She sinks into the chair, dropping a sigh that borders on a whimper. “No trouble. Just sick.” Before I have time to scan her for symptoms, she plants her gaze right on mine. “Heartsick.”
My shoulders drop as everything makes sense. Of course, this is about a man. That’s why she’s here. She expects me to enlighten her about my species. As every time before, I have nothing to do but shrug. “Who do you need me to beat up?”
A tiny curve tips upward on her lips as she knows I talk a big talk with my big ego, but I couldn’t punch a fly. “Trust me, I wish that was an option.”
I wave my hand out, putting my empty lobby on display. “I got nothing going on here. Might as well take it out on some sorry loser.”
“He’s not a loser.” Her quick defense reveals more than she planned, and she bites her bottom lip, as if trying to take it back.
I take a sip of coffee, and then stare out over the empty chairs and tables. Something about having Arielle sitting here with me makes sense. Maybe that’s what I need? A partner. She sure looks like she could use a friend right now. We always made a good sibling team, getting into trouble, or rather out-of-trouble together.
I am in trouble this time. If anyone can help me get out of trouble, it will be her. “Well, I’ll let you stay on one condition.” I point a disciplinary finger at her. “You have one week to tell Dad. I don’t want this coming back at me.”
Her jaw drops as I wave my finger at her, and she doesn’t even stutter out a broken rebuttal. “Yeah, that’s fine. Whatever.” As if trying to force a change of subject, her gaze dances around the room. “Why is no one here?”
Now it’s my turn to glare, as I push back my chair, ready to investigate on my own. “I’m wondering the same thing. Let’s go see why.”
ten
Portia
Unable to stop humming, I steer Mrs. Nelson’s dog back to the apartment building from our morning recruiting walk. My app is exploding with new users. After yesterday’s promotion, the word finally got out, and I’m getting organic signups.Paying ones!
I’m late to the coffee shop, but not fretting because my app is literally running itself. Every time I log in, there are new users and I have no idea where they came from. Finally, being one step ahead of the process is a much-needed stress relief.
I let out a sigh as we climb the stairs. Me, two steps at a time. Oliver, four steps at a time, as he has massive bandwidth. His nails scratch the cement, and his dog tags jingle as we round the final corner to his home. I knock on his door, calling out. “We’re back.”
Mrs. Nelson is hard of hearing. She doesn’t admit it, but I suspect she’s also hard of seeing. The evidence being, it doesn’t matter what time of day I show up, she always has one randomsponge curler in her hair which she seemingly overlooked. I pound on the door because it’s the only way she hears me. “Mrs. Nelson, Oliver’s home!”
Pressing my ear to the door, I hear nothing. Not even the pop of her recliner chair folding back up. “Mrs. Nelson!” I rise to the tips of my toes, nearly smashing my nose against the pane while I peer through the lace curtains on the tiny top door window. Everything is dark. She’s not home. One would think it odd, but I don’t even shrug. She’s awfully forgetful. It’s not the first time, or even the second or third, she has forgotten I have Oliver, and she leaves to run an errand.
Usually, I don’t mind because I could certainly take him for another lap to top off my recruits. Today, I’m anxious to get to the coffee shop. “We’re here!” I holler at the top of my lungs and twist the doorknob, hoping it will budge enough for me to slip Oliver inside. The knob is as tight as my dad’s pickle jar lids.
Speaking of Dad, I sure wish he were here. He’d take Oliver until Mrs. Nelson returns, but my parents had a weekend wedding out of town. They left this morning. I check the time on my phone. It’s well past Coffee Loft opening time. If I don’t get there for the morning rush, there will be no point. My website is busy today, but how long will it last? I surely can’t get cocky because I had one good day. I need to keep recruiting.
I tap my foot, weighing my options. Before I talk myself out of it, I spin on my heel and head down the stairs. Oliver’s going to hang out with me today. He’s probably ready for a nap. He’ll be fine.
I giggle as I pull my lips into a dubious grin.
Christian willlovehim.
I’m whistling by the time I steer Oliver to Coffee Loft. There is a small line of people lingering on the Coffee Loft sidewalk. Not in front of the door waiting to get in. Most of them appear to be waiting to go down the subway entrance. I sidestep, avoiding getting in their way, and giggle, visualizing Christian’s glowing scarlet face peering out the window to see me.
I’m not a mean person. I’ve never met a person I didn’t like. Well, until Christian. It’s not to say I hate him, more I hate what he did. I wasn’t afraid to stand up for what was right. It isn’t right for Christian to fire both Jade and me on Christmas Eve. Especially after we ran that store for weeks by ourselves without even a day off.
Plus, this is the best location for female recruits because of all the high-end fashion boutiques in the area. Unless I wanted to go into New York City, this is the perfect place for me. Also, it’s a teeny bit fun to taunt him with my presence. I slowly pass in front of the glass door but resist the urge to press my face to the glass and wave like a crazy person. Instead, I paste on my stoic expression and raise my chin.
“Good morning!” I call out to everyone. “Would anybody like a free match on my dating website? It’s called, Your Last First Date, and I have a 100% match success rate.”
I snap for Oliver to sit next to me, and he’s obedient enough. Mostly because he’s tired, and he lays down with his giant tongue almost grazing the ground. “Are you ready for the weekend?” I ask Mr. Donold. He’s a retired accountant who lives alone, but steps out every morning for a fresh bagel from the grocery store. I have no idea how long he’s been single, but he dresses fairly nicely with tan trousers, and a button shirt every day. He could certainly attract a woman. No matter how often I insist he try my app, he refuses. For some reason, he hasn’t told me to bug off about it yet. With an encouraging smile, I tack on, “I can get you matched for a date today.”
He tsks, but I’m not offended. This is what he does. It’s a game we have. “Someday,” I go on, “I’ll get you signed up.” Now that I’ve caught my breath from rushing over here, I glance down at Oliver, who suddenly stands in alert, doing his signature I-found-hunk-excited-tail wag.
“What do you see, boy?” I raise my gaze, but it was too late. I don’t have a tight grip on his leash, and he takes off. His force is too strong for my unprepared hands. I grapple at the end of the leash, but my hands are full, and everything jumbles together. It’s useless. All my cards scatter to the ground, and Oliver isgone.
eleven
Christian
