Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
Sadie set another folded towel on the pile beside her on the couch. The nightly news played on TV, a drab contrast to her cheerfully decorated apartment. They replayed the shaky amateur video of what they were calling a “Super catfight” between Catch and Spark yesterday.
The two were in a back alley beating the crap out of each other. Catch kept absorbing Spark’s blasts of fire like it was nothing. It was wild to watch. Where did Catch store all that excess energy? Their catfight was more like a firefight with them shooting flames at one another.
It was hot in more ways than one. Two agile women in form-fitting, neoprene-like outfits. Catch in blue covering everything but her eyes and mouth. Spark in a similar black number slashed with red, only with long dark hair waving about.
They finally resorted to a good old-fashioned fistfight. You couldn’t make out what they were saying, but Spark was clearly angry. Well, what did she expect, getting caught by the city’s greatest Super? She shoved Catch against a brick wall, then blasted into the air with two streams of fire.
A warm blush spread across Sadie’s cheeks. What if that awesome Super was living across the hall?
She hadn’t seen Joan in almost a week. As in, Joan hadn’t stopped by Vector City Coffee. As in, Joan could’ve just been busy at work.
The uptick in Villain activity could also maybe, possibly be the reason. The Supers had been in the news for days—more so than usual. SuperWatch was full of sightings. Catch had mostly been in the thick of things.
Her phone jingled on the other side of the deep plum couch. She didn’t have to look to know it was Mom. Who else called regularly at ten o’clock on a weeknight?
She swiped on the screen and set the call to speakerphone. “Hi, Mom,” she said, steeling herself for what was coming.
“Are you watching the news?” Mom’s soft voice was colored with concern.
“Why?”
“There was another incident. Another battle with those Superheroes. There was fire. A lot of fire. On a busy Monday afternoon.”
“I saw that.”
Before Sadie could assure her mother the Super catfight had been nowhere near her, Mom said, “What if that happened by where you work? What if instead of a man falling through your window, a ball of fire shot through the café and hurt you?”
“This looks like it was by some warehouses down by the river,” Sadie fibbed, bringing the corners of a pink washcloth together.
“Those people bring destruction to every part of the city.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“You need to be careful. It’s so dangerous there.”
“Our overall crime rate is less than any other major city,” she recited by habit.
“I don’t care about other cities. I care about the one my daughter lives in.”
“I’m fine, Mom. I’m folding laundry in my apartment. My building is very secure.”
“Stay away from the windows.”
“Ha ha.”
“I’m serious,” Mom said. “Did you move your bed yet? It’s too close to a window.”
“My building is safe. There’s no reason for any Hero or Villain to be near it.” Unless to live in it, of course. In, say, apartment 714.
“If you feel unsafe, you can come home.” Mom was the one feeling unsafe after the Lunk-through-the-window affair.
“I don’t feel unsafe,” Sadie said. “You know I love it here. Can you trust me a little?”
“I do,” Mom said, her tone filled with No, I don’t .
Not like Sadie could entirely blame her. She hadn’t exactly made a lot of smart moves. But still… “Where I work is fine. I like it and what I do.”
“Where you work is dangerous!”
“It’s been a little unusual at VCC, but the damage is always repaired.”
Mom grumbled something that sounded like “They shouldn’t have to keep repairing things.”
“The Supers paid to get our window replaced. Ten thousand dollars just appeared in the café’s bank account. They gave us the money for it, and I think for the other times, too.”
“That’s the least they could do,” Mom said.
“They didn’t have to. It was very kind of them.”
After a deep sigh, Mom said, “All I’m saying is we don’t have these problems in West Vector.”
Because it’s too boring in West Vector. Changing the topic, Sadie said, “How’s Dad’s garden doing? Any tomatoes yet?”
“We have a few cherry tomatoes just about ready to pick. The peppers and cucumbers are growing steadily. Are you growing anything on your balcony?”
Ugh, she’d told Mom countless times about the vindictive pigeon. Why did she never remember? It was one more terrible thing about living in the big, bad city. “Not this year. I don’t get a good amount of direct sunlight. What I’ve planted in the past hasn’t done very well.”
Mom went on about plants that did well in indirect sun. Sadie finished folding her hand towels. Joan could probably grow whatever she wanted on her sunny balcony. If she had time in between fighting crime to do a little container gardening.
Okay, this was silly, and all kinds of presumptive. She should just leave Joan a note saying hi. Pass along her phone number. If Joan was interested, she’d text. If not, they’d be friendly neighbors.
“Oh, you know what,” Sadie said, doing her best I just thought of something voice. “I promised to loan something to one of my neighbors. I should bring it to her before it gets too late.”
“What are you loaning?” Mom’s tone went to Oh no, not again.
“Sugar. For baking something.”
“Just some sugar? Not a hundred dollars or your dead grandmother’s pearl earrings?”
Sadie stifled a groan and forced out, “A cup of sugar. That’s all.”
Mom made a sound that was part disbelief, part relief.
“I got Grandma’s earrings back. Not everyone I date is a jerk.”
This time, Mom’s snort was ripe with skepticism.
“I’ll call you this weekend, okay?” Sadie said. “Tell Dad to text me pictures of the garden.”
“I will. Take care. Look both ways when you walk to work. Are you still walking home in the dark by yourself?”
“We’ll talk this weekend. I really have to go.”
They said love yous and goodbyes, and then Sadie hopped off the couch. Mom meant well. She didn’t like how often Sadie’s kindness had been exploited by the wrong people. But the overprotective thing didn’t help. It was probably what made those types of people attractive in the first place. Like she could prove her parents wrong about all her life choices by rebelling against societal norms. By not settling down in the suburbs with a nine-to-five office job and sensible partner.
Hanging out with a Superhero would be one heck of a subversive move. Mom was scared of anyone with abilities beyond what most of the population possessed. The rest of the family thought they were a public nuisance more than anything. They hadn’t seen firsthand all the good the Supers did.
In her slightly cluttered kitchen, she pulled a pink-polka-dotted page off the notepad on the side of the fridge.
Hi neighbor!
Let’s swap coffee recipes when you’re free. Stop by my apartment or Vector City Coffee.
Sadie
She added her phone number, then folded it in half. She wrote Joan’s name on one side, stopping herself from drawing a heart on it like a dork. Then she scuttled out of her apartment before she lost her nerve. Her day-off-work sailor shorts and green-and-white striped shirt were cute should Joan be home.
Sadie knocked, then listened for movement inside.
Nothing.
Oh, well. Crime fighting—or personal training—could happen anytime, day or night.
Joan didn’t have a wreath or mat or anything to personalize her doorway. Where could the note go so it wouldn’t get lost?
Sadie tried sliding it between the door and doorjamb. Several beeps sounded from inside, like an alarm. Uh-oh.
She left the note sticking out and backed up. She was halfway to her place when the door cracked open. Several seconds later, Joan peeked through the opening.
“Hi. I didn’t think you were home,” Sadie said.
“Sadie,” Joan said, visibly relieved for some reason. “I hoped it was you.”
Hooray! “I was just leaving you a note.” Sadie gestured at the folded paper on the carpeting.
Joan scooped it up and read it. A grin stretched across her face. “Sorry I haven’t gotten around to stopping by the café. Work’s been…”
“That’s okay. I figured you were busy.”
“Yeah. There’s been some coworker drama.”
Sadie nodded. “That’s always fun.”
She approached Joan in her open doorway. Her new neighbor wore gray sweatpants and a red T-shirt beneath a short-sleeved plaid shirt. Her brunette, chin-length hair hung loose and wavy.
Joan swung the door closed. “Still unpacking,” she said. “Kind of a mess in there.”
“If you need to use a fully functioning kitchen, mine’s available.”
“Thanks. I’ve been hoping we’d run into each other.”
Sadie leaned in and jokingly bumped Joan’s shoulder with her own. Joan winced and hunched forward.
“Oh my gosh, I’m sorry!” Sadie covered her mouth in embarrassment.
“It’s okay. I hurt my shoulder at work.”
Wait a second. Joan had a jumbo adhesive bandage across her knuckles. “What happened?” Sadie asked.
“Just…y’know… Sometimes equipment is in the wrong place.”
And actually, now that she was really looking, there was a bruise forming under Joan’s left eye. “Holy moly, you’re a mess,” Sadie said. “Can I get you something? Do you need anything?”
“I’m good.”
“Want me to beat up whoever was so negligent at your gym?”
A smirk tugged at Joan’s lips. “Sure.”
“Was it a coworker?” Sadie punched a fist into her palm. “Let me at ’em.”
“It was indirectly caused by a coworker. I appreciate the offer, but it might make things worse.”
“I have something that’s really good for bruises. Come over for a minute.”
Joan hesitated, looking back at her door.
“Unless you were in the middle of something,” Sadie said.
“No, I was watching the Vultures lose another game. Let me grab my keys really quick.”
She dashed back inside. Why did she have to lock her door to run across the hall? Unless she was planning on staying, in which case, that was okay . Or maybe she’d been robbed before. Maybe she had expensive workout equipment. It wasn’t fair to assume anything.
Maybe she’s a Superhero who doesn’t want me to see her secret lair.
Joan came back out and smiled. “What coffee concoctions have you been working on?”
“I’m experimenting with Madagascar vanilla. Seeing what pairs best with it.”
She moved slowly across the hall. Seriously, how did she get that injured working at a gym? Sadie lightly touched Joan’s short shirtsleeve and said, “I hope you filed a workers’ comp claim. You really got banged up.”
“It’s all part of the job,” Joan said. “How’s work going for you? Did you get your broken window replaced?”
“Yeah, it got fixed the other day. Oh, guess what? Someone anonymously gave us a huge amount of money.”
“Really? Do you think it was to cover the repairs?”
“It had to be,” Sadie said. “Why else would the Supers do that?”
Joan paused outside Sadie’s door. “The Supers?”
“We assume it’s from Lunk, since he’s the one who broke the window. Isn’t that thoughtful? I mean, you wouldn’t expect any less from the Supers.”
“So you assume it’s from Lunk.”
Sadie set a hand on her chest. “Personally, I do. Amit—my boss—thinks it was from the Supers in general. He said it’s guilt money, so he doesn’t care who it came from.”
“Amit might have a point,” Joan mumbled.
Hmm. An odd thing to say. Maybe she had some inside information…
They entered Sadie’s cozy inner sanctum. She followed Joan’s gaze straight to—whoops, the bras and panties hanging on the drying rack. “Laundry day,” Sadie said.
She gently guided her guest into the kitchen, even though the rack was still visible beside the couch. The plain C-cups were more functional for work than the pretty ones she reserved for dates.
Joan focused on the gadgets lining the counters. The espresso machine and makeshift coffee station. She zoned in on the small food processor. “Is that the newest model?”
“No, the old one. The new one’s a little bigger. I like this one because it saves space but still has a large enough capacity for what I need.”
“I have the old one too but am looking to upgrade.”
Sadie pulled her bin of bandages and various ointments from a cabinet. She found the much-used tube of arnica gel. “I’m always getting bruises from banging into stuff at the café,” she said. “This really helps reduce swelling and discoloration. You can rub it into your shoulder to help with aches and pains. Use it twice a day.”
“That’s nice of you to share,” Joan said. “I’ll buy you another one.”
“Okay.” Sadie unscrewed the cap and squirted a bit of gel onto her fingers. “Let me put some on now.”
Joan started to speak, but stopped when Sadie dabbed beneath her eye. Her fingers felt extra chilly against Joan’s warm skin. “Sorry my hand’s so cold,” she murmured.
“That’s okay,” Joan said. “It feels good.”
Sadie took a step closer to softly pat the gel. Joan was a little bit taller, so she tiptoed up to get level with the bruise. That gingery bite mixed with citrus wafted off Joan. Her mesmerizing eyes looked into Sadie’s, heating her deep inside.
“That should do it.” Sadie lowered her heels but kept her gaze locked on Joan’s.
“Thank you for fussing over me,” Joan said. “I don’t get fussed over very often.”
“Well, that’s a tragedy. Come over anytime you want to be fussed over.”
Sadie gave her a smile that said she meant it. Joan’s grin grew sheepish. She scratched her eyebrow with the bandaged hand.
Sadie touched her wrist. “All this from a coworker error. Do you want to talk about it?”
“It’s just…” Joan wrinkled her nose in an unexpectedly cute move. “I stood up for something, and the guy reacted like a whiny man-baby. A client mistook the situation. I tried to smooth things over, but tripped and fell into some equipment. That’s why I’m all banged up.”
“Was it the man-baby who left the equipment in the wrong place?”
“More or less,” she said. “That was part of what I’d been trying to tell him. Safety, and what’s best for everyone.”
“That should be important to everyone you work with.”
Joan pursed her lips. “My coworkers can be pretty self-absorbed. But he’s the worst.”
“He sounds like a jerk.”
“Definitely a jerk. Anyway, it all sounds way more interesting than it actually was. My job’s pretty boring.”
Sadie stepped over to the arnica gel on the counter. How awesome would it be to rub it into Joan’s shoulder? Okay, to get her hand inside Joan’s shirt? Welcoming heat exuded off her neighbor like the steam radiators in her last apartment, and she wanted to soak it in.
“Can I treat any other spots?” Sadie asked.
“Oh, no, I’m good.”
She nodded at the adhesive bandage. “What about your hand?”
“It’s just a scrape.”
“Scrapes need love, too.” Sadie handed the tube over. “Put it on before you go to bed.”
The bandage spanned Joan’s knuckles. They looked a little bruised, too. Like from punching something hard, such as a person’s face.
Her heartbeat stuttered.
Like the bruise on Joan’s face.
“It works well on minor burns, too,” Sadie said. “In case you have any from…anything.”
Joan’s eyes warmed to liquid amber. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
This wild theory about her being Catch was looking less and less wild. There were too many coincidences. Too many?—
“This is really nice of you,” Joan said.
“Just being neighborly,” Sadie said with a cheeky grin.
“Then I’m glad to have you as a neighbor.”
“I’m glad, too.”
“I owe you for taking care of me like this.”
Sadie tilted her head. “What do you have in mind?”
“Dinner?”
Yes, yes, YES! “Dinner would be lovely.”
“There’s a food truck festival in Friendship Park this weekend. I’ve been looking forward to going. I’d love to have you join me.”
“Sure. That sounds fun.”
“As a date, by the way,” Joan said. “It’d be a date.”
“I appreciate the clarification,” Sadie giggled.
A half-smile pulled Joan’s lips upward. “Hey, it can be hard to know if a woman’s interested in you.”
“I’m interested in you, Joan Malone.”
Her grin widened. “I’m rather intrigued by you, Sadie Eagan. And your taste.” She gestured around the kitchen. “I feel like I’m in one of those vintage shops on the east side of the city.”
“That’s what I was going for.”
Joan’s gaze rested on the bras and panties. No, wait, the TV. The weathercaster pointed at plentiful sunshine across the area.
“We should have perfect weather on Saturday,” Sadie said. “I’m off on Saturdays. Does that work for you?”
“Saturday would be great. I should let you get back to watching the news.”
Waving at the TV, she said, “That’s unimportant. I’d be more than happy to talk to you about food processors.”
“Then we’ll have nothing to talk about on Saturday,” Joan said with a wink.
Anticipation swizzled up Sadie’s chest. “There’s also coffee grinders,” she teased.
Joan glanced at the TV again before turning toward the door. Maybe she didn’t want to see herself on the news.
Some gentle probing was in order. Sadie followed her and tried to be casual. “Oh, hey, sorry. I haven’t asked for your pronouns. Mine are she/her.”
“Me, too. She/her.”
Okay, Joan wasn’t Race.
She held up the tube in the hallway. “Thanks again for this. I feel better already.”
Sadie gave a little curtsy and said, “Glad me and my top-notch dabbing skills could help.”
“I’m definitely feeling your healing energy.”
Her hands stilled on her shorts. Feeling. My. Energy.
“Absorbing it, like the arnica gel?” Sadie asked carefully.
Joan smiled. “Something like that.”
Holy crap!
“Have a good rest of your night, neighbor,” she said. “I’ll text you when I get to my place so you have my number.”
“Goodnight, neighbor.” Sadie’s voice came out all breathy. “I can’t wait ’til Saturday.”
“Me, too.”
They shared a wave. She watched until Joan made it safely inside her apartment. Her legs jellified and she had to hold on to the door as she closed it. It really did feel like some sort of energy transfer had happened between them.
Joan felt my energy. She absorbed my energy.
Wait, wait, hang on. Joan had reacted funny to the idea that Lunk had given the café money. It had to have been Catch, because she knew about the window. Because Joan knew about the window.
Sadie squealed and danced in a circle. “You’re going on a date with a Superhero! A nice girl for once. The nicest nice girl!”
She had a date with Catch. Well, Joan, but they were one and the same wonderful woman.
She squealed and spun again. Finally, a date with someone sweet and good and honest. A true protector. Someone who’d look out for her rather than ask to borrow five hundred dollars, or lie about not being married, or simply ghost her.
Superheroes did not ghost.