Page 53 of Our Little Secret

“Well, of course you do. You made sure she was legal.”

“What? Jesus, what’re you talking about?”

“My sister!” she said. “You’re too old for her! You need to back off!” she said, her voice raising.

A small dog started yapping behind the door of the apartment across the hall.

“Hey, shh,” he said, patting the air around him to quiet her as the door to the neighboring apartment flew open and a woman of around sixty in a bathrobe and fuzzy slippers appeared. There were traces of a quickly rinsed facial scrub or mask on her face. Tucked under one arm was a little brown Chihuahua, big eyes bulging, black lips pulled back in a nasty snarl.

“What the devil is going on here?” she demanded.

“Nothing, Mrs. Quinlan,” Neal said with a disarming smile. “It’s all good.”

She eyed him suspiciously, then swiped at a bit of green mask at her hairline. “Is that right?” she asked Brooke, beady eyes focusing on her as the little dog went off, barking and kicking, trying to escape Mrs. Quinlan’s death grip. “Shh, shh, Punky,” she said to the writhing beast in her arms.

“This is the sister of one of my students,” Neal said quickly.

Brooke repeated, “Students?”

“Hmph! People coming and going all times of the night.Girlsshowing up in the hallway. I don’t know what kind of a scam you’re running over there, but I’ve talked to the manager about it and it wouldn’t surprise me if you, Neal Harmon, were out on your ear by the end of the month.”

Neal bristled but remained calm. “Do what you have to, but there are tenant rights, Mrs. Quinlan.”

“I know and I have them!”

“Do you?” He eyed the dog. “Do you know about the pet restrictions? I’m pretty sure there’s a no-dog policy. It prohibits dogs that intimidate other tenants and piss on the potted palms.”

“You’re an upstart, that’s what you are. An overeducated, smart-alecky upstart and God, He takes care of the likes of you.”

“Give Him my cell number the next time you talk to Him!”

“Well, I never!” Mrs. Quinlan gasped.

Neal replied, “Probably not. I believe it. That’s your problem.”

“My problem is you!” With that she stepped back and slammed the door. Several locks and dead bolts clicked loudly into place. A second later the little dog put up a loud fuss, growling and barking and scratching madly at the door.

“Wow,” Brooke said. “Is she always like that?” She hooked her thumb at the apartment door.

“Nope. You caught her on a good day. Come on in,” Neal said, stepping out of the way. “Don’t mind the clutter.”

Brooke was still stunned by the exchange, but she stepped inside and he closed the door behind her. “Have a seat.” He motioned to a lumpy, green couch that he swept free of magazines. He snapped off a portable CD player and, as Bono’s voice faded, swung one of his mismatched kitchen chairs from his desk, the only piece of furniture in the place that didn’t look like it had come from a secondhand store at best and a dumpster at worst.

“So, you’re here because of Leah,” he reminded her. “What’s the problem?”

“I didn’t know you were her tutor.”

“Mm. What else would I be?”

“She thinks you’re her boyfriend.”

“That is definitely not the case.” He leaned back in his chair. Looked off through a window. “Wow. This is going to be awkward.” There was just a hint of recognition that he might have sensed Leah’s feelings, might have even encouraged them. Or maybe he was just used to younger girls falling in love with him. He shoved the hair from his eyes. “Well, I guess I’ll have to set her straight, won’t I?”

“Definitely.”

That night was the first time she met Neal Harmon. From the start she’d recognized what her sister found so attractive about the older man, who had a sharp sense of humor and a deep-seated ambition. She’d learned about the scholarships, the loans, and the savings he’d put into his schooling, how he planned to become a lawyer to help others.

After that first angry, self-righteous meeting she made the pretense of seeing him as a tutor to raise her own grades, but they’d both known it was a ruse. She’d sailed through high school while her sister had struggled. When she finally admitted the truth to Neal, that she’d made up the excuse of needing help with her studies, he wasn’t surprised. His smile told her that he’d seen right through her scheme.

---