Hannah sighed. That ‘bad boy’s name’ was precisely what needed to be dismantled. Sure, a piece like this might result in lower engagement than the clickbait stuff, but it would demonstrate that Ward had matured. And bolstered by his newfound social media attention, something like this would surely help counter all the accumulated stories about his affairs and the drinking and brawling. A tall order, but the only thing Hannah could do was give it her best shot – and see where it went.
Emailing Tom the piece, plus an accompanying candid shot of Ward taken that day at the shelter which she’d kept on file for such an opportunity, she mentally crossed her fingers, hoping for lots more eyeballs of the forgiving kind this time. And couldn’t help but smile at the photo, one that she herself had snapped of him unawares.
Thiswould show the world a very different side to Ward McKenzie for sure.
Later, she exited her office and hailed a cab, heading back to Courtney’s apartment, her mind swirling with various other ideas for the hockey player’s rehabilitation strategy. As always, once her brain found an opening, the ideas kept on coming.
Zipping upwards in the elevator to the penthouse floor, she tried his phone again – but the result was the same, voicemail.
My personal life is off-limits.
Could there be a significant other in his life that Hannah wasn’t aware of? Like the woman who shot that video. Well, if there was, she needed to know about it. For one thing, romance could provide even more positive press fodder and if she arranged some pap shots of him doing more wholesome couple activities, it would go a long way toward flipping the script on the womaniser image.
Strange though, once he’d let his guard down Hannah wasn’t quite convinced that Ward truly was a philanderer either. Unfortunately, she’d had enough experience with narcissistic males to recognize one when she saw it, and that element of his image never really rang true. Hence her confusion about the two very different sides to him, the hard man image he’d so carefully curated, or the more recent vulnerable guy who made her feel almost protective of him.
Was that it? Hannah wondered. Was what she’d been feeling around him more to do with protective instinct than anything more … problematic? Because she would never in a million years be attracted to such a blatant womaniser.
Come to think of it though, any of the women with whom Ward had been associated previously had shown up readily in the media – which indicated that a lot of those dalliances were perhapsset up, showmances even. She wasn’t sure, but it was possible that he himself might have been responsible for building up that love ’em and leave ’em narrative. Because the more time she spent with him, the more convinced Hannah became that he was anything but a playboy.
Once she’d reached her floor, she headed down the hallway, casting a glance at Ed’s door as she passed. Her neighbour had been quiet of late and she wondered what he was up to. But her idle concern turned to curiosity the moment she entered the apartment and on the floor lay another note.
Think of the devil…
Hey P-2,
Pretty quiet over there for the past while. You doing OK?
Hannah had to smile. Apparently, Ed had been wondering about her silence just as much as she had been about his. And she snorted at the irony of him pointing out the absence of noise.
I suppose I shouldn’t be complaining about that, right? After all, I’ve been doing nothing but telling you to keep it down since the moment you moved in.
‘Well, at least he admits it,’ she commented, eyebrows raised at this unexpected bout of honesty and self-awareness.
Based on the lack of racket, I’m guessing that you are now fully settled in. Or, you’ve been busy doing your social media crap or whatever. Yes, yes, I know what that is. I’m not a total caveman – even though I act like it sometimes, I get it.
I also get that I sound like a grouch most days – and have given you a hard time, which I’m realizing now might be undeserved. And so I am trying to be a bit more accommodating and open-minded. I’ve been dealing with some health stuff lately, and pain tends to put a man in a bad mood. And yeah, I’ve been told not to take it out on the people around me but most of the time I forget that advice. But I am trying.
At those words, Hannah’s heart truly went out to the guy. Her thoughts drifted to her granddad once again, reminding her that it was a lot for an older person to contend with when the body started to break down and work against them.
Her grandmother had died five years before her husband, and until Granddad passed away, he had been entirely housebound and had a very hard time walking. With the result that he had been extra-cranky and bored out of his mind too. He’d also needed a home-help nurse on occasion, but at least he’d had his family. All the family and extended relatives too had made sure to visit as often as possible to keep a close eye on him and make sure he knew he was loved.
She didn’t think Ed had that and it surely wouldn’t be fun to be alone most of the time. Especially in such a big and bustling city like this. She’d already experienced a taste of that herself in the short time she’d been here.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not looking for sympathy here.
Hannah smiled again as if Ed had just admonished her for her private thoughts.
Just admitting some truths about myself. Once a guy gets to a certain age, it really can be like trying to teach an old dog new tricks. We are stubborn, and like you said before, set in our ways. But I guess that the only constant is change and I’ve been discovering that a bit for myself recently, and still trying to wrap my head around it. I probably don’t have to make things as hard on everyone as I do, but I’ve always been focused on keeping my head down and working hard, so when I can’t do that, I find myself a bit at a loss and then I get cranky. That’s where I’ve been lately. You just happened to show up during that time and I’ve taken the brunt of it out on you, so to speak.
Sounded like he wasn’t enjoying retirement either, she mused, thinking that it must be a huge adjustment too. To be a hard worker your whole life and then suddenly be stuck at home and feel like time is moving on without you.
She wondered what he used to do for a living. To afford a place like this it had to be something fancy, like a lawyer, banker or doctor. Or someone in the entertainment business. Yet for some reason, none of those fit. His words didn’t give off a fancy, white-collar vibe or a confident showbiz type. Something about the way Ed talked about himself seemed much more down to earth. ‘Save for the Penthouse on the Upper East Side,’ she mumbled, feeling even more confused by the picture of her elderly neighbour she’d conjured in her mind.
It’s an adjustment, going from useful to useless. Everyone wants to feel like they matter, that they’re doing something good in their life. Anyway, enough rambling from me.Obviously you are much busier than I, and have things to do. I didn’t say it before, but thanks again for keeping the noise down. Weird thing is, now the silence is starting to get to me.
As you’ve probably already figured out, I can be hard to please …
Now she had even more questions, but one thing Hannah felt for certain about was that her neighbour seemed to exist in a state of limbo. The problem solver in her craved the opportunity to help him.
