Let’s Eat
Colt waitedfor Natalie by the receptionist’s desk at the emergency room entrance. Natalie smiled when she saw him, whether because she was relieved for the protection or because seeing him made her feel fluttery inside—the same way she felt in middle school whenever she crossed paths with a crush—she wasn’t sure.
“How does this work?” Natalie asked as she walked up to Colt. “Do I pretend I don’t see you and you aren’t really there like some sort of secret service detail, or do we act like we’re friends and walk the streets side by side so people know not to mess with me?”
“I wouldn’t mess with you. You look scrappy.”
“Like a dog in a junkyard, scrappy?” Natalie crossed her arms.
Colt smirked. “A woman who can stand her ground, scrappy. And it’s up to you. I can be invisible or I can walk beside you and even hold your hand.”
“I don’t think you could ever make yourself invisible,” Natalie said. Her cheeks went hot again. “I mean . . . ” she gripped her purse strap. “You’re very tall.”
“Nah, you’re just short,” Colt teased, then nodded at the sliding glass doors. “Lead the way, boss.”
Natalie, now a little amused, took a few steps across the waiting room, glancing behind her as Colt trailed her steps. “This feels weird,” she whispered to herself as she sidestepped a parked wheelchair. “Walk next to me,” she said, dodging a pregnant woman clutching her stomach.
Colt complied, hands wedged in the pockets of his tight jeans. Natalie considered that he made any piece of plain streetwear look like a hot new item. He sported a black t-shirt with a lightweight, grey, halfway zippered up hoodie over it. Colt shortened his steps to keep pace with Natalie.
“So, are you going to sleep outside of my apartment?” Natalie asked. “Park a car on the street like you’re on a stakeout?”
“Something like that.”
“Are you always this cryptic?”
Colt smiled, then patted the messenger bag slung over his shoulder. “I got you a present,” he said.
“Already? I wasn’t going to get you something till our one-week anniversary.”
“Now I’m hurt.” Colt clutched his chest and then took something out of his pocket. “It’s a new lock for your apartment. It was that or a pit bull. Nugget is sweet, but he doesn’t exactly instill fear in others.”
“He knows Gavin,” Natalie said. “He can be scary.”
“Maybe to a chipmunk.”
“Hey, don’t insult my dog.” If they’d known each other for a while, Natalie would have elbowed Colt in the rib. Instead, she tried to concentrate on not tripping over grates in the sidewalk. The last thing she needed to make Colt aware of was that she was a klutz.
“I wouldn’t dare.”
Natalie noticed Colt scanning the sidewalk in front of them and across the street, and the rows of customers leaned over bars in coffee shops and restaurants they passed. She realized he’d been looking out for her from the moment they stepped out of the hospital. For the first time since coming home to Brooklyn, she felt safe and could finally relax.
Colt watched for any signs of Gavin as they walked, his eyes casting a perimeter around Natalie’s body. In his eyes, she had a perfect body. He wished he could cast his hands around the perimeter of it. He coughed, clearing his throat. “Your ex still messaging you?” Colt touched Natalie’s back to steer her out of the way of a teenager being dragged by three dogs on leashes. Natalie felt the width of his hand spanning from the lip of her pants up the curve of her back.
“He was last night,” she replied. “But I blocked his number.”
“I’m installing this lock tonight. Just in case he decides to show up again.”
“I’m actually thinking of apartment hunting this weekend. No forwarding address. Or, I don’t know, maybe even move back home.”
“Where’s home?”
“Alabama,” Natalie said. “Too backwoods for Gavin. He only came home with me once in seven years.”
“You shouldn’t have to uproot your life,” Colt said. “You have a good job here. Friends.”
Natalie shrugged. “What other options do I have? I’m sure Rusty won’t let me keep you forever.”
“Keep me?” Colt laughed. “You make it sound like I’m a puppy.”
