Page 13 of Fluffed and Folded

“Two nights ago you were in my apartment,” he said.

Her cheeks flushed. At first he thought it was embarrassment, and then he realized it was anger. “I most certainly was not,” she bit off in her most offended tone.

He nodded once. “You absolutely were.”

“Was not,” she huffed and he laughed a little because seriously?

“Were too.”

“I don’t know what game you’re playing here…”

“I’m playing the game where I’m trying to figure out if my landlord is criminal or crazy,” he interrupted.

If possible, she looked more affronted. “Look, it’s not easy for me to be the lone female, and I’m not unaware of the way you all talk about me. And maybe there is some sort of competition to be the first to, I don’t know, break through, but I am not interested.”

“Are you aware of the words coming out of your mouth? Do you honestly think that me asking you why you broke into my apartment is my way of hitting on you?”

She shrugged as if to say,Apparently.

“Um, wow, okay. Clearly you think I am desperate. I’ve actually been seeing a few people, learning a lot of new things about rodent ecology and psychiatric disorders, but whatever. The point is that you broke into my apartment. Obviously I would like to handle this like adults without involving the police, but if I have to go that route, I will.”

Instead of answering, he watched her eyes fill with tears, and then she turned and ran for her apartment.

“Whoa, my man, crash and burn,” Mack said, meandering into the laundry room with a loaded basket. “Harsh, so harsh. But good for you for taking your shot.”

“I wasn’t hitting on her,” Eli said helplessly. “She’s pretty, but I’m not even interested in her.”

“Okay,” Mack said on a half laugh.

Eli felt like he was the one losing his mind.Maybe I shouldn’t have taken a pass on the magic mushrooms.Maybe that would help him make sense of the fact that Darby was trying to portray him as the bad guy, when she was the one who broke into his apartment. And no one, including her, believed he wasn’t trying to hit on her. Since when couldn’t a man have a conversation about burglary with a woman without it being misconstrued as a come on? His brows drew together, trying to parse through the flaws he knew must be in that logic, but he couldn’t seem to untangle it. He glanced at her apartment. Should he pressthe matter or let it go? He wasn’t passive, but neither was he confrontational. Instead he ranked somewhere in the middle. If pressed, he’d push back. But if left alone, he preferred to remain that way, never seeking a fight unless one was presented.

He sighed and turned toward his own apartment. Clearly the woman had issues; it wouldn’t do to push her on them, merely because his pride was lanced.

Darby slammed her apartment door and leaned on it, heart thumping like a wild thing. “It’s not true,” she whispered aloud, wincing at the shock of her raw voice. It couldn’t be true, though, it absolutely couldn’t. She would never, ever enter anyone’s apartment without permission, especially a tenant. Not only would there be ethical violations, it was completely illegal. Even without being a landlord she knew that.

Why would he say that?

It’s him; he made it up,she assured herself, trying hard to push her breathing back to a normal rate. She had been lulled into a false sense of security by their first conversation, the one where he appeared to be a nice, normal guy. The combination of his aw-shucks attitude, offbeat humor, and braces had made her think too highly of him, namely that he was safe and could be trusted. Clearly that wasn’t the case. Like most men, he had one thing on his mind. Being the lone woman in a dwelling filled with men made her feel vulnerable enough as it was. She wasn’t incognizant of the way those men looked at her, as if she were a tasty treat and they’d just emerged from hibernation. That man, Eli, hadn’t looked at her like the others. She thought, rather hoped, that he saw her as a person and not a conquest. But shewas mistaken because he was playing some kind of sick game, the kind that accused her of things and tried to make her feel guilty.

“I won’t fall for it,” she said, out loud and not a whisper this time. With effort, she stood and straightened away from the door. She might be alone in the world now, but she wasn’t helpless. She had her brains and her courage and enough financial security to see her through anything.No one will take it away from you.Especially not a tenant bent on conquering her by making her feel like less than she was.

With further effort, she shook off the encounter with a literal shake of her head. As far as she was concerned, the whole thing never happened.

Reassured, her heart rate began to decelerate, her breathing began to settle. Before she could take a step away from the door, someone knocked on it. Darby jumped and stifled a cry by pressing her hand against her mouth.Was it him? Of course it was him, who else would it be? They had just been talking, and he wanted to continue because he thought he had her on the line; he thought he had her backed into a corner.He didn’t, of course, but she still hesitated before she reached for the handle. If it was him, which it probably was, she would need to be mentally and emotionally prepared.

Standing on her toes, she peered through the peephole, blinking in surprise at the person on the other side. It was another one of the tenants. Had he overheard the conversation with Eli and come to check on her? That was sweet, but she wasn’t in the mood.

He knocked again.

Her hand reached for the doorknob, wavering. Once again her heart began to pound, this time with something that felt a whole lot like fear. Why? She had no idea. Probably because of Eli and his odd accusations. Whatever the issue, it was best tomeet it head on. She would open the door and deal with this guy and all would be well.

CHAPTER 9

Eli took a personal interest in his job. He didn’t have to. The conglomerate that employed him would probably be happy if he merely met his financial targets and that was all, but part of the reason he wanted the job in the first place was the people. When he was growing up, Eli’d had two sets of neighbors. On one side was Gabe’s family. On the other were the Wilsons, a sweet old couple who had adopted him as an honorary grandson. He and Gabe had earned copious amounts of spending money by mowing, raking their leaves, trimming the hedges and, when they were older, painting the window trim and cleaning the gutters for the couple. When he was fifteen, Mrs. Wilson had a stroke and, in need of fulltime care her husband couldn’t provide, had been put into an assisted living facility.

He would never forget the first time his family took him to visit her. The smells, the sounds, the feelings. Even though he was a teenager and should have been beyond such things, it had broken his heart and made a lasting impression. That people as wonderful as Mrs. Wilson should spend their last days in a house of horrors was reprehensible. It was that reminder that made him apply for his current job, as soon as he saw the listing, giving him some career direction when before he’dhad none, besides a vague business degree. He made it clear in his interview—unasked—that any facility under his care would exceed expectations for cleanliness, care, and socialization. Not that it was always easy, especially when it came to finding employees who cared about more than a paycheck. But to the best of his ability, Eli made caring for their residents a top-down approach. That was why he personally visited each of the homes he managed, for surprise inspections and to keep a good rapport with the residents. In the two years he’d managed the facilities, he’d made certain they met and even exceeded expectations. It was strange, he thought, how serendipitous life could become. Who would have thought that trimming the Wilson’s hedges would lead him to a career that felt a bit like a calling?

“Oh, Eli, yoo-hoo!” One of his favorite residents hailed him, taking a much needed hand off her walker, causing her to wobble precariously. Eli hurried closer, urging her to put the hand back down, which she did and soon stabilized.

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