When the buzzer went, she turned and stared at the security intercom by the door. Her stomach tangled into knots as she made her way over to it.
Rather than saying anything over the intercom, she pressed the button to let Ben into the building. She had about a minute before she’d have to decide if she was going to let him into the apartment.
Far too soon, there was a rap on her door. Her heart leapt and then began to race.
“Amelia.” Ben’s voice came through the door, muffled. “I’ll just leave your bag and the food out here. Hopefully we can trust your neighbors. I’ll talk to you later.”
Amelia knew her neighbors were trustworthy, but still, she opened the door and stepped into the hall. Ben was walking toward the stairs, his gait easy and his steps sure.
“Ben.” Her voice was soft, but he heard her.
He froze mid-stride, then pivoted to face her. His church clothes—pressed black slacks and a sage green polo—still looked crisp despite the afternoon heat. Sunglasses rested atop his head, holding back his hair like a makeshift headband.
“Thanks.” She crossed her arms over her waist. “For bringing my bag back.”
“There’s food there, too. Two meals.”
She glanced down to see a bag from the diner. “Two?”
“Yep.” He took a step toward her. “Enough for two meals for yourself. Or maybe one, if you want to share the other one with someone else.”
“Share?”
“Yeah. You know…” He took another step toward her. “With a friend.”
“Are… are you that friend?”
“I could be.”
Yes, he definitely could be. But was that the best thing for her?
“C’mon then,” she said. “I guess I’ll share it with you.”
She expected some sort of flippant remark, but instead, a look of relief crossed his face before he smiled.
In a few quick strides, he was by her side, and she got a whiff of his cologne as he bent to pick up her suitcase and the bag of takeout.
Amelia stepped back into the apartment and held the door for him.
“Where do you want this?” Ben lifted the suitcase.
“Just here,” Amelia said, gesturing to the space beside the door.
“We can eat out on the balcony, if you’d like.”
“It is a nice day,” he said.
“Go on out,” she told him. “I’ll bring some drinks. I have flavored carbonated water, or just plain water.”
“I’ll take a flavored water.”
Amelia nodded, then went into the kitchen to get their drinks. By the time she had them, Ben had opened the sliding door onto the balcony.
“This is nice,” Ben said as she joined him.
“Mom and Dad found this bistro set for me at a garage sale last summer.” She set the cold cans on the table. “It gets me out in the fresh air, even when I can’t leave the apartment.”
Ben lifted two takeout containers out of the bag. “Today’s special was southern fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, and mixed vegetables. The dessert options were a slice of apple pie or a fudgy brownie.”
