Hot Damn(16)

“What the hell are you doing here?” Her eyes shoot flames at me.

A better man would mumble an apology, turn around, and leave. He’d hear the tone in her voice and take a hint. Fuck that. If I have a snowball’s chance in hell with her, I’m going to take it. “To help a damsel in distress.”

Then she stops, and I can tell she’s actually looking at me now instead of just reacting. She must have been really focused on figuring out how to rip me a new one, because it’s pretty damn obvious I’m carrying a door. It’s not like you can stick one of those in your back pocket next to your cell phone.

“You actually brought a door,” she says.

“I’m a man of my word.” I smile as she buries her rage and moves aside to let me in. I maneuver the big, flat bulk of the door inside, tipping it one way and then the other to navigate the narrow entryway. It’s a good, heavy door, and I can feel the strain in my biceps. I lean it up against the wall just inside and drop my tool belt on the floor beside it, then shake my shoulders out.

She glances back toward the rest of the apartment. “How loud will it be?”

“Probably not very. Not much hammering—just screws.”

“Okay.” Her expression shifts. There’s an apology in it, but it’s still nearly smothered by the anxiety. “Christopher’s asleep. It took forever for me to get him down for his nap.”

I nod and smile, trying to reassure her. “I’ll be as quiet as I can.”

Can’t promise I will when I finally get you naked.

Thank God, she doesn’t see the filthy suggestion in my eyes. I sort through the tool belt, finding my big screwdriver, and start to take the door off the hinges.

“So…” She crosses her arms over her chest. I force myself not to look at the mounds of her tits rising behind her forearms. It looks like she might not be wearing a bra, but it’s hard to tell. “You decided to just drop by and fix my door?”

“I told you I would, right?”

She nods sagely. “No thought about maybe calling first?”

“I didn’t know if you would pick up.”

“I see.” Her posture is still less than welcoming.

“Look.” I turn away from the doorjamb to face her. “I just started feeling like a fucking asshole knowing you were stuck with fixing the door along with everything else you have to juggle.”

The tension in her body seems to ease a little as I detach the other set of hinges and ease the broken door back into the hallway. It’s not a difficult job, replacing the door, although switching out the lock is a little fiddly. She alternates between standing and watching me the whole time, and sitting on her couch, biting her lip.

Finally I get the door adjusted just right so the dead bolt slides in and out smoothly. “There,” I announce. “That should hold you for a good long time.”

She tests it herself and nods. “Great. It’s perfect. Thanks. Now you should go.”

The abruptness of it takes me aback. It’s not like I was thinking I’d stay for lunch or coffee or a quick fuck or anything—although any of those would have been nice. But this feels like she’s just tossing me out on my ear.

“Maybe we could schedule our next training session before I leave.” It’s as good a reason as any to stick around a little longer.

“I’m not working with your cat anymore. I told you that.”

“You said you’d help me out with the cat if I fixed the door. I fixed the door.” I knock on it a couple of times to remind her it is, indeed, a real door that has been completely fixed. That fact seems to be eluding her.

“And I did everything I can about your cat.”

“In only two sessions? I don’t think that’s long enough to judge the results.”

She plants her hands on her hips, as is her habit when I’ve pissed her off. I love the way she doesn’t put up with my shit, even when I’m not entirely sure what I’ve done to get her riled up. “It’s long enough to show that you’re not willing to put in the work. You haven’t done anything I’ve asked you to. If you can’t make time for that, then how can you make time to play with Thor and help him feel more welcome in your house?”

I shove a hand through my hair. She has a point. “I’ll make time. I promise.”

“You keep saying that.” The irritation has faded a little, and now she looks more tired than angry. She crosses her arms over her chest. “I just don’t understand, Jesse. You obviously don’t like Thor, so why do you keep pushing me to help you? Why don’t you just find him another home? Somewhere he’ll be welcome? You and the cat would both be happier for it.”

“No. I can’t. I have to take care of him.”

“But if—”

With a sigh, I shove my hand through my hair again, then come to a decision. “Can I come in and sit down?”

For a moment I’m sure she’s going to tell me no, but then she nods. “Sure.”

She takes me to the kitchen, and we sit at the table. Without asking, she gets us each a glass of water, then joins me.

I take a drink of the cold water, steeling myself. It’s time to tell her the truth, if only so she’ll agree to keep working with Thor.

“When I said I inherited the cat, I meant it. Thor’s my sister’s cat. Or he was. She passed away a couple months ago.” It’s hard to say the words. I’m still having a hard time getting my head around the fact she’s gone, even though we all knew it was coming. And by the time the end came, she was more than ready.

One of Maddy’s hands rises to cover her mouth. “Oh my God, Jesse, I’m so sorry.”

I make a motion with one hand, not really waving off her comment, but acknowledging it. At the same time, it seems so weird to have people say they’re sorry. They had nothing to do with what happened to Lacey, and the illness that killed her will never feel any remorse. People can say they’re sorry, but it won’t bring her back. And the only thing I have left… “She loved that cat. It was like her baby. I ended up with it because I’m her only sibling, and my parents already have four cats and a dog.”

I trail off. Maddy is still just staring at me, her eyes wide. “So all this time you’re dealing with that, and with the cat, and how the cat reminds you of your sister…” I can almost see the wheels spinning behind her eyes, the pieces falling into place. It irritates me. She’s analyzing me and coming to all kinds of conclusions, I can tell. I can also tell most of them aren’t right. Or too right, and that also bothers me.

“Yeah, let’s not make a big huge deal out of it, okay? I just want to be able to live with the cat. We don’t have to be best friends. Tolerable roommates is about all I’m expecting, here. He was always kind of a dick, even before Lacey died.”

Maddy blinks a few times. “I’m so sorry.” Her voice is thready. “I didn’t know.”

This is not the way I wanted this conversation to go. Especially since I never wanted to have this conversation at all. “Just forget it.”

“Forget it?” Her eyes are wide again. “She was your sister. This is a big part of you and Thor’s history. If you’re still upset, he’s going to know it.”

She shifts in her chair, her knees bumping against my leg. A vivid rush of heat grips my chest as my gaze snaps to her thick thighs. I imagine my hands sliding underneath to grab her ass and drag her over my lap. I look into her eyes, which are still widened with shock. Then I lean in ever so slightly, breathing in the scent of her. “If you kiss me, I promise not to be sad anymore.”

For a second I think I see little flames erupting in those dark pools. I feel her body burning for me. The tension’s damn near choking me out of the room. Then her parted lips suddenly shut into a firm line.

I smile. “Just trying to lighten things up. You know, ease the sexual tension that’s got your legs crossed so tight.”

She uncrosses them, her nostrils flaring at the word sexual. Then she fixes me a glare still simmering with heat, like I’m playing around with her. But I can tell she’s not going to let this go.

“Lacey had cancer. She was in so much pain at the end that it was almost a relief to let her go. I know it was a relief to her. The family let her make all those decisions—put her in hospice, palliative care, ended the treatments when she said it was time… We had a long time to get used to the idea she was going to be gone.”

“But you still miss her.”

“Of course I do. She was my sister.” I take in a long breath, let it out slowly. “She left a big space behind. And her goddamn cat.”

Maddy actually manages a slight smile at that, but then she frowns again. I can tell she’s rolling something around in her head, thinking, trying an idea on for size.

“What?” I ask.

“You need help in a big way.” She says it firmly, like she thinks I’m going to argue with her. I’m not. She’s so right. She has no idea how right she is.

I laugh. It’s a little brittle. “You could put it that way.”

Still looking very pensive, Maddy continues, “I think I can help you, but I need more.”