Downfall(22)

I called her name as softly as I could. I didn’t want to scare her. My heart jolted in my chest when she flinched and reached for the inadequate weapon. It took a full minute for the haze of panic in her eyes to clear. I watched her chest rise and fall as she tried to catch her breath. Instead of trying to get her up, I sat on the floor in front of her, cringing when I realized it had been a hot minute since I’d bothered to clean it.

“He’s gone. He won’t be back. If you need something from him from here on out, let me know and I’ll deal with him. I’m sorry you keep running up against the worst the city has to offer.” I kept my voice light and reassuring.

Orley blinked those huge blue eyes at me and I felt a tiny bit of my soul slip away. I could have sworn they were darker and cloudier than when we first met. The life she was living was changing her, turning her into someone who had shadows in her sky-blue eyes. It happened so fast and I felt terrible I wasn’t able to stop it.

Orley made a sniffing sound and used the back of her hand to wipe away a stray tear that rolled down her pale cheek. “You’ve saved me twice. Three times if you count getting my car up and running.”

“Just in the right place at the right time.” It was my mantra where she was concerned. It sucked she needed saving in the first place, but I still maintained I was not her hero by choice.

“I don’t even know your last name. Or that you lived next door. I don’t have any idea what would have happened to me if you hadn’t come along when you did, and you’re a virtual stranger.” She laughed, but it was a sad, painful sound. “What kind of person does that make me? Ungrateful? Rude? Selfish? Thankless? What kind of example am I setting for my daughter?”

I wasn’t following her train of thought. I couldn’t figure out why she would be upset about something as inconsequential as my last name after what she’d been through with Carl. I tilted my head to the side and told her, “Sanders. My last name is Sanders.”

She let out a hiccupy little sigh as her head fell back against the fridge. “Solomon Sanders. Sounds very distinguished.”

I laughed. “That’s me. Distinguished down to the bone.”

Slowly, she slid the knife across the floor in my direction. “Well, Solomon Sanders, I know I haven’t been very good at showing my appreciation, but I am really glad you have a knack for showing up exactly when I need you the most. No one would believe me if I told them they need to come to the heart of this dirty, terrifying city to find an actual hero.”

I grabbed the knife and climbed to my feet. “I’m not anyone’s savior, Orley. Don’t get that confused.”

She sighed again and pushed herself up off the floor. “I’m not confused. I’m incredibly lucky.” She sounded like she felt anything but lucky. “I want to do something nice for you. I have limited options, but if you want to come next door for dinner one night, Noble and I would love to have you.” She waved a hand around my kitchen. “I may have noticed you don’t keep much of anything edible on hand when I was looking for the coffee.”

Guiltily, I glanced at the abandoned bag of tater tots on the couch. “I’m on the go a lot. I usually just grab something I can eat on the run. Plus, I can’t cook.” My mom was a great cook, though, or she had been at one point. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a home-cooked meal. “Do you cook?” She was so young, it was hard to picture her slaving over a hot stove on the regular.

Orley nodded. “Sure. I mostly throw stuff together geared to the palate of a toddler, but I’m sure I can figure out something adult appropriate for one night. I really owe you more than I can ever repay. Being a good neighbor is the least I can do.”

I did a mental rundown of my week trying to find a hole where I could fit her in. Not for the first time a wave of exhaustion washed over me when I realized how every hour of my days were packed. It shouldn’t be nearly impossible to eke out a night for something as easy as dinner. Finally deciding I was just going to have to skip a training session or get up even earlier to work on school work, I told Orley I would be over on Wednesday night.

She nodded at me and took a step forward. I went to move out of the way so she could get out of the small space without feeling crowded, but she caught me completely off guard when she walked right up to me and wrapped her arms around my waist. I felt her soft breath against the base of my throat and her soft hair brush against the bottom of my chin. I reflexively put an arm around her shoulders and returned her embrace. If she tilted her head back just a little, there wasn’t enough self-control in the world for me to keep my mouth off of hers. I would kiss the shit out of her, even though I knew it was the last thing she needed.

“I’ve never had anyone like you in my life, Solo. You terrify me.” She hugged me hard enough I had to bite my tongue to keep the yelp of pain from my jacked-up ribs at bay.

“That street goes both ways, Orley. I’ve never met anyone like you either.” I never thought I would to be honest.

She let me go and took a deep breath. She was halfway across the room when I realized something. “Hey, what about you? You never told me your last name.”

She stopped by the door, her back to me. For a minute I thought she didn’t hear me, but then she pulled the door open and called softly, “I’ll see you on Wednesday night.”