She moved to pass him when Smith grabbed her arm.
She froze.
He quickly let go. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m not great with people,” he rumbled.
She saw him looking at her oddly. “What?”
“I don’t know. You’re pretty.”
She blinked, confused. “Thanks?”
“I’ll say hello from now on, okay?”
Her insides felt fluttery, and she couldn’t look away from his deep green eyes. Such beauty on a man so rugged. He had the thickest eyelashes, and when he smiled, his eyes seemed to shine. “Sure.”
He nodded and moved aside, his hand outstretched to let her pass. She walked in front of him toward the end of the hall, expecting him to take the stairs. But he followed her to Tilly’s apartment at the end of the corridor.
She glanced over her shoulder in suspicion as she knocked.
“Come in,” Tilly yelled from behind the door.
Erin pushed inside, but she couldn’t close the door because Smith followed her.
She narrowed her gaze, and he grinned wider, stealing her ability to think.
“Hello.”
“Hello,” she repeated, waiting for an explanation to replace the smug look on his face. Instead, he bypassed her to Tilly.
“Well?” Tilly snapped. “Get the grub going, Erin. And you, boy, give me the rundown. What’s going on with unit 6B? The truth.”
He sighed. “Yes, ma’am.” He glanced over at Erin and rolled his eyes, which startled her into an involuntary grin.
Not sure what to do with his sudden sense of humor, she turned on her heel and went straight to the kitchen, wondering what the heck to cook for herself and two people who ate like four.
Smith hadn’t realizedErin would be there when Tilly had invited him for dinner. A glance at Tilly’s table showed three table settings instead of two. He took a moment to think about how that made him feel and wasn’t surprised that the idea of spending time with his cute neighbor didn’t bother him at all.
He’d been thinking about her all week, wondering how she was handling a ball-buster like Tilly. He liked the old woman, but hell, she was an acquired taste, and she knew it. Yet Tilly had apparently invited Erin to join them, and she hadn’t done that with any of her prior cooks.
To be honest, he had gone out of his way to avoid Erin, torn between wanting to check on her and feeling a little too attached to Ms. Sweetness and Light. But she hadn’t seemed so nice earlier, riding his ass to be polite.
He grinned.
Tilly cleared her throat. “Ahem. Unit 6B?”
He took a seat across from her, settling on her antique blue couch and taking up nearly the entire sofa. They sure made people smaller back in the day. Hell, only someone the size of Erin would consider this thing big enough for two. “The unit’s hot water is shot in the sinks and shower. I’m thinking it might have a control valve blocked or unplugged. I had to google that, by the way. I’m no expert, but I think the hot water heater might be the problem. You need to call in a plumber.”
“Oh, hell, no.”
“Look, I know you hate to part with a single penny, but you can afford it. And didn’t you tell me it’s been fifteen years since the heater was installed? Gas heaters normally only last ten to twelve years.”
She frowned something fierce. Smith did his best not to laugh at her. Tilly’s rage looked cartoony comical, her lined face pinched in anger, her eyes bulging as she stared daggers through him.
He held up his hands in surrender. “Hey. Don’t shoot the messenger. You do what you want. But I’m not taking the blame when people complain about their hot water not working. I’ll just point the finger your way.”
“I’ll give you a finger.” She flipped him off.
He grinned. “You’re welcome.”
