Relentless(15)

“We’ll come by later,” I say, turning to head out the open front door.

Senia grabs my arm to stop me. “No, we can’t. Or at least, I can’t. Eddie’s coming over.”

I wrestle my arm out of her firm grip and Cora finally looks up at me from her cards. “Oh, hi, honey. I didn’t see you there. Want to get in on this action?”

Adam smiles, but he still doesn’t look at me. What is his problem? My stomach is in knots and I feel like a total idiot for allowing myself to think that a guy like him could be interested in me.

“What’s your problem?” Senia asks and Adam finally looks up.

“Senia, please don’t do this. Come on. Let’s go home.” I try to pull her toward the door, but she’s four inches taller and at least fifteen pounds heavier than I. She’s not budging.

“I’m sorry. Are you talking to me?”

To his credit, Adam looks genuinely confused. Maybe he’s a professional actor.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. You left Claire hanging all week wondering if you two were still hanging out tomorrow and now you ignore her. What kind of asshole does something like that?” She turns to Cora, whose mouth is hanging open, and apologizes. “Sorry, Cora.”

“Is this true, Adam?” Cora asks, laying her cards on the TV table face-up.

Adam lays his cards down and looks straight at me. “I didn’t visit you during the week because I was working.”

Senia shakes her head. “We heard you coming and going from your apartment.”

He turns on Senia. “You didn’t let me finish.”

She crosses her arms. “Go ahead.”

“I was working, and when I’m working I’m usually in a shitty mood. I didn’t want you to see me like that so I just stayed away.”

“That doesn’t explain why you ignored me when we came in here,” I say, and he turns to me with what I know is an apology ready to roll off his tongue.

“That was just bad manners,” he says, and a tiny smile curls the corners of his lips. “Cora’s a sneaky one. I have to keep my eyes on her at all times when we’re playing cards.”

If this guy is any fucking sweeter I’m going to need a dentist. I can’t even be angry that he’s moving in on my turf because he seems to be doing a better job than me at keeping Cora company.

I turn to Senia and she raises her eyebrows as if to say you’re on your own.

She claps me on the shoulder and heads for the door. “I have to go wait for Eddie. Don’t want him to accuse me of getting too friendly with the new neighbor.”

“Sit down, honey,” Adam says, using Cora’s favorite term of endearment as I shut the front door behind Senia.

When I turn around, he’s rubbing the cushion next to him and wearing a sexy smile. I don’t know if I’d rather punch him or kiss him.

“I’m not your honey,” I mutter as I sit next to him.

He drapes his arm around my shoulder and presses his lips softly against my temple. I’m frozen as my shoulders and arms go weak.

His lips are warm against my cheek as they travel to my ear. “Just play along. I told her we were going on a date and it made her so fucking happy.”

I shake my head and turn to face him. “You think you’re so clever, using Cora to get to me.”

He shrugs, keeping his eyes on me as he reaches for the cards on the table. “Can you blame me for wanting to keep her happy?”

“Adam, honey, I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck and run over twice,” Cora says as she shoos Bigfoot off her lap. Bigfoot immediately scurries towards me to rub his fluffy body against my bare legs. “I’ll have to finish embarrassing you tomorrow. Can you lock up on your way out?”

Adam quickly gets to his feet to help Cora out of the recliner. “Of course, right after I help Tina clean up.”

I watch in awe as he guides Cora to her room, followed closely by Tina. I spring up from the sofa and make my way into the kitchen to finish doing the dishes. I grab a pot with a little left over chicken soup and dump the contents down the drain before hitting the switch on the garbage disposal. A few bits of carrot stick to the sides of the steel sink and I push them into the drain with my hand. I listen to the sound as they hit the blades inside the garbage disposal, so lost in the squishy, grinding noise that I jump when Adam appears at my side.

“You scare easily,” he says as he flips the switch on the garbage disposal and the grinding noise dies.

I wipe down the sink one last time before I turn to face him. “Thanks for hanging out with her.”

I step sideways to get around him and he steps sideways to block me. “I know our date isn’t until tomorrow, but what are you doing tonight?”