“I would never shirk my duties,” he said, before they both burst into laughter.
“Get out of here. Go see your lady, and tell her I said hi,” Rachel said.
He waved and made his way out of the building, anxious to see Katherine. He stopped at a corner florist, waving his money out the window. The old, withered woman rushed over, bringing him a huge bouquet of brightly colored flowers. He gave her the hundred-dollar bill, her eyes bulged when she saw it, before thanking him profusely.
He loved being able to brighten the day of a stranger, especially one who worked as hard as that woman did. He saw her out there on the corner, seven days a week, almost every day of the year. He could afford to give her a little extra.
As he pulled into the small lot in front of Katherine’s building, he kept replaying their very brief conversation. She hadn’t been her usual self. He hoped it was nerves. She was nervous about the job. That had to be it. She’d been in such a good mood when he had left her that morning. He’d been a little bummed she hadn’t come by his office after her interview, but tried not to take it personally. He learned early on that Katherine tended be a lone ranger most of the time.
He jogged up the flight of stairs, the bright bouquet in his hands and knocked on her door. There wasn’t an answer. He tried the handle and discovered it was locked. That was good. He wondered if maybe she was in the shower. He knocked again. Still nothing. A sudden feeling of foreboding washed over him.
“Katherine?” he called out, knocking again, a little harder.
He heard the chain on the door moving, followed by the turning of the deadbolt and finally the lock on the handle before she pulled open the door. She opened the door a few inches. He could immediately sense something was very wrong.
“Katherine? Is everything okay?” he asked, hoping she would invite him in, but by the way she kept her shoulder against the door, it was clear that was not her intention.
She nodded her head. “Fine.”
“Are you ready to go to dinner?” he asked in a gentle tone, handing her the flowers.
Her eyes met his. They had a wild look. She shook her head. “Thank you. These are gorgeous. I don’t think I’m up for dinner tonight. I’m sorry.”
“Are you okay?” he asked again.
Tears filled her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. “I’m fine. I’m just not interested in going out tonight.”
“I could go pick something up and we could stay in?” he suggested.
She shook her head. “No thank you. I’d like to be alone.”
His head cocked to the side as he took in her appearance. She was still wearing the slacks and blouse he’d seen her in that morning. Her hair was in a ponytail, but it was obvious her hands had been running through her hair. Little strands were sticking out and hanging around her face. She looked frazzled.
“Sweetheart,” he murmured, reaching out to cup her cheek with his hand.
The door opened a little wider. He took advantage of it and pulled her out to him, wrapping his arms around her. He wouldn’t invade her space, but he wanted to give her a hug and comfort her. She let him hold her, his hand gently moving up and down her back. He could feel the tension in the way she was holding herself. This was not the same woman he had been a short eight hours earlier.
“I’m sorry, I know I told you I wanted to go out, but I’d like to stay home tonight. I should have called you and canceled. I’m a total flake. I need some time alone. I hope that’s okay,” she whispered.
She pulled away, not looking at him, her eyes focused on her bare feet.
“Of course, it’s okay!” he quickly assured her.
She took a deep breath and looked down at the flowers. “Thank you for understanding. I know I can be a real pain in the ass.”
“You’re not a pain in the ass.”
She shrugged a shoulder. “Thanks.”
“What happened? Did the interview not go well?”
She shook her head. “The interview was fine.”
That wasn’t exactly a roaring success story. He had half a mind to go to the coffee shop and asked the manager what the hell he’d done to her. Something clearly wasn’t right.
“Can I get you anything?” he offered.
“No, really, I’m fine, I’d like to be alone. Everything is all a little overwhelming and I just need time to relax and be by myself,” she insisted.