As for my father, like most husbands/fathers, he chose to stay out of it.Though we spoke often throughout the week, he didn’t meddle like my mother did.He checked on me to make sure that I was okay, but with him being so busy at work, that’s where his focus was.After all, I was a grown adult, so why would he need to hover at this point in my life?
Of course, because my mother was his responsibility, I could see him coming by to talk if she really did make good on her threat to get him involved, but what would be the point?Since I’d never told either of my parents about my tumultuous friendship with Dalton, neither of them had any reason to dislike him, so my father would really just be getting involved to appease my mother.
However, before I could think to call my father and warn him that my mother was losing it, a pounding at the door had both me and Dalton sharing a what-the-fuck glance.Luckily, we were both dressed decently enough, but if it was my mother again, I wasn’t so sure that I’d answer the door.
“Make your coffee,” I told him.“I’ll go see who it is.”
“While I appreciate that, there’s no way in hell that I’m letting you answer the door with someone pounding on it like that,” he drawled out, and my heart swooned a bit.
Used to Dalton’s protective ways, I leaned up against the couch as the man went to answer the front door, and when he did, a very frazzled-looking Elena Ruiz came barreling through, completely ignoring a stunned Dalton Summit.
“Oh, my...”she rushed out.“Oh, my...”
Immediately concerned, I reached for her as soon as she was standing in front of me.“Ms.Elena, are you okay?”
“Dear, I was going to ask you the same thing,” she said, tugging at the collar of her yellow track suit.“I was coming out of the elevator after sending Ruben on his way, and I ran into that awful mother of yours.”My lips twitched as I heard Dalton shut the door, and I crossed my arms over my chest.“She was muttering the most unflattering things under her breath, and when I said hello to her, she had the audacity not to greet me in return.I mean, really...how rude.”
“We just had a minor disagreement,” I told her.“Nothing to get alarmed about, Ms.Elena.”
She immediately let out a huff.“Well, what on earth would she have reason to be upset?You’re an absolute delight.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Dalton remarked, and that’s when Ms.Elena finally stopped to acknowledge that we weren’t alone.
It also took everything in me not to laugh when she got all breathless, saying, “Oh, well...what do we have here?”
Chapter 18
Dalton~
When I’d gone to open the door, the last thing that I had ever expected was a short woman in her eighties wearing a bright yellow track suit and silver-colored hair sticking up all over the damn place.
I mean, seriously.
Nonetheless, as I’d heard her explain how she’d come right over to check on Leandra because Mariah Rollins was awful, I had become an instant fan, despite the track suit thing.Plus, I could only hope that I had that much energy when I was in my eighties.She seemed like she could exhaust the youth right out of a person, but it was hard not to like her quirkiness.
“This is my boyfriend, Dalton Summit,” Leandra answered, trying not to laugh.“Dalton, this is my neighbor, Ms.Elena Ruiz.”
The older woman immediately scowled.“Wait...I’ve seen you around before, no?”
“Leandra and I have been friends for a few years already,” I replied before walking over to take her hand.“It’s a pleasure to officially meet you Ms.Ruiz.”
She tittered as I kissed the back of her hand.“Oh, my...well, it’s nice to meet you, young man.”
Straightening, then stepping back a bit, I said, “Well, I’m in dire need of some coffee, so I’ll leave you ladies to it.”
Then, just like that, I was completely forgotten.“So, what was your mother about this time?”
“Oh, no,” Leandra rushed out.“You’re going to have a seat, then explain to me why you were sending Ruben on his way.”
“Well, surely that can wait,” Ms.Ruiz replied, bristling a bit.“I’m here to make sure that you’re okay, dear.”
Though it was probably rude as hell to listen to them as I made my coffee, I couldn’t help it.Ms.Ruiz was very animated, and I found it entertaining as hell.
“Would either of you ladies care for some fresh coffee?”I called back as I set the coffeemaker to brew.
“Thank you, no,” Leandra answered like I knew that she would.Though she wasn’t a stranger to the caffeinated monster that was coffee, she didn’t drink it as regularly as I did.
“How kind of you to ask, but I’ll pass,” Ms.Ruiz replied.“I’m more of a tea kind of person.”
