Chapter 2
Chapter
Two
“You have a Cheeto on your shirt,” Amy smirked. “That’s just classic. I can’t believe you said that. It’s golden.”
“Especially to the sexiest guy in the building,” Dina replied. “It’s hilarious.”
Kelly Bateman nibbled at the crispy corner of her grilled cheese, still mortified by the words that had popped out of her mouth before she could stop them. Seriously, she was embarrassed as hell at her own behavior.
What was I thinking?
Amy had already changed into yoga pants and a cropped sweatshirt after her evening workout class, while Dina loaded the dishwasher with methodical precision.
All the plates were lined up, then the saucers, and then the bowls.
The top rack was the same, with all the glasses in neat rows like little soldiers.
According to Dina, loading the dishwasher was a science, not an art.
Kelly groaned, shaking her head at her own idiocy.
"It was mortifying. Absolutely mortifying. And in my defense, he didn’t look like the sexiest guy in the building."
But he had looked pretty damn handsome, come to think of it.
Sure, he’d been dressed rather haphazardly, but she could easily see his muscular frame and flat abs through his t-shirt.
His scruffy beard couldn’t hide his square jaw or the dimples she’d glimpsed when he’d given her a reassuring smile that he wasn’t a serial killer or an axe murderer.
“Next time I see him, I’ll apologize,” Kelly said, giving up on her dinner. “Not that I expect to anytime in the future. This is the first time I’ve seen him since I moved in three months ago, after all.”
“If he’s the one we think he is, but I’m sure it is him,” Dina said. “As for not seeing him, he travels a lot. I’ve seen him with a suitcase many times.”
“Maybe it’s not who you were thinking,” Kelly said hopefully. “Maybe it’s someone completely different who doesn’t live in the building, isn’t a neighbor, and is sort of creepy.”
“It’s him,” Amy replied, assurance in her tone. “I wonder who was more embarrassed? You for saying it, or him for having the Cheeto?”
Definitely me.
"It was all because I was trying to shove that ridiculously overstuffed trash bag down the chute. We should take the trash out more often."
"I can’t argue that point," Amy agreed.
"Anyway, I'm there grunting and shoving when this guy walks in. I didn’t know who he was. He could have been some creep that wandered into the building. Or worse.”
“We have a doorman,” Dina pointed out. “Creeps shouldn’t be wandering the halls of our building, but of course, nothing is foolproof.”
"He offered to help, which was nice. But then,” Kelly paused dramatically, "I had to go and blurt out, You've got a Cheeto stuck to your shirt." She mimicked her own awkward delivery, voice rising with embarrassment. "Who says that to a stranger? I mean, who?"
Me, that’s who. Awkward much?
Amy and Dina burst into laughter again, their smiles wide.
"I haven’t laughed this much in days." Amy wiped a tear from her eye. "Not 'hello' or 'thanks' but 'hey, there's processed cheese bits on your clothes'."
"I panicked! He was standing there being all..." Kelly waved her hand vaguely, "tall and handsome, and maybe a roaming killer, I just said the first thing I noticed."
"Well," Dina said, still chuckling, "you would be surprised how few ax murderers there are milling about. Honestly, if movies are to be believed, we have a shortage."
"Not an ax murderer," Amy added, refilling her wine glass from the bottle on the kitchen island. "Probably just rich and sexy."
“Why do you think he’s rich?” Kelly asked.
“One, because I’ve seen him wear expensive suits and shoes,” Dina explained. “Two, because I’ve seen him with absolutely drop-dead gorgeous women. And three, because he lives in this building. Therefore…loaded.”
Kelly snorted. "We live here, and we're definitely not rich."
"I suppose he could be poor, but I doubt it," Amy teased, but then shrugged.
"The only reason we live here is because my parents own the apartment.
They rent it to us at a reasonable rate because they're convinced I'd be murdered within a week without a doorman and security.
They believe ax murderers roam the streets of the city free and unchecked. "
"Your parents are adorably paranoid," Kelly said.
Her own parents were simply paranoid without the adorable part. Her siblings weren’t much better. She currently had a text from her older brother, Rob, on her phone that she hadn’t replied to yet.
Frankly, she didn’t want to. He always found a way to belittle her life while sounding superior in all ways.
Over text. How he managed to sound like a smug jerk in a text message she didn’t know, but he was good at it.
"I've seen him around quite a bit," Dina said, bringing the conversation back to the man. "Always in these perfectly tailored suits with this expensive leather briefcase. He holds the elevator for people and says “please” and “thank you” to the staff. Some wealthy individuals in this building act as if the doormen are furniture. He doesn’t. He’s nice. "
"So he's polite. That's a low bar," Kelly said, though privately she agreed it was a point in his favor.
"Well, he doesn't seem like a serial killer, which is always a plus in my book," Amy said with a grin. “Although I’ve seen American Psycho, so I suppose anything is possible.”
Dina tapped her finger thoughtfully against her wineglass. "Now that you mention it, I haven't seen him around in a while. Maybe he's been on vacation?"
"Or sick," Amy suggested. "Though I doubt it. Men like that don't get sick. They're too busy being perfect." She waggled her eyebrows suggestively. "I've also seen some of the women he's brought home. Gorgeous. All of them. Different types, but always stunning. He must be hot in the sack."
"I don't even want to think about what he's like in bed,” Kelly protested. “And why do you think he’s good in bed? You can tell just by looking at him?”
“No,” Amy replied slyly. “I can tell by how those women look at him.”
Oh.
"Maybe you should think about it," Dina said. “He is smoking hot.”
Kelly rolled her eyes. "Right. Because that's exactly what I need in my life right now."
"It might be exactly what you need," Amy pointed out. "When was the last time you went on a date?"
Not this again.
"I'm dating Kevin," Kelly reminded them. “We went out last Saturday night to a movie and then some dinner.”
It might not have been the most exciting or scintillating evening, but Kevin was an okay guy.
"Kevin the Bore," Amy muttered under her breath.
"He's not boring," Kelly protested weakly. "He's... stable."
"Stable like a coma patient," Dina said, and Amy snorted.
“I love you like a sister, so I’m not going to beat around the bush,” Amy declared.
“Kevin is a whiny little control freak who wants what he wants when he wants it. Anybody else’s feelings or needs aren’t important.
Let me ask you a question. How many times has Kevin texted you today?
I’m sure he wanted to make sure you’re at home and not doing anything fun.
Heaven forbid you should enjoy yourself. ”
Kelly felt her cheeks flush. She couldn't exactly defend Kevin with much enthusiasm.
“I dunno. A few,” she admitted. In truth, it had been more than a few. “He’s not that bad.”
“Yes, he is,” Dina said. “You’ve only been going out with him for a few months. It’s not like you’ve invested years in him. Honey, there are better guys out there.”
Yes, but would they be willing to attend a small town wedding with her? That was really asking for something.
"Anyway," Amy continued, "trash room guy—"
"Ben," Kelly interjected. "He said his name is Ben."
"Ooh, we're on a first-name basis already," Amy teased. “That’s promising.”
"He introduced himself,” Kelly reminded them. “But I think I didn’t introduce myself. Shit, Emily Post would be appalled.”
"Ben," Dina said, "might ask you out."
Kelly adored her roommates, but sometimes they were clearly not tethered to reality.
"You think he’s going to ask me out after I pointed out that he had a Cheeto on his shirt? Get real. He’s going to avoid me completely. If he sees me at the elevator, he’s going to take the stairs.”
"Maybe he found it funny," Amy suggested. "He might think you’re amusing."
Or crazy. And rude.
"I'm dating Kevin," Kelly repeated, more forcefully this time.
“For now,” Dina muttered under her breath.
Kelly knew her roommates had a point. Kevin was... fine. There was no future there, but she was realistic about that.
“When are you heading back to Bergen for Celia's wedding?" Dina asked skillfully, redirecting the conversation away from the awkward discussion about Kevin.
She knew exactly when Kelly was leaving—they'd all marked it on the kitchen calendar in red—but she was offering Kelly a graceful exit from the relationship interrogation.
Kelly latched onto the lifeline gratefully.
"Next Thursday. The wedding's on Sunday, but Mom wants me there for the rehearsal dinner Saturday night, and she's arranged some sort of family brunch on Friday that I apparently can't miss."
"Three full days with your family?" Amy whistled low. "You're a braver woman than I am."
Kelly would actually be there longer, but she didn’t mention that to her roommates.”
“Trust me, it wasn't my choice. My mother insisted. Said it would look strange if I flew in just for the wedding itself, like I was trying to avoid them."
Kelly stood and emptied her plate of leftover grilled cheese into the trash.
“You are trying to avoid them,” Amy pointed out. “As much as possible.”
“But I don’t want it to be obvious.”
“Why not? Maybe if they knew you were avoiding them, they might take a look at how they treat you,” Dina said.
Self-introspection? Fat chance.