No wonder he always seemed so sad.
She headed back downstairs, made some more notes for the building newsletter idea before heading out. In less than an hour of going door-to-door on Bell Boulevard, she’d secured advertising from four businesses including the bakery where she’d indulged in a bag of brownies.
They were still warm.
She was a block away from her unit when she stepped up behind three little girls.
“Oh my God, Maddie, will you just shut up?” one of the girls ordered. She had dark eyes and dark hair pulled up in a ponytail and her round face wore that expression of profound annoyance Lia remembered well from her own youth.
“No, Livvie, and you can’t make me!” the child she’d called Maddie shouted. That child also had dark eyes but her dark hair was tumbling loose and hung in her eyes. “I’m telling Daddy!” She started to run ahead, but the tallest girl caught her, held her back.
“Maddie. Stop. Daddy went to work today and said I’m in charge and I’m telling you to listen.”
“But, Kimberly, that’s not fair!” Maddie whined. “Olivia’s always telling me to shut up and I can’t. I had to be quiet all day in school and now I get to talk as much as I want. Daddy said so.”
“Daddy’s working today, dummy,” Olivia shot back. “He can’t hear you, but I can and I said shut up.”
“Oh.” Maddie stamped a foot, drew the syllable out into one long whine.
Lia studied the trio. These had to be the rest of the Ivers girls. Kimberly, the oldest, looked just like Emmy, Gabe’s baby. Before Olivia could hurt the smallest girl, Lia stepped forward. “Girls. Don’t be mean.”
Kimberly gave her a look of wariness. Maddie, the littlest, gave her sister a look of triumph. And Olivia, the one with the ponytail, glared at her with annoyance.
“You’re a stranger. I don’t listen to strangers,” she said with a sniff. But, Lia noted with interest, she tugged her little sister closer to her side.
“You’re quite right about that. You shouldn’t talk to strangers. But I’m your neighbor. I live right there.” She pointed to her front door. “I just moved in. And because I already met your dad and baby sister, I’m going to guess you’re Kimberly, Olivia, and Maddie Ivers.”
Maddie clapped her hands. “Yay! You got us all right.”
Lia gave her a little bow.
“Do you have any kids I can play with? I’m a real good friend, right, Kimby? Right? Right?”
That bitter pang of grief arrowed through her heart and Lia shook her head. “No. I don’t have any kids of my own. And I’m sure you’re a very nice friend.”
Olivia rolled her dark eyes skyward and shot Lia a dirty look. She plopped down on one of the steps that led up to the courtyard, where their front door was. Maddie and Kimberly walked toward that door, not noticing Olivia’s absence.
Lia was fairly sure a girl this young shouldn’t be outside without supervision so she plopped down beside her. “So how old are you, Olivia?”
“Nine. How old are you?”
“Um, thirty. That’s a lot more than nine.”
Sneering, Olivia said, “Duh. I can do math, you know.”
“Right. So Maddie must drive you crazy?”
Another eye-roll. “You have no idea. She’s so annoying. Talk, talk, talk. If my ears could talk, they’d tell her to shut up, too.”
A laugh burst from Lia’s lips. “That bad?”
“My dad says Maddie talks a lot because it’s how she processes things. I disagree. She talks a lot because she’s an extrovert. Kimberly and me, we’re introverts. Plus, she just loves to annoy us. I also think she has attention deficit disorder but my dad always gets super-mad when I say that, so…I don’t anymore.”
Impressed with the little girl’s vocabulary, not to mention her insight, Lia asked, “Don’t you do things that annoy her?”
“No. I just like to read. That can’t possibly annoy anybody.”
“I love to read. What books do you like?”
“Books about women in science are my favorite.”
“Oh, like Marie Curie?”
Another look of disgust. “That is so annoying.” The child huffed out a sigh. “Everybody always says Marie Curie when I say women in science. She’s not the only one, you know. How come nobody ever mentions Caroline Herschel or Ruth Graves Wakefield? Did you know that Rosalind Franklin discovered DNA before Watson and Crick did, but they got the credit? They based their research off her work!”
Whoa! Lia raised her hands. “I know a lot of things about a lot of things but I did not know that. So what is Wakefield famous for discovering?”
The girl giggled, a sound so incongruous with the outrage a second ago, Lia giggled, too. “She invented the chocolate chip cookie. Toll house.”
“No kidding? Wow.”
“I know, right? So cool.”
“I have lots of books at my place. As long as your dad says it’s okay, you can come over whenever you need quiet time. Speaking of your dad, could you ask him to come see me when he gets home?”
Olivia angled her head and studied Lia through narrow eyes. “It’s not gonna work, you know.”
Confused, Lia shook her head. “What?”
“My dad won’t marry you. You’re not the first tenant we’ve had who was nice to me just so she could impress my dad.”
“I’m not—that’s not—I don’t even like your dad!” Lia lied.
“Yeah, right,” Olivia said with a sneer. “I used to be friends with this girl at school but she didn’t really like me. Her mom just wanted to marry my dad. My dad’s smart. He knows some people are nice just because they want to impress him. But he’s never impressed. So don’t be nice to me just for that.”
“I wasn’t.” Lia held up her hands.
“So…I can still come over when I want to be by myself?”
No! “Um. Sure. If it’s okay with your dad.”
Olivia studied her, narrowing her dark eyes like she was trying to X-ray Lia, then ran up the stairs into the courtyard without another word.
*
That evening, Lia indulged in a gooey brownie and a glass of wine to celebrate the four new advertisers for her first newsletter. She’d already finished several design mock-ups for the ads the Bell Boulevard businesses had ordered—the bakery who’d supplied her gooey brownie being her first. They’d be small squares that would run along the right side of the newsletter.
A quiet knock on the back door made her heart skip a beat. She peered through the window, found Gabriel standing there. He wore a sport jacket over a button-down shirt tucked into his jeans and had that day-old scruff darkening his jawline. He looked hot and male and…tired.
“Hi,” she said, pulling open the door.
“Hey, my daughter said you needed help with something?”
“Yes. I met Mei, one of our neighbors. She’s locked out of her unit and hoped you had a spare key.”
Frowning, he nodded. “Sure, I’ve got a master, but why are you—”
“She’s upstairs, asleep in my guest room.”
“Oh. Yeah. Sure. I think I have a spare key, too. I’ll go look. Be back in a few.”
Lia watched him stride away, long legs flexing in his jeans. Five minutes later, he was back with a key. “If this doesn’t work, I’m home for the rest of the night. She can just call or knock on my door. Tell her if I don’t answer right away, to knock louder. It’s probably bath time and Maddie’s screams can get loud.”
She took the key from him, and damn it, that stupid little tingle was still there when she touched his hand. “I’ll tell her. I don’t know what time she plans on getting up. I do know she has to be back at the hospital tonight.”
Gabriel nodded, shoved his hands in his pockets. “I didn’t know you knew Mei.”
“Oh, I don’t. We met today when she got locked out.”
Cue awkward silence.
“So your daughter doesn’t like baths?”
Gabriel blinked.
“She likes baths fine. It’s brushing the knots out of her hair that she hates. I like this table,” he said, changing subjects so quickly, Lia frowned. “It’s well-made art. Where’d you get it?” He ran his hand over the gleaming wood surface.
“A shop in SoHo.”
Nodding, he took a look around. “So, is the apartment okay? No issues with any of the plumbing or whatever?”
Slowly, Lia shook her head. “No. It’s great.”
“Um, so what do you do? For a living, I mean?” he asked and then his eyes went round. “Sorry! That sounds really nosy. I just noticed you hardly leave the apartment so…”
“You wondered.” She smiled.
“Yeah,” Gabriel admitted with a smile, forming those sexy crinkles around his eyes. They were a blue she’d never seen before…kind of the color the sky turns before the sun starts to set.
“I’m self-employed. I work from home mostly. I’m a virtual assistant. I provide various types of administrative support to other professionals who can’t afford full-time staff but don’t have the time to do the work themselves.”
Gabriel lifted a brow and leaned against her door. “Yeah? Like what?”
“It depends on the client. A lot of my work comes from staffing agencies. Some of my clients are authors who ask for help doing research or running promotions for their books. I also have a number of teachers on my list, college professors mostly, and some PhD candidates doing dissertations—Oh! I have a comedian as a client, too. He hired me to help run his social networks.”
“Sounds like you juggle a lot of priorities.”
“I do. That’s what makes the work fun. Every day is different. What about you? What do you do?”
“Besides the building you mean? I’m an engineer. Large structures, mostly. Bridges, monuments, stuff like that. I just went back to work after—” Abruptly, he stopped and pressed his lips together and Lia’s heart twisted.
Yes, there was so much pain there. “Oh, right. Your daughter mentioned that. Olivia? Is that your second-born?”
The smile returned. Bloomed large, in fact. “Yeah. Liv’s a force of nature. Very smart. Independent.” And then, he frowned, shaking his head. “Something’s up with her. Haven’t been able to wiggle it free yet.”
Lia bit her lip. Should she tell him what the little girl had told her?
“What?”
“Well, she mentioned something about a friend’s mom wanting to marry you?”
At Gabriel’s look of total shock, Lia raised both hands. “She never mentioned names. All she said was a friend she used to have was her friend only because her mother wanted to get close to you.”
He stared at the ground, rubbed a hand over his neck and cleared his throat. “Well, that explains some things. Shit. I… Wow. I don’t even know how to… Jeez.” He shook his head, laughed once, looked everywhere but directly at her. “I’m sorry about that. Of all the girls, she tends to be the most, I don’t know—direct, I guess.”
When those sad blue eyes wandered to the brownie on her kitchen table, Lia knew they both needed a subject change.
Fast.
“Want one? They’re from the bakery on Bell.”
He smiled halfway. “I’d love one but the girls are alone and—”
“Oh, right! Of course.” Lia hadn’t even wondered who was watching them while he was finding that key. Yet more proof, as if she needed it, that she wasn’t meant to be a mom. “I could wrap one up for you,” she offered with a nervous smile.
She heard his quick intake of breath, watched his eyes drop to her mouth, but he shook his head. “No, better not. If I have one, they’ll all cry for one, too.”
“You could always save it for after they go to bed.”
His face lit up and then he angled his head, studying her. “That’s…that’s a good idea. Devious, but really good. Okay. I’ll take it.”
“Great!” She left him still leaning against her door, reached for the bag of brownies on her kitchen counter, and wrapped one up in a new bag for him. “Here. Enjoy.”
“I will. Thanks.”
“Well.” She waved a hand, laughed once.
“Yeah. Right. I should go. I have to get dinner going.”
“Oh. Yeah. So do I.”
With a grin, he took his brownie and strode off. Lia shut her back door and leaned against it, fanning her face.
Wow. Just…wow.
Chapter Eight
By the end of October, Lia’s first newsletter issue was ready for distribution. She printed out copies and woke early to put them through mail slots across the building. The newsletter had turned into the first phase of her what was now a multi-phase business expansion plan. Next, she hoped to create a vlog for which she’d record interviews with various local businesses along a theme of some sort. In keeping with her small spaces, time savers idea, she’d decided her first video would be her new desk. She’d planned to put it in one of the small bedrooms but changed her mind. She’d put it in the living room, near her front window. Her business was now the center of her life. It should be the center of her home, too. The room was large enough for the desk and for her sofa.
She’d spent hours organizing the L-shaped unit, polishing its smooth wood surface. It had places for paper and pads, pens and other office supplies. It hid most of the unsightly wires her equipment still had. Best of all, it had shelving behind doors. She’d papered the inside of those doors with sticky notes, but most of her to-do list was stored in an online app she could access from phone or laptop. She loved how well the desk embodied her business motto: work smart, not hard. It fit into her home like a piece of furniture should. And it fit into her work as a piece of equipment should. Yes, she decided with a happy smile. This apartment had been a good decision.
Roseann and Vivian were coming over tonight. Roseann hadn’t been here since she’d moved in and Vivian hadn’t seen the place at all yet. With the furniture now in place, Lia couldn’t wait to see their reactions. She called in an order to what had become her favorite pizza place and knew her friends would bring the wine and chocolate and pajamas, should things get rowdy.
It was Friday night. They could get rowdy if they wanted to.
She stepped out her front door, breathed in the air that was still fairly warm for October, and trotted down the steps to the sidewalk. She’d just passed the courtyard when an anxious voice reached her.
“…I can’t take him out but I also need to pick up that prescription. No, they don’t deliver.”
It was her neighbor in Unit Q, which appeared to be a mirror image of her own duplex.
“…Well, when can you leave?”
Her voice held frustration and exhaustion and that bitter tone born from years of irritation. Lia stopped, looked around, found the woman sitting on the bottom step of her front stoop, smoking a cigarette. Messy hair tied back in a ponytail matched Lia’s assessment of the situation. This woman had gone without sleep for quite some time.
The woman’s blue eyes narrowed as she spotted Lia.
“Do you mind? This is a private conversation.”
“Not at all. I thought I might be able to help?”
The woman’s lips tightened. “I don’t need help.”
“It’s really no bother. I’m walking up the street to pick up my dinner. I can easily pop into the pharmacy. It’s right across the street.”
Desperation had taken over the annoyed gleam in the neighbor’s eyes. “I gotta go.” She ended her call, stubbed out her cigarette in a small pail filled with sand. “Who the hell are you?”
“Lia. Amelia Blake. Unit D. Who the hell are you?” She matched tone for tone and the woman laughed.
“I’m Jessica Vella. I’ve got a sick kid in there and haven’t slept for two days now. My husband doesn’t seem to grasp the gravity of the situation.” She waved a hand over the phone sitting on the step next to a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. “Oh! You’re newsletter Lia?”
“Yep, newsletter Lia.” She laughed
. “Sorry to hear about your son. But the offer stands. I’m picking up some dinner. The pharmacy’s directly across the street.”
“That would be amazing. His name is Mason Vella and his date of birth is July 7th, 2014. There are two prescriptions. One’s an antibiotic, the other is—hopefully—a powerful decongestant so he can sleep through a night.”
“Where is he now?”
“He’s been asleep for the last ten minutes. I had to toss a coin to decide between shower or smoke break before he wakes up coughing.” She ran a hand over dirty hair, winced.
“Okay, be back in fifteen minutes.”
“Thanks.”
With a warm smile, Jessica jogged up the stairs to her door. Lia started walking, enjoying the crunch of autumn leaves under her feet. The sun was low in the sky but she left her sunglasses off, enjoying its warmth. In the pharmacy, it took less than five minutes to retrieve little Mason’s prescriptions. She lingered a bit longer to find a treat for him. Little boys liked cars, didn’t they? She bought him a toy car and on a whim, added freezer pops.
Next up, the pizza store.
As soon as she stepped into the restaurant, she spotted Gabriel at the counter.
“EEEEEE-AAH!” Emmy clapped her chubby hands from the stroller he kept one hand on.
Gabriel spun around.
So did the three older girls.
Lia’s belly clenched. The entire Ivers family was out and about today. Another punch to her gut. Did he have any idea how lucky he was, she wondered? Four little lives to adore, to raise, to love? Kimberly’s blue eyes were so like her father’s right down to that little hint of sadness. Maddie’s brown eyes lit up like a Broadway theater, while she tapped her father’s arm relentlessly.
“Daddy, it’s Lia! She’s our new friend, right? Hi! Hi!” The child waved with such enthusiasm, Lia was reminded of a tail wagging the dog. “I’m Madison! Do you remember me? Will you be my friend, too?”
“Maddie, be quiet.” Kimberly held her back.
Gabriel smiled at Lia when she crouched to greet the baby.
“Hi, Emmy. How are you today?” Emmy wore a T-shirt with a picture of a fully charged battery on it. She glanced at her father and bit back a smile. His shirt had the same image, except the battery had only one bar. “Really loving the shirts. Do you have a whole collection of them?”