Chapter Five
Sue
“That was, officially, the worst date of my life,” I shouted into my phone.
Heads turned to stare at me as I walked the last couple of blocks to my building, huffing furiously.
“Come on, it couldn’t have been that—”
“The worst, Ange! That includes all my dates with The Truffle Prince, prom night, and every other day in my life.”
Ange tried to placate me. “Is he really that bad?”
“He collects serial killer stuff! And he gave me a ten minute lecture about why salt is bad for me, and calculated the calories in my meal while I was just trying to eat my damn burger.”
She began to laugh. “Okay, I’m sorry. I had no idea he was like that, honestly.”
“This is the last time I go on a date with any of the guys you or the girls set me up with. The last time I go on a blind date, period. I’d rather stay single forever, open a cat café, and live happily ever after.”
“How do you think Mama Morelli would feel about that?”
A cold shiver ran down my spine. I told myself it was because it was freezing outside.
“I don’t care,” I bluffed. “She’ll have to live with it.”
“Yes, you do care. She’ll have a coronary if she thinks her only grandkids will be cat babies.”
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I’m stopping at the grocery store, and then I’m going home to spend what’s left of my pathetic weekend in peace.”
“Okay. Don’t forget we’re going hat shopping tomorrow for the Easter Parade.”
The Easter Parade, a longstanding tradition I’d never understood, was an excuse for people to show off their most extravagant and outrageous outfits while strolling down Fifth Avenue on Easter Sunday.
Since I wasn’t a fan of flamboyant clothes, and I hated hats with a passion, I wasn’t looking forward to the occasion.
“Yeah, yeah,” I muttered. “I’d rather go see Sam’s murderabilia collection.”
I shoved the phone into my bag with a vengeance. I knew I had to go, or the girls would gang up on me, and I’d never hear the end of it. Maybe Lily was right and I was a people pleaser. But sometimes it was easier to pick my battles, and this was one I was willing to lose.
I was only supposed to pick up two things: milk and frozen strawberries.
As if that would ever happen. The one thing I should never do is go shopping for groceries when I’m depressed.
In with the frozen entrees, fruit for smoothies, salad fixings, eggs, and milk, I tossed in a container of ice cream, three chocolate bars, a bag of potato chips, and a pack of cookies.
I also picked up a six pack of beer and two bottles of wine, since I was out and I didn’t want to ask my parents for more and get a lecture on responsible drinking.
The two reusable grocery bags I’d purchased were loaded to the brim, and the two block walk in the frigging spring blizzard became as long and arduous as a trek to the North Pole.
By the time I got home, I was puffing like a steam engine going uphill. My face was numb, my gloved fingers were frozen, clenched around handles to bags now weighing fifty pounds each, while my arms had to have stretched two inches. Good old gorilla arms—just what my five-foot-frame needed.
I struggled up the front steps, opened the outer door, wrestled with my key in the lock of the inner one, and finally stepped into the foyer. I stood at the base of the steps, letting the bags rest against the bottom one, praying for the strength to climb my very own version of Everest.
When the door opened behind me, I turned to see who it was. Of course it had to be Cam and his irresistible smile.
“It must be Karma. Here, let me help you with those.” He reached for the bags and grabbed them as if they were filled with feathers.
I was too tired to protest, so I mumbled a “thanks” and followed him up the stairs.
He set the bags down outside my door, arranging them carefully next to my doormat. The mat had been a gift from Jesse; it portrayed a grumpy cartoon blonde and was captioned Oh crap, it’s you again.
Cam laughed and reached out to straighten the crooked doormat with his foot. “This is cute. I should get one when I move into my own place. By the way, I’m supposed to return this to you.” He fished the key I’d given him from his jeans’ pocket.
I reached for it. “Don’t you need it anymore?”
“No. Sebastian gave me one of my own.”
“That’s nice of him. I thought you might be staying with your brother, Luke’s dad.”
“No, Craig and Carley’s house is too crowded right now, and they’re doing some redecorating. Sebastian’s place is small, but at least it’s quiet.”
“I get the need for silence. Have you known Sebastian long?”
“Yeah, we were at MIT together. Our careers moved in different directions, but we stayed in touch.” He smiled. “I think I’ve seen you around here a time or two.”
My lips parted. “Really? I don’t remember seeing you.” And I sure as hell would have remembered seeing this Greek god around.
“I used to have shorter hair and a beard.”
I winced.
He laughed, looking chagrinned. “It seemed like a good idea back then, okay?”
“I’m not judging,” I lied.
And to think I never noticed him just because he had a beard. What was it with men and beards lately? I mean, beards looked good on some men, but not on Cam. All it did was hide his gorgeous features.
“Wouldn’t blame you if you did judge,” Cam said, as though reading my mind. “If you teach seventh grade English, you must teach my nephew, Luke.”
“I do. Luke is a great kid. He’s one of my star pupils and my go-to guy when the software or computers act up. I suppose you take some of the credit for that. You did say you work in tech.”
He shrugged. “Could be. The passion for complicated things runs in the family.”
He gazed down at me. His eyes, as warm and inviting as a cup of hot cocoa on a cold day, drew me in. Before I drowned in them, I fished up my key and unlocked my apartment door.
“How was your date?” he asked.
I blinked. I had been so lost in his eyes it took a moment to break the trance. “It was all right. Err, thanks for helping with the bags.”
“Anytime, neighbor.” His beautiful mouth curved in a smile. “Next time you need to go for groceries, give me a shout. I’ll go with you. Maybe we can stop at that little coffee shop I noticed on the way home. Java Joe’s or something.”
Was he asking me out for coffee? I looked up at his face, trying to decide how to answer this invitation, or if it was an invitation at all. His smile reminded me of the one I gave Mrs. H when I carried her laundry basket upstairs for her.
Great! I was either the crazy lady in the mask, the lumberjack teacher, the little damsel in distress, or the old lady next door needing help.
None of those were the image I wanted to project.
I was a sexy, vibrant young woman looking for love—or at least lust—from a hunky guy. Was that too much to ask?
Before I could say something witty, Cam walked over to his door, wiped his feet on Sebastian’s mat, and disappeared inside.
“He could’ve waited for me to answer,” I grumbled.
Suddenly, my mind was flooded with snappy comeback lines. Coffee? I’m sure we could stop for something creamier… Sure, I like mine hot, steamy and strong… We could take it to go and the extra whipped cream is on me…
Right. Now, when he was gone, I was a sex goddess in action.
Cursing, I went inside my apartment, dropped the bags, and shut the door, collapsing against it with a thump of my head.
Another lost opportunity. Why did I get so tongue-tied around this man?
What kind of hormonal reactions took place in my body that turned me from an intelligent, well-spoken woman into a gaping teenager?
At least Sam had wanted to see me again.
He’d asked for my phone number three times.
I was surprised I’d had enough imagination to dodge the same bullet three times, and do it rather subtly.
I was not going out again with that freak.
I wasn’t that desperate. Maybe if I’d flirted with him, Cam would have thought the same of me as I did of Sam.
Seriously annoyed with myself, I had two choices: chow down on ice cream, chocolates, and chips, or find another way to work out my angst. I cleaned my apartment from top to bottom in an effort to curb my frustration.
As I vacuumed, dusted, washed, and polished, I imagined ways I could convince Cam to see me as the woman of his dreams rather than the weird girl next door.
By dinner time, the place was cleaner than it had ever been, but I was exhausted—too exhausted to even nuke dinner.
I grabbed the phone, dialed Pizza Paradise, and ordered a small salami and pepperoni with extra olives.
Knowing I had thirty minutes before the delivery guy arrived, I took a shower, dressed in my warm, fleece lounge pajamas, cracked open a beer, and settled on the couch to watch the news.
Big mistake. The state of the world left me more depressed than ever.
The pizza boy arrived, saving me from any more negative information.
I buzzed him in and opened the door in time to see four guys entering Sebastian’s apartment.
I recognized a couple of them. Crap! It was game night.
What would it be this week? Hockey? Baseball?
Basketball? Soccer? At this time of year, it could be anything.
What it would definitely be was LOUD. If luck were on my side, they would leave when the game was over. Luck had never been a friend of mine.