Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Cash
“Oh!” Nori makes a strangled sound like she’s choking on her own spit. “I didn’t … You didn’t … That’s not what I meant …” Her cheeks flush pink. “Clearly you … you weren’t asking me out,” she stammers. “I was just in the middle of something, and I said the wrong thing.”
“Makes total sense.” I offer her a smile. I’ve got no idea what Nori was in the middle of, but she’s got enough on her plate, and I don’t want to add embarrassment to the menu. “My afternoon case canceled,” I tell her, “and I remembered today was your day off. I figured you could take my bike out for a test ride.”
“Right. Good. Yes.” Nori’s head bobs like a pigeon’s. “Bike riding. Of course.”
I arch a brow. “So is now a good time?”
She looks down at her feet, which are currently stuck in fuzzy socks. “I just need to grab some shoes.” She slams the door in my face, then returns a minute later wearing a pair of gleaming white Vans. “Not exactly bike shoes.”
“Yeah, well.” I chuckle. “We’re not exactly training for the Tour de France.” I nod to indicate the staircase. “We just have to grab my bike out of storage.”
“Great.” Nori gulps. “Let’s go do that thing. With the bike. Now. Before I change my mind.” She starts down the hall at a pace that suggests she might actually be in a race. I follow her down four flights of stairs and into the basement, where we proceed to pick our way around my crowded storage unit.
There’s an old foosball table from when I was in high school. Next to that is a saggy bean bag chair I inherited in college and a pull-out futon I bought for my first apartment. I haven’t used any of this stuff in years, but I can’t seem to get rid of anything either. They’re remnants of a time when I thought anything was possible.
I guess my heart still wants to believe that.
When we reach the bike, Nori places a hand on the leather saddle and checks out the frame. The carbon fiber is fire-engine red, and lightweight. She runs her hand along the leather of the barely used seat. “Does your bike have a name?” she asks.
“A name?”
“You know. Like Dorothy,”
A smile sneaks onto my face. “Surprisingly enough, I haven’t had a chance to come up with a name yet.”
“Well, we should,” she says. “That way I can show my respect properly.”
“Right.” While I find Nori’s desire to connect with my bike … adorable … she’s also clearly self-conscious about her cycling skills. So a part of her could be stalling, and she might not even know it. “How about we see if the size works for you first,” I say, figuring it’s best to take this process step by step for her. “Then we can worry about a name.”
She looks up at me, her brows pulling in. “I’ve got to be honest. I’m starting to rethink this whole me-borrowing-your-bike idea.”
“You’ll do great,” I tell her, even though I’m not sure that’s actually true. “And I’ll be by your side the entire time. I’ll make sure you’re safe.” Now, this I can promise.
“I’m not so much worried about safety as I am about looking ridiculous in front of everyone. I mean, what grown adult can’t ride a bike?”
“You won’t be in front of everyone.” I hitch my shoulders. “You’ll just be in front of me.”
She pushes out a small snort-laugh. “And that’s supposed to make me feel better?”
“Heh.” I drag a hand along the back of my neck. “What if I promise to keep one eye closed?”
“Ha. No.”
“Come on, Nori. You can do this. I believe in you.”
She releases a long slow breath. “Fine.”
Together we wheel the bike out of storage, through the lobby, and onto the sidewalk. We stop at the corner of the building, and Nori throws a leg over to slide onto the seat. When she leans forward with her hands on the grips, her toes touch the ground.
Just barely, but still.
“I think the size works,” I say. Grabbing one side of the handlebar, I let my other hand hover over the small of Nori’s back. “Can I touch you?”
“Why?” Her lip trembles.
“To keep you and the bike steady while you test the pedal height.” When she nods, I reach over and wrap my arm around her body. My hand clasps her waist and she draws in a sharp breath. “I’ve got you,” I say. “You can lift your feet now.”
“Okay.” Nori’s Vans fly up, and I make sure she stays balanced .
“Now go ahead and pedal,” I say. “Just a few rotations to start, and I’ll move along with you. This isn’t even officially a test ride yet. Just a pedal thing.”
Nori pushes forward for several yards, going as slowly as a person can on a bike and remain upright. I jog alongside her, holding on, gently. When we reach the alley, she drops her Vans to the ground. Foot brakes.
“I did it!” She turns to face me, a slow grin stretching across her face.
I can’t help grinning at her too. “Of course you did.”
“I thought you were going to do the ‘surprise release’ thing,” she says. “You know, when a kid’s learning to ride a bike, and the adult starts running along beside them, but then they drift to the back and let go, while the poor clueless kid keeps riding along with no one holding on?”
I guffaw. “Well, you’re not a kid, and I’m definitely not your dad. But I was never gonna let you fall.”
She meets my gaze, her eyes bright. She looks so vulnerable, my jaw aches. “Thank you,” she says.
“Welcome.” I clear my throat and take a step back to put some distance between us. I was enjoying our proximity a little too much. “Looks like you don’t need me for this after all.”
Nori shrugs. “I guess I don’t.”
“Ready to take a spin around the building?”
Instead of answering, she glances down the alley, her fingers clutching the grips. White knuckles on each side.
“Mountain bike tires are thick and slow,” I say, “and the roads here are flat, so you won’t pick up speed unless you want to.”
She lets out a small squawk. “I absolutely do not want to.”
“The brakes are here if you need them.” I point at the levers. “But since you won’t be going fast, you can always stop with your feet like you just did. ”
“Little Red Riding Hood,” she blurts.
I blink. “Huh?”
“We should call her Little Red Riding Hood.”
At this, I huff out a laugh. “That’s not the manliest name for a bike.”
Nori nods. “I’m not a man.”
“True enough.” I flash her a smile, then glance down at the bike. “All right, Red. Time to show Nori what you’ve got.”
She leans over the frame, her bottom lip gathered in her teeth. When she pushes off, she wobbles for a second, but quickly finds her balance. I trot along behind her as she pedals down the alley. She’s only a few yards ahead, but she quickly gains on me.
“You’ve got this, Nori!”
She whoops as she passes the parking deck. “I totally do!” When she reaches the end of the building, she keeps going until she’s steering around the corner.
“I’ll wait for you here!” I call out, but she’s already out of sight. So I post up under a tree on the corner, prepared to keep my word.
A minute passes. Then another. I shift my weight, wishing I hadn’t promised Nori she’d be okay. I can’t really control her safety, all the time. If she starts riding my bike to work, I won’t be there running along beside her.
A rope of worry slithers around my chest. If she doesn’t circle back soon, I’ll run around and find her. But even as I think this, a hoot of victory echoes in the distance. Sounds like she’s over by the park on the other side of the building.
The tightness loosens in my chest.
In another minute, Nori reappears around the opposite corner of the building. Her face is bursting with something that looks suspiciously like pride. I lift a hand prepared to high-five her when she stops, but she blows right by me instead .
“I’m taking another lap!” she shouts over her shoulder.
“Yeah, you are!” I shout, rooting her on. “I’ll just … keep waiting for you!”
In the end, Nori completes five full laps around the property. By the time she’s done, beads of sweat have gathered at her temple. Her throat is flushed and her hair is damp at the nape of her neck.
“That … felt … amazing,” she gasps, her breaths coming fast.
I bob my head. “I knew it would come back to you.”
“So you really don’t mind if I borrow your bike for the next couple of weeks?”
“I really don’t mind.”
“Thank you so much,” she gushes. “Seriously.”
“You’re the one who’ll be doing the hard work.” My mouth tugs up on one side. Seeing Nori happy makes me happy. I’m just helping a neighbor help herself.
That’s all this is about.
“There is one thing, though,” she says with a quirk of her brow. “I’m clearly a very gifted rider now …”
“Clearly.”
“But what if I get a flat tire or break a chain or something? I have no idea how to handle that.”
“Hmm.” I nod. “Just put my number in your phone, and you can call if anything comes up.”
“Ooh. I left my phone inside,” she says, glancing back at the building. “Let me have yours.”
I pull my phone from my pocket, and hand it over. She quickly adds herself to my contacts, then passes the phone back. “Now send me a text.”
ME
Hey, Nori. You did all right on Red today.
She cranes her neck to see what I wrote, and a fresh smile breaks across her face. “You know, this is the nicest thing anyone’s done for me in a while.”
I puff out a skeptical laugh. “No way.”
“My brother and sister-in-law don’t count. Neither do Hayden or Keeley. Or Violet. They’re my friends and family. They have to be nice to me. I’m talking about a stranger being kind. That sure doesn’t happen every day.”
Strangers. Right.
“I wouldn’t call us strangers anymore,” I say, scratching my chin. “We’ve been through too much by now.” I lift a hand to count on my fingers. “One, escargot. Two, underwear.”
“Nooo. Don’t remind me.” Nori covers her eyes, but I continue.
“Car mishaps, three. And now bike adventures. That’s four fingers already,” I say. “We just need a thumb for a whole hand. And that might even make us … friends.”
Nori opens her eyes, fresh color blossoming in her cheeks. “You know, when you first moved in, Hayden and I thought—” She takes a quick beat. “ I thought maybe you felt like you were better than us. But I was wrong.” She offers me a small smile. “And I’m glad.”
“Me too, neighbor.” Warmth spreads inside me, filling the hollowness in my chest. Nori’s the first new person I’ve felt any real connection to in years. Besides my old friends and family members, I haven’t felt safe letting anybody else get close to me. Not since Daphne took off. Nothing like having the woman you’re prepared to marry find someone else within weeks of your career ending. Trust was hard to come by after that. And any relationships I’ve risked investing in since have been strictly professional.
Then even Alex let me down.
I take in Nori’s smile now, and my gut constricts. What if I’ve let her too far in? Too quickly?
“I’m sorry about earlier, by the way,” she says. “That thing where I told you I can’t date you?” Her throat goes blotchy and she shakes her head. “That was ridiculous, of course. It’s not like I actually thought you were … or that I was … or that we could ever …”
“Oh, I know.” I hitch my shoulders. “And don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll say something way more stupid soon.”
She chuckles. “Don’t get my hopes up.”
We both start moving back toward the building, pushing the bike between us, almost like we had the exact same thought at the exact same time. “Should we take the bike back to storage?” she asks.
“Nah. The racks in the courtyard are safe enough. Only residents with keys can get in there. You shouldn’t have to drag this thing in and out of the basement every time you want to use it. I’ve got a lock in storage I can grab for you.”
When we reach the stairs, I lift the bike to carry it up, and she follows behind. We’re just through the big double doors, passing the lobby desk, when my phone pings in my pocket. I set down the bike.
“Hold on,” I say, checking the incoming text.
Sandra Fulsome
Dr. Arnold’s got a case I told him you’d be good for. 12-year-old boy dove into the shallow end of the pool. C1, C2 fracture. If you want to bring your new posterior cervical system, we’re putting the patient under soon. When can you be here?
I grimace, then quickly respond.
Me
I’ve got a set there already sterilized. On my way in ten.
So. Sandra did her job, convincing Dr. Arnold to try out Powell’s equipment. Now it’s time for me to do mine .
“I’ve gotta get to the hospital,” I grunt. I start pushing the bike toward the courtyard, moving quickly.
Nori trots along next to me. “What happened?”
“It’s a kid,” I tell her. “Twelve years old.” I can’t say any more about a patient or a case. Probably said too much already.
“That’s terrible,” Nori says, rushing to keep up. “Don’t worry about getting me the bike lock right now.”
“I’ll bring it by later,” I say. “If the case goes too late, I’ll just?—”
“ACK!”
With a small cry, Nori trips over a stone, stumbles on the walkway, and goes down hard.