Page 13 of Silver Linings
I shut down thoughts of her and pay Marjorie with the building credit card Fairbanks left for me. I have to stay focusedand not get distracted. I’ll fix her ceiling and then keep a verysafedistance from her and her unmentionables, as she called them.
Grabbing the bag of supplies from the checkout counter, I thank Marjorie and head back to work, trying not to think of platinum hair and eyes like chips of sea glass the whole way back.
I spend most of the day organizing my office. Which, as it turned out, took longer than I expected because the last guy was a bit of a hoarder. I’ve found everything from newspapers dating back thirty years to a stockpile of ramen so large, even a doomsday prepper would be impressed.
There’s an hour left of my shift when I get a knock on the door and open it to find Tony leaning against the frame, a note pinched between his thumb and forefinger.
“Got a job for ya, dreamboat. Can you squeeze it in?” He extends the note out to me to read.
It’s a simple fix to the kitchen faucet in an apartment on the seventh floor. “Yeah I got time.”
Tony nods, gives the door frame of my office a tap, and heads back to his desk.
I grab my tool belt, a few parts I may need to fix the faucet, and go to catch the elevator up to the seventh floor. I’m waiting for the car to descend to the lobby floor when the front door to the building opens.
“You’re home earlier than usual,” Tony calls out.
“Well, you know what they say: the early bird gets waterboarded by the vengeful spirits that no doubt reside in these pre-war walls.”
I hold in a groan, knowing exactly who that voice belongs to: the one person I’d like to avoid.
Why the hell is this elevator taking so long?
“I don’t think anyone says that.”
Silver continues talking to Tony, but I can feel her stare on my back. “I went into the store early today since I was up. There are a lot of changes going on over there right now, so I figured if I was awake, I might as well go and get stuff done.”
How is it possible the elevator still has five floors to go?
“Holly shoved me out the door, though. She said I was being too bitchy to customers because I was tired and cranky. Personally, I think she’s a filthy liar. I’m a goddamn delight. Do you think Caroline would take on a defamation case?”
Three floors.
“Everything okay with the store? You know I like to take my nieces there when I can get them to hang out with me instead of their friends.”
Two Floors.
“Yeah, everything’s fine, it’s just a…change of ownership.”
One floor.
“Pat’s leaving? Seems to be a lot of that going around.”
The elevator doors pop open, and a little girl with red curls bounces out, her visibly harried father chasing after her while she giggles and gallops towards the front desk.
Stepping onto the elevator, I hear Tony say hi to the kid named Isla then turn around, leaning into the wall of the car as the doors start to closetooslowly. I’m almost home free, and I distantly think that maybe I’m just being irrational about this whole thing. I barely know Silver; she might be attached tosomeone, and I’m over here trying to avoid her because…well, I don’t even know why.
I take a steadying breath when a delicate arm shoots through the almost-closed doors and stops it in its tracks.
“Hey, Hugo,” Silver says as she steps on the elevator.
“It’s Hendrix.” Ill humor coats my tongue as I correct her.
“Mmmm, I don’t know—I’m trying out a few different names for you. I’m not sure Hendrix suits you.” I slow blink, stare flat. “You should probably hit the button for the floor you need.”
Right. I reach for the panel of buttons on the wall, bringing me closer to Silver in the process, but she doesn’t concede an inch. She stays firmly planted as I hit the number seven, noticing she hasn’t selected her floor. I press the five and readjust my body to stand away from her again.
Civil avoidance, that’s what I’m going for. I don’t want to be an asshole, but I shouldn’t engage more than necessary. Professionalism is what I need to be thinking about, nothow beautiful she is, or that fresh fruit is now choking my airwaves, making me dizzy with her scent.
