Page 8 of My Rock Star Neighbor
Hoisting my bag up on his shoulder, he picks my newspaper off my welcome mat and offers me his arm.
“You’re seriously coming?”I ask.
He bows slightly.“You have my escort until noon, and then I have to go.”
“I hope you don’t scare off my source,” I say.
“I’ll be absolutely mum and take notes,” he says.“Not that I ever took notes in school.You might want to take your own notes, to be honest.”
I wave off Nick’s help for the stairs and gingerly, awkwardly, hop down with my injured foot up in the air behind me, gripping the worn wooden banister tightly.I’msoglad that Nick is here to witness this embarrassing descent down the building’s narrow staircase.But it is probably easier without my bag bumping against me as I bounce.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to carry you down?”he says.
“Definitely not,” I say.“What if you pull a muscle and can’t perform?”
“You’re not that heavy.I picked you up last night, remember?”
Heat flushes my cheeks.I definitely remember.
Nick escorts me to the café that is about ten blocks away.Tostje is small.A long counter runs along most of the back wall with a few tables scattered in front.The tables have enough space between them that they afford some privacy.It smells like fresh coffee beans being ground and melted cheese.It’s well-known in the neighborhood for its grilled cheese toasties, which it serves until midnight.The only server chats to the customers in a low tone interspersed with the clatter of spoons hitting the sides of the mugs.
Once I’m settled at a sturdy metal table in the back corner, with yet another two coffees plus a bagel breakfast for two, in case this guy is hungry, I thank Nick for his help and tell him he can leave me here now.What if his presence makes my contractor clam up?Tasha said he was nervous about speaking to a reporter forThe Intelligencer.I pull out my copy of today’s paper.
“So much for my dreams of being Bat Boy to your Batman,” Nick says.
Exactly.He doesn’t see me as Catwoman.That’s a good thing, right?At least he doesn’t see me as a single woman with a cat.That’s what I am.He sees me as Batman—how on earth do I give Batman vibes?—and he’s the trusted sidekick.And I need to remember that.
“Great.Call me if you need my help.I’m going back to take a nap to catch up on my beauty sleep before this afternoon.”He winks at me.
I look him up and down, making sure to frown, even though my eyes want to linger.“Good luck with that.”
“Right,” he says.“How can I improve?”
I tsk, and he laughs.
“Sparring with you is better than any coffee,” he says.He blinks to say goodbye.
He walks out with that lanky step of his.He moves his body like a dancer.Mesmerizing.I pull out my pad as I sip my coffee and watch the door.Nick’s head pops up in the window, and he makes a funny face at me.I shoo him away.
A tall, young guy enters; sturdy, rubber-heeled work boots hint that he might be my source.As his glance meets mine, he clocks myIntelligencer(subtlety is not my strong point) and comes over.I offer him a bagel and a black coffee, with milk and sugar on the side.He doctors his coffee.
“Thanks again for being willing to talk to me,” I say.
“I don’t want my name revealed.This is wrong, but I have a good business going.I don’t want to mess that up.”He takes a bite of the bagel.
“Understood.I’ll use a pseudonym in the article, but someone from the paper will call to check my story.I’m using pseudonyms for Tasha and anyone else too.”
“Yes.Got it.”
More customers enter the little shop, but most order their coffee to go.Two nannies sit at the table by the window, their voices carrying as they commiserate about getting their kids ready for the school day.
I open my notebook.“Can you tell me about why you received the impression that you had to pay bribes to get work at the Eleanor Roosevelt Houses?”
“It wasn’t an impression.”He folds his arms.
“No?”I resist the urge to lean in.
“Beatrice is the property manager at Eleanor Roosevelt Houses, so I showed Beatrice my work at Tasha’s apartment, hoping to get more work.She said I could have this other job fixing a bathroom in 10F, but that I had to charge under ten thousand dollars, and I needed to kick back one thousand, so factor all that in.”
