“I’m good, Theresa, how are you?” she says in a loud voice, but Theresa’s attention is no longer on Alyssa. Nope, it’s on me.
“Who might you be?” Theresa asks.
I chuckle. You have to love a woman who gets right to the point, and I guess at her age, why bother beating around the bush. “I’m Alek,” I say, raising my voice to match Alyssa’s. “A friend of Alyssa’s.”
“Oh,” she says and doesn’t bother hiding her approving smile. “We’re all having trouble with the internet today,” she says. “I think you’ll have to nix the Netflix and just chill.” My jaw drops, as her cane hits the pavement and she moves along the sidewalk. “Say hello to your grandmother for me.”
“Did she just say what I think she said?”
I turn back to Alyssa, and her cheeks are fiery red, her jaw hanging open in much the same way as mine. Theresa whistles as she walks away.
“Yeah, she did, but I have a feeling she doesn’t really know the meaning behind it. She probably thinks it just means hang out.”
“I don’t know, but I want to erase that from my memory.”
Alyssa laughs. “You’re not the only one. Come on.”
I follow her inside her building, and we take the stairs to the third floor. She opens her door, and the warmth and coziness of her place washes over me. I grin as I take in the papers on the table by the front door and the scattering of shoes. It’s like organized chaos and it instantly puts me at ease.
She kicks off her boots and I step a little further in to take in her living room and the stacks of books. “I take it you like to read.”
“No, those books are just to impress guests.”
“I’m impressed.”
“Then it’s working.”
“I’ll wait here while you get some clothes and your toothbrush.”
“I’m not—”
“You said you had a sofa, Alyssa. That’s a loveseat. I’d have to sleep with my knees around my ears.” I catch her grin. “You think that’s funny?”
“I’d kind of like to see that.”
“Go. Pack a bag.”
She takes two steps down the hall and disappears into a room that’s likely her bedroom. “This is a small town, Alek. People are going to start talking if we stay together.”
“From what I’ve seen so far, ninety percent of the population needs hearing aids, so they can talk all they want. No one is going to hear it.”
Her chuckle reaches my ears, and she sticks her head out to see me. “Be nice.”
“I’m always nice.” She disappears again, and that gives me pause. I never stopped to consider her position. “Seriously though, are you worried about that?”
“No, I’m a big girl. I can do what I want.”
She comes back into the hall with a backpack over one shoulder. “Did you pack enough for ninety-six hours?”
“I am not staying for four days.” She puts on a pair of flat shoes. “Now can we go. Grandma is going to wonder what’s keeping me.”
I take her bag from her and open the front door. “After you, milady,” I say and wave my hand for her to enter the hall. My chivalry gets me a big fat eye roll. We get back in her truck and I back out of the lot. “Where is the nursing home?”
“Take a right at the lights.”
She jacks the music as I take the turn and I crank down the window to get a breath of fresh air. “It’s so quiet here,” I say.
“It’s not for everyone.” She turns away from me, but not before I catch a pained look on her pretty face.