Downfall(7)

We had only put one foot in the hallway when a door down the hall swung open and an angry woman popped her head out. She had curlers in her hair and a cigarette dangling out of her mouth. She squinted in our direction and gave a nasty sneer.

“You’re too loud. Keep it down.” Before I could open my mouth and apologize, she slammed the door closed, forcing it to rattle on the hinges and the bang to echo down the hall.

Noble jumped and I shook my head in irritation. Her slamming the door was twice as loud as our dance party had been. I soothed Noble when she started to bounce around nervously and guided her down the steps. I helped her skip over every other one, and by the time we hit the entranceway, my arm was screaming and I’d worked up a sweat. I was going to be gross by the time we trekked to the car and hauled everything back with us. I was tempted to call a cab, but if I did, there definitely would not be enough money for ice cream. I wasn’t about to disappoint my kid if I could help it.

We both hopped over Lester who appeared to be sleeping soundly on the front steps, as usual. At first, the homeless man freaked me out and I hated stepping over him like he was nothing more than a discarded piece of garbage on the street. It took a few weeks and several awkward conversations with him to realize that if he was passed out, it was because he got his hands on something nasty, and it was better to leave him be. When he was awake and sober, he was a perfectly lovely man. Unfortunately, those times seemed few and far between.

Noble was making sure not to step on any cracks in the sidewalk. There were so many, it proved to be a daunting task which had her skipping around like a deranged bunny. I was so focused on her antics that I didn’t notice the huge figure coming around the corner at a rapid pace. Noble was directly in his path. His long legs ate up the distance at a steady jog, and he had to jump to the side to avoid plowing Noble over. She fell backward onto her butt as the tatted-up man leapt to avoid her.

He had on the same hat he had been wearing the night before, and a pair of mirrored, aviator sunglasses covered his eyes. I could see my shocked reflection staring back at me as he paused, putting his hands on his knees so he could catch his breath. I wasn’t sure if he was winded from his run, or from the near-miss with the wide-eyed three-year-old at his feet. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, so I could see he was inked from his collarbone all the way down to the waistband of the black, nylon shorts he was wearing. Even his legs had random images and swirls of color decorating the strong lines. A light sheen of sweat covered every inch of his taut, artistic skin, highlighting his well-defined muscles and the lines of strength that made up his impressive build. He wasn’t my type. Not at all. In another life, I wouldn’t have thought to look twice at a guy who looked like him. Tattoos weren’t common in the circles where I used to travel. Now, caught unwillingly in this new life, I was having a hard time looking away.

I helped Noble to her feet, and noticed my daughter was also stunned into a rare silence in the presence of this imposing, impressive man.

He popped out one of his earbuds and pushed to his full height. I wished he weren’t wearing the mirrored glasses so I could see the color of his eyes. It was an odd reaction, so I cleared my throat and wiped my free hand nervously down the front of my jeans.

“Uh… Sorry. She’s been inside all day and has excess energy to burn.” He lifted his chin in acknowledgment and I tried not to swallow my tongue as a single drop of moisture slid down the strong line of his throat. I cleared my throat and squeezed Noble’s hand so tightly she squealed and gave me a questioning look. “Umm… thank you for the rescue last night. I should have said something before taking off, but yesterday was quite possibly the second worst day of my life and I wasn’t thinking clearly. That guy was very scary; I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t intervened.”

He took out the other earbud and wiped his forehead with his forearm. “Don’t worry about it. Skinner won’t be around anymore, and if he is, just let Lester know and he can pass the info on to me.”

I glanced at the homeless man in surprise. I wondered how the stranger knew his name. “I’ll do that.”

The nearly naked man in front of me stretched his arms over his head and I couldn’t look away from the ripple and flex of his clearly defined abs. His body was ridiculous in all the right ways. I’d never seen a man in person who looked like he did. He was like one of those irrationally, unrealistically hot Instagram guys, but one who was standing in front of me in all his muscly, sweaty glory. I knew somewhere in the back of my head he was dangerous, and I shouldn’t be so nonchalant about chatting him up, but I figured I owed him the common courtesy I bypassed the night before. One thing I had left was flawless manners.

He cocked his head to the side and asked, “If yesterday was the second worst day, how did you survive the first one?”

That wasn’t a day I ever talked about. It was the day that changed everything. The only reason I survived the day was because I had to for the little girl clutching my hand and watching the stranger with wide, curious eyes. I blew out a breath and changed the subject as quickly as possible.

“You ever have one of those days where it’s one thing after another and it feels like the universe is trying to tell you something? Trying to tell you to give up?” I shrugged before he could answer me. “My car broke down. My babysitter quit. My job cut my hours. The icing on the cake was getting attacked on the way home. Like I said, it was a bad day, but that doesn’t excuse me running off without thanking you properly. I owe you more than I can ever repay.” I couldn’t think about what might have happened if he hadn’t shown up. My mind wouldn’t allow it.