“Seriously, I need to get out of the apartment and stretch my legs for a little bit, even if it’s just an elevator ride. I’ll be down in a few minutes.”
A thirty-second phone call from him had thrown my life here from quiet and calm into a raging mess. All those old feelings came rushing back. The shame clobbered me hardest and made it feel like the elevator was shooting down to the center of the Earth.
He’d tainted my new room and new space with his voice. All the things I’d once thought were endearing now shone the spotlight on how stupid I’d been. I bristled at his invasion and tried to calm myself. No sense in leaving the apartment if all I was going to do was drag Seth right along with me. He was gone. He’d been blocked, and I’d keep blocking him until he got the message.
The ride down was too short. I took a few breaths, and the doors opened. The familiar smells and new floral arrangement beside the door helped me focus on normal human interactions where there were polite smiles and questions for everyone, and no one wanted to deal with anyone’s actual problems.
Ian was waiting in front of the desk with the trolley loaded up with the boxes. More sheets. I swear, after shooting these videos and pictures, I was going to fall asleep on the bare mattress rather than make it again. Wait, why’d they send me more?
I grabbed my phone and checked my email.
A new message had come through. I’d made it to the final round. A half bark, yelp escaped my mouth. I slapped my hand over it and locked my muscles to keep from doing a freeze-frame jump in the middle of the lobby. The brief on what they needed was extensive. Shit! Okay, I could handle this. I hoped.
Ian stared at me like he didn’t know if he should call an ambulance for my minor freak out. “Are you sure you don’t want me to push this for you?”
Grinning so widely that he could probably see my molars, I wrapped my fingers around the brass trolley bars. “I’ve got it. I’m sure you’ve got better things to do.” As much as I could use the company on the way back to the apartment to tell him why I was smiling like the joker and to celebrate, the desk was busy. It usually was on Fridays, with arranging airport drop-offs, reservations, and tenants using the town cars.
“If you’re sure.” He released it.
The trolley and I would have to come to an understanding. It didn’t run over my toes, and I didn’t bang it into every wall on the way to the apartment.
The elevator doors opened, and Millie breezed out into the lobby. I wanted to be her when I grew up, but I’d never have enough money or understated class. And even if I somehow got the money and figured out the class situation, I’d always feel like I was pretending and others would see through me. That was why I wouldn’t try to pretend to be anyone other than me. Better to face the disappointment head-on than wait for them to find out. Not to say it hadn’t been entertaining playing up all of Hunter’s preconceptions about me. Better those than the alternative. Loner, loser who didn’t have a place to live and has a big dream that’s being shot down daily.
“Sabrina.”
“Hi, Millie.”
“So nice to see you out and about and without your brace.”
I looked down at my arm. “I retired it a while ago.”
“I’m glad you’re on the mend.”
“Where are you headed?”
“A little shopping for the grandchildren. I swear, it gets harder and harder to find them things.”
“How old are they?”
“My oldest grandchildren are about your age, but my youngest ones are all under five.”
“How many do you have?”
“Grandchildren?”
I nodded.
“Twelve.”
“Wow, how many kids do you have?”
“Four. They’ve all been busy.” She smirked.
The corner of my mouth twitched.
That was exactly the kind of sly dirty joke I’d expect a woman like Millie to subtly let loose. It was much different than one Cat might’ve thrown out there. Her pride and happiness at having such a large family shone through.
“If you don’t find what you’re looking for and need help picking out presents, I’m happy to help.”
Her smile lit up her whole face. The edges of her eyes crinkled in a way that only made her look more beautiful. Did I have a crush on a seventy-year-old woman? Turns out I did. “Thank you, Sabrina.”
“Bye, Millie.” I wheeled the cart toward the elevator, determined not to ding it on the first try while Millie glided out the front door.
The wrestling match was on, and I was losing. How the hell did Ian make this look so easy? I was probably going to take out one of the side tables with fresh flower arrangements at this rate.
“You’re not allowed in the building.”
I glanced over my shoulder.
Ian barred his arm across the main entrance doorway.
I peered around Ian at the mini-version of Hunter. The urge to dig into the story of these two had been killing me since a few nights ago when I’d been called down in the middle of the night for an emergency visitor.
“Ryder, is it?”
He jolted hearing his name—or maybe it was the elevator ding. “How’d you know my name? Has Hunter mentioned me?” The kid’s eyes lit up but turned wary. His skittish gaze darted back and forth.
He was a kid. A kid who looked like he could use someone to talk to, and it just so happened I’d love to deal with someone else’s problems at the moment. It’s not like I’d let him race through the apartment breaking things. Maybe it would be the push Hunter needed to actually speak with him. It didn’t feel like that was something they’d done. And one thing I’d learned was not to string out disappointment. Rip it off like duct tape off your mouth when escaping a hostage situation. “Ian, let him in.”
“Hunter has given express instructions for him to not be allowed in the building.”
“But if he’s a guest of a tenant, he’s allowed in.”
Ian checked over his shoulder.
“I take full responsibility. Please, Ian.”
The kid’s gaze darted from me to Ian.
I left the cart and touched the back of Ian’s shoulder.
The fight seeped out of him, and his lips pressed into a grimace. “Okay, but if Hunter comes down on me, I’m throwing you under the bus.”
“You won’t need to. I’ll jump in front of it for you. I’m serious. This is on me.”
He dropped his arm and stepped back, giving Ryder enough room to slide through the door under Ian’s disapproving glare.
“Come on. Maybe you can help me with this?”
Ryder eyed me like he expected a trick. Or maybe a hook to shoot out of nowhere and fling him back outside. “Sure.” He slipped into the elevator on the other side of the trolley.
I jabbed the up button. “I’m Sabrina. And you’re Ryder.”
“So he has mentioned me?”
My heart ached at the hopefulness in his voice. “No, he hasn’t. I heard him say it when you were here a few nights ago.” We pushed the trolley into the elevator, and I pressed 10.
He nodded. “You were the reason they even let me in the front door last time.”
“Hunter’s your brother?” From how chummy Hunter seemed to be with his work friends and how much he prided himself on being Mr. Nightlife, it seemed weird he refused to speak to his brother. Sizing the kid up, I couldn’t believe he could do much damage. But my jerk radar hadn’t been working properly for the past year or so, so what did I know?