by Keeland, Vi
“And no one ever noticed you?”
“Sometimes a doctor or nurse would say something if they found me up here alone. But they come up here to hide and smoke cigarettes. So if they said anything, I’d ask them if their chief and patients knew they smoked. That usually made them leave me alone. A few times they called security and had them chase me out.”
I laughed. “Oh my God. That’s insane.”
Donovan shrugged. “That’s life.”
“Believe it or not, I actually got escorted out of a hospital once.”
He raised one brow. “This I gotta hear.”
I felt sort of proud of my badassery. “Well, I guess I was about sixteen at the time. I lost my mom at twelve to cancer, and I’d grown close to my dad. One night I was staying over at my friend’s house when I got a call that my dad had had a heart attack. I went to the hospital and asked in the emergency room where I could find him. They said they were still working on him, but to have a seat and they’d let me know when I could see him. A woman in the waiting room named Candy walked over and introduced herself as my dad’s fiancée. My dad had just gotten divorced a few months earlier, and I’d had no idea he was even dating anyone. So I was confused. But honestly, my father lost his mind after my mom died, so I didn’t put it past him to get engaged again. A little while later, the doctor came out and spoke to us. He said my dad was stable but needed some surgery and asked if he’d been exerting himself when he started to get chest pain. Candy then proceeded to describe, in detail, how my father was a bad boy and had just finished doing fifty pushups after being denied orgasm during sex as part of his punishment.”
“Shit.” Donovan chuckled. “Did you smack her or something?”
“No. I was kind of shell shocked after hearing that. I smacked her after the doctor walked away because she said she didn’t like her engagement ring—it was too small. I looked down and saw she had my grandmother’s ring on her finger. She acted like I’d stabbed her, making this dramatic scene, so security escorted me out.”
“I didn’t think you had it in you, Red.” He smiled. “There’s a badass hiding in there after all.”
I bumped my shoulder to his. “Well, I am up here illegally on a roof, you know.”
“That’s true.”
A little breeze blew, and Donovan stood to take off his suit jacket. He offered to wrap it around my shoulders.
“No, that’s okay. I’m fine.”
“I’m warm. Plus, if you don’t take it, I’m going to make us go inside, and I like it out here with you.”
Our eyes met. I really liked it out here with him, too. Even though we were outside in the middle of Brooklyn, it felt like our own secret place. So I accepted the jacket. “Thank you.”
He sat back down. “So is that why you and your dad don’t get along that well? You don’t like your stepmother?”
“Oh, Candy isn’t my stepmother anymore. She was three or four wives ago. I’ve honestly lost track.”
“Three or four wives ago? Plus he was married to your mom, and you said he had just gotten divorced before he got together with Candy the dom. So that’s, what, six or seven marriages?”
“Yep. I actually think it’s seven, but he’s getting married again in a few weeks, so that would make eight.”
“Why does he keep doing it?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. We don’t talk much anymore.”
“Because of the string of Candys he married?”
“No. There was a time in my life that I really needed him to be there for me, and he wasn’t.”
Donovan looked into my eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“Thanks. I have mixed feelings about distancing myself from him. I know from the little bit I just told you it probably doesn’t sound that way, but there was a time he was a great dad and husband. He and my mother were high school sweethearts and really loved each other. When she got sick, it broke both their spirits. I remember in my mom’s last days, she was more worried about how my dad would carry on after she was gone than how I would. She made me promise I’d always watch over him for her. So part of me feels guilty that I don’t anymore.”
“I’m sure you have your reasons.” He paused and made sure I was looking at him again. “And I can sit here all night if you want to talk about them.”
That made my heart squeeze, yet I wasn’t ready to go there. “Thanks. But we should probably go see if Bud’s back.”
Donovan nodded, a bit of disappointment lurking behind his eyes. “Sure. Let’s do that.”
Bud was just being wheeled back into his room when Donovan and I returned. He looked between us and frowned. “Am I dying and no one’s telling me?”
Donovan shoved his hand into his pockets. “You’re too stubborn to kick the bucket, old man.”
“Damn straight.” Bud adjusted his covers. “How was service tonight? Did everyone get fed who needed to get fed?”
“They did. Dario and Ray helped me, so it was more like dinner and a comedy show, but no one is hungry right now.”
Bud nodded. “Good. Thank you.”
“Not a problem.”
Bud looked at me. “And you should be home sleeping, little lady.”
I smiled. “I just wanted to make sure everything came out okay with your scan.”
As if on cue, a doctor walked in. “Mr. Yankowski?”
“Name’s Bud. Frances Yankowski is only what my mother put down on the birth certificate to ensure I’d learn how to handle myself in the schoolyard.”
The doctor smiled. “Alright, Bud it is. I just took a look at your scan. Perhaps your company can wait outside while we talk about the results?”
Bud waved at me. “It’s fine. They’re family.”
The doctor explained that while the kidney seemed to be just bruised, the blood in Bud’s urine could be a sign of damage, and they needed to continue to monitor his urine and repeat the scan in twenty-four hours.
Bud shook his head. “I feel fine. I’m going home tomorrow morning. I’ll come back if it gets worse.”
“I’d prefer if you would give us two nights.”
“And I’d prefer to look like him.” He pointed at Donovan. “Yet I got stuck with this mug.”
Donovan spoke to the doctor. “You have any rules against patients being tied to the bed?”
The doctor smiled. “I’m afraid we do, son.”
Donovan raked a hand through his hair. “I’ll cover dinner again tomorrow. Dario will take care of your route during the day. We already discussed it.”
Bud folded his arms across his chest. “No fast-food crap. These people need a balanced meal.”
“I have to be in court all day tomorrow. Will hamburgers and hot dogs do? I can pick up a grill on my way over after work.”
“With what side dish?”
Donovan folded his arms across his chest, mimicking Bud’s usual stance. “Ketchup. It was once a tomato.”
It looked like a standoff was about to ensue, so I interjected. “I make a delicious broccoli salad. It goes great with burgers.”
Bud’s face softened. “Thank you, sweetheart.”
“So we have a deal?” Donovan asked.
“Fine,” Bud grumbled. “But get whole wheat buns. All that processed flour isn’t healthy.”
Donovan mumbled under his breath. “Neither is fighting off carjackers.”
The doctor had been watching the negotiation like a tennis match. His brows rose. “So we have a deal, then? Mr. Yankow—I mean, Bud—is staying for at least another night or two?”
Bud held up a finger. “Not at least another night. One more night. Two, max.”
The doctor smiled. “I’ll take it. Let’s start there.”
After the doctor left, Donovan and I stayed a few more minutes before leaving Bud to get some rest. Donovan said he’d be back to check in on him before court, and I left Bud my phone number just in case he needed anything during the day tomorrow. After, Donovan walked me to my car.
He looked up at the streetlight I’d parked under. “Very good.”
“Why, thank you.”
“You don’t really have to make broccoli salad. I can pick up some store-bought sides when I grab the burgers.”
“Don’t be silly. I told Bud I’d do it, and I want to.”
Donovan smiled and nodded. “Okay, then. I can pick the salad up from you after I hit the supermarket to get the burgers after court.”
My brows furrowed. “What time do you get out of court?”
“Four thirty, unless we go late.”
“Why don’t I pick up the burgers when I get the stuff for the broccoli salad? I’m going to be at the store anyway.”
“You sure you don’t mind? That would actually be helpful because I also need to go pick up a grill to cook on since they stole all of his equipment.”
“Of course not. I’m happy to help.”
“Alright, then. Thanks.”
“I’d like to help serve dinner, too.”
“You sure?”
“Positive.”
“Okay, then, I’ll pick you up after I pick up the grill and other stuff I need, and we can ride over to serve dinner together. You’re going to have a lot of stuff to carry to and from the car.”
“That sounds like a plan.”
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Donovan dug into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out his wallet. “Take this credit card to pay for everything.”
I waved him off. “No need. I got it.”
“You’re not paying for all that food, Autumn.”
“You’re right. I’m not. I have a black card of my father’s that sits in my wallet collecting dust. He always tells me to use it for anything important to me, and this is.” I smiled. “I think I’ll buy top-of-the-line stuff—maybe Kobe beef burgers.”
Donovan laughed as I opened my car door. He held onto the top as I climbed inside.
“Goodnight, Donovan.” I smiled.
“Goodnight, Red. Thanks for everything.” He paused a moment. “We work well together, don’t we?”
I smiled. “We do.”
He winked. “Be careful driving home.”
CHAPTER 20
* * *
Donovan
“This is a nice place.” I looked around the inner sanctum of Autumn’s apartment. It was small, but decorated really cool with a bunch of black-and-white photographs of things in the City taken from odd angles, like the suspension wires of the Brooklyn Bridge shot from standing and Times Square taken while walking up the stairs from the subway. “Did you take the photos yourself?”
“No. I bought them from a street artist years ago. I like how they show iconic parts of the city, but in an atypical way.” She lifted a box out of the refrigerator and set it on the counter. “I forgot you’ve never been here.”
“Never been invited.”
Autumn smiled. “I hope I didn’t go overboard with this broccoli salad. I took a guess at how many people came for dinner the night I went with you. I figured about a hundred.”
I nodded. “That’s pretty spot on.”
“I borrowed two coolers from a neighbor, so the meat is in those. I couldn’t fit it all in my refrigerator.” She bent to lift another box on the bottom shelf, and I walked over and grabbed it for her.
“Jesus. What’s in here? Rocks?”
“I made twenty pounds. I didn’t want to run out.”
“I think you have the side dish covered.”
Autumn’s kitchen was a typical New York City galley that barely had room for one, so when I joined her to lift out the container, our bodies were almost touching. At the risk of sounding like a complete wuss, I felt it in my loins. My loins. I don’t think I’ve ever had use for that word until now. But fuck if everything from beneath my ribs to the base of my balls wasn’t all tingly.
I set the second tray on the counter and made a point of pivoting to speak to her. She looked up at me from under those long, dark lashes with her big green eyes, and it was like the bathroom at the partner barbecue all over again. Except if we got started this time, there would be no one around to interrupt. Sure, we had people to feed, but would they really starve if dinner weren’t served for one night? I found myself actually debating that thought, until something behind Autumn caught my attention. The kitchen had a small window, which was currently open. A little breeze that I didn’t even feel must’ve blown, because the curtains lifted slightly, revealing a plant on the windowsill.
Was that… No, it couldn’t be.
But then Autumn looked over her shoulder to see what had caught my attention, and when she turned back, the look on her face told me the crazy thought I’d had was right. She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, and her eyes sparkled like a kid getting caught with a cookie from the cookie jar.
I nodded to the plant without taking my eyes off her. “That’s my plant, isn’t it?”
Autumn shook her head with a huge grin. “No.”
I skirted her and walked over to the window, lifting the pot. It was bigger, and the container had been changed, but I was pretty certain it was my little plant. I knew because I’d cross-bred two of my existing plants—one had green leaves with a yellow stripe, and the other had little yellowish bumps on its leaves—and this one had green leaves with a yellow stripe and bumps. It had barely been a seedling when it disappeared from my apartment. I’d noticed it missing the week after our weekend together, and I’d assumed the kid across the hall I sometimes paid to water the plants had killed it or something.
I studied her face. My bullshit-arometer had zero doubt she was lying. “Really? Where did you get this?”
“At the store.”
“Which store?”
She shook her head and looked away. “I don’t know. The plant store.”
I smirked. “The plant store?”
“I don’t remember what it was called.”
“I do.” I leaned down so we were eye to eye and inched closer. Autumn looked like a deer in the headlights, yet there was still a sparkle in her eye. She was enjoying screwing with me as much as I was screwing with her. “You got it from a place called Donovan’s.”
“I did not.” She smiled from ear to ear.
“Did, too.”
“Did not.”
“I didn’t take you for a thief, Red.”
“I’m not a thief. I just…borrowed it, okay?”
My brows jumped up. “You borrowed it?”
She nodded. “That’s right.”
“Almost a year ago?”
“I guess so.”
“So you were planning on giving it back?”
She couldn’t contain herself anymore—she cracked. Her hands covered her face, and she burst out laughing. “Alright, alright. I took it from your apartment. I didn’t get it from the plant store, and I wasn’t planning on giving it back.”
Now I was laughing, too. “Do you do that often? Take something from a man’s apartment?”
“No! I swear. I’ve never ever done that before. I’ve actually only stolen one thing in my entire life—an NSYNC pin when I was ten—and I felt so guilty about it that I went back the next day and snuck it into the store.” She still had her face covered with her hands.
I gently peeled back her fingers so I could see her eyes. “You wanted a souvenir from our weekend together?”
“I don’t know why I took it. I just did. If you couldn’t tell, I’m really embarrassed. I’m sorry.”
I brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. “Don’t be embarrassed. I’m glad you felt the need to take a souvenir. As long as we’re coming clean, I have something of yours, too.”
Her eyes grew wide yet again. “You do?”
I nodded. “I didn’t steal it. Because, you know, I’m not a thief like you. But I found a folded-up piece of paper under my bed the week after you disappeared on me. It must’ve come out of your luggage, and I didn’t notice it until then.”
“What paper?”
<
br /> I reached into my pocket and took out my wallet. Unfolding the sheet of paper I still carried with me, I showed it to her.
Autumn took it. She closed her eyes after reading the first few lines. “Oh my God. Is there a hole somewhere that I can crawl into? First you realize I stole one of your plants, and now I find out you read an alphabetized list of excuses I wrote.” She blushed and shook her head. “Who does these things? Why are you even interested in me? I’m a freaking weirdo.”
“Normal is overrated, Red. But I am curious who you use the excuses on.”
“My dad. He never forgets anything, so if I gave him the same excuse as the last time I needed to get off the phone, he would remember.”
“So you started a list?”
“Right before I met you last year, he’d called me the morning I was leaving for Vegas. I said I was walking into an elevator and needed to hang up. Apparently, I’d said that on our last two calls, and he called me on it. I don’t like to fly, so I had a few glasses of wine on the flight and made that list, sort of half as a joke.” She sighed. “Can we switch? I’ll take this paper back and burn it, and you can have your plant back. Then we can pretend this conversation never happened.”
I smiled. “The paper is yours. But you can keep the plant, too. I like that you kept something around that reminded you of me.”
Autumn was still looking at the ground, so I slipped two fingers under her chin and lifted until our eyes met. “It means while your mind wanted nothing more to do with me, your heart did. I can work with that.”
She shook her head with a hint of a smile threatening. “You can work with that?”
“Yep. I’m patient.” I tapped the tip of her nose. “The heart always wins in the end.”
***
Dinner service that evening went smoothly. A few of my old buddies came and helped us, and I made sure one of them stuck by Autumn’s side when I got busy. The crowds that came to be fed didn’t always have the best manners, especially since some of them were too drunk or high to think straight. On the way home, I mentioned to Autumn that I’d spoken to Bud’s doctor who said Bud was doing great and could go home tomorrow or the next day.
