“Wow, I didn’t know that.”
“Didn’t know what?” I heard a baritone voice behind me ask.
I spun my head and found a man in his mid to late thirties holding a couple of boxes in his arms. He had long brown hair that didn’t go past his collar but was pushed back in a rocker look I’d seen gracing the pages ofRolling Stone.
“I asked if her parents were in the business,” I said. He gave me the same clueless look she’d given me, so I added, “The entertainment business.”
“Oh, no,” he replied. “I’m an elementary school teacher over at Elias Howe.”
I smiled and nodded. I had no idea what he was talking about. I knew there were schools in the city, but I didn’t know where any of them were. I passed schools all the time walking around, but I didn’t stop to pay attention to them.
“What do you teach?” I finally asked.
“I’m in special education. I primarily help students who have cognitive learning disabilities.”
“Wow, hot and smart,” I said. My hand flew up to my mouth when my brain processed what had flown out of my mouth.
His head bent slightly as a smirk grew across his face. “Thank you, I think.”
“Wow, sometimes I can’t control my mouth.”
“Erika is an actor. She’s heading to an audition, so her mind is in other places,” Carissra said.
I smiled down at her, then back up at him, then back down at her.
“She’s not my daughter. She’s my niece,” the man said, seeing the confusion as it etched across my face. “I became her legal guardian last year after…” He quickly glanced down at the wheelchair.
“After my parents died in a car accident that left me in this,” Carissra said. She looked up at the man. “He still has a tough time talking about it. I was angry at first, but I was given this second chance to live life, even if it is from a metal chariot.”
I grinned. I could tell from the look on her face that she was genuine, which is not something you see too often when you work around actors all the time.
“I’m Kirk, by the way,” the guy said, extending his hand.
Again, with the handshakes. “I’m Erika,” I said, extending my hand. He gripped it firmly but didn’t hold it too tightly, like some guys do when trying to dominate your hand.
“Wait…Erika,” he snapped his fingers a couple of times, and I could tell he was trying to remember my last name. “Erika Saunders.”
“That’s me…in the flesh.”
“You know her?” Carissra asked.
“Yeah, I watched clips of her show on YouTube,” Kirk admitted.
The hottie next door is gay. Figures. “And now I’m your neighbor. Are you a fan?”
He hesitated for a second before saying, “Not really. A friend posted a link to your video on Facebook.”
“Oh really? I didn’t know it was on social media.”
“You’ve been memed and everything. You’re like the poster child for women who hate men.”
I took a sharp inhale.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just…well, you know…”
“I don’t really hate men. I promise I don’t. I also don’t hate gay people, despite my ex’s rumors around town. Gays love me, so I’m sure you and I will get along great.”
“Oh,” he started, a confused look crossing his face. “I’m not gay.”
