions that had put her in this situation would be less important than the result and the child’s prospects. Even without talking to her, Haley would expect her mom to advise her to give up the child for adoption. Her mom would argue her side then expect a decision, a rational one, within fifteen minutes.
Haley’s dad, though, would have listened to her. He would have wanted to know about Damon and why she’d dismissed her safe sex rule with him. He’d have wanted to know what she admired about him, and how she felt about this conception, and would have gently asked what she thought was the best solution. He might end up recommending the same course of action, but his method of arriving there would be totally different.