Page 9 of The Watcher's Bride

“Yeah, but I’d rather get to know my cute neighbor,” he replies, his voice light and playful, making me blush more.

“I don’t know where you’re from, but this is New York City, you can’t leave stuff out on the sidewalk without it getting stolen, and if you invite yourself into a strange woman’s house and start hitting on them, they’re likely to mace you, shoot you, or call the police,” I say indignantly, spinning on my heels to glower at him.

He raises an eyebrow at me, a grin on his face. I notice that Josef has leaped into his arms and is purring contentedly as he strokes him.

“You were talking about the cat, weren’t you?” I say with a groan, wishing the ground would open up and swallow me whole.

Of course, my smoking-hot new neighbor wouldn’t look twice at someone like me. He probably is already dating a model or something.

“Sorry, can we just start over? I’m Nora and this is Josef,” I say, pointing to myself and my cat.

“Max,” he replies. “For the record, you’re more than cute, but I’ll keep that to myself, wouldn’t want you pulling a gun on me,” he says with a wink.

I’m unaccustomed to men flirting with me. Apart from Mike, most people don’t see me, especially when I’m around Nadya, so I don’t know how to respond. I decide to deflect.

“I won’t shoot you. I hate guns. But I’m not kidding that your stuff might get stolen. Come on, I’ll help you bring it in.”

“It’ll be fine, there’s nothing of value in the last few, not that a thief would want anyway, it’s just some books and bedding,” he says with a shrug.

“Please, it’s the least I can do after you helped me,” I insist, mostly because I want to end this interaction and remind myself of why I don’t get involved with men, something I’m increasingly questioning in Max’s presence.

Especially at the mention that he has books, plural, in his moving boxes. He’s a literary buff. Buff in more ways than one!

He nods, acquiescing. “Alright. Nice to meet you, Josef,” he says, tickling him under his chin before setting him down.

“It’s funny, he doesn’t usually take to strangers so quickly,” I say as we walk to grab the boxes.

Max shrugs, “Guess he can just tell I’m an animal person. Josef’s an unusual name for a cat, was he named after someone special?”

“Yes, the person who lived in your apartment before you, actually.”

There’s a flash of something in his eyes that I can’t place. Annoyance? Jealousy? Surely not. I dismiss the thought.

“Lucky guy,” he replies with a grin. “Though maybe I’m the lucky one if there’s an opening in your life for important men in your life that live across from you.”

I shoot him a stern look. “There isn’t. I don’t date. Josef was a friend, and he was about eighty, so he was more of a father or grandfather figure to me before he died. Not long afterward, Josef the cat turned up, I always wondered if he was looking out for me from beyond the grave.”

“I’m sorry. I stuck my foot in my mouth there, didn’t I? It’s never easy to lose someone you care about,” he says apologetically. “Was it recent?”

I shake my head. “A few years ago now.”

A look of confusion crosses his face. “And I’m the first person to move in since?”

“Yep. His family held onto the place for a while before putting it on the market for way too much. I guess they finally dropped the price to something people would be willing to pay.”

“I guess so,” Max says, bending to pick up a box.

I do the same and realize that the thing weighs a ton. Luckily, he saves me from any embarrassment by immediately saying, “Here, take this one instead, that one’s heavy.”

I take the proffered box, grateful that this one is so light. To my surprise, he picks up the other box, making it look like it weighs nothing as he carries it in the other arm.

He places them on the floor inside his apartment, then takes the other from me. “Thanks. It’s nice to meet you, Nora,” he says, and the way he says my name makes my heart flutter. “What are you doing tonight?”

“Oh, I have plans with a friend,” I lie.

I need some breathing space. This man is making me consider throwing every carefully laid rule I have set myself regarding men and dating out the window. I need to see Nadya and get her perspective. No doubt she’ll encourage me to go for it, but she’ll also tell me that saying no to doing anything tonight was a wise move. “Make him work for it, no man wants to date a woman that’s got no plans on a Saturday,” she’ll probably say.

Max studies me, his brown eyes twinkling as if he can read my mind and is well aware that I have no plans. “Okay, what about next Saturday?”

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