"I could see how that would ruin sports. I, myself, love sports, especially football. But I've never bet on a game and never would. I'm not a gambler. So if you ever want to try watching a game, just to see if you'd like it, I'd suggest you watch one with me."
"I'll keep that in mind."
He motions to the couch. "You want to sit down? I feel awkward standing here by the door, like we either need to leave or go sit down. My vote is to sit down."
"I guess I could for a minute or two." I go over to his couch and sink down on the soft leather. It's heavenly. So much better than sitting on a milk crate.
"Want anything to drink?" he asks, going to the kitchen. "I have water, soda, milk, beer."
"I'll take a soda."
He grabs a bottle from the fridge and brings it to me. "Want anything to eat?"
"We just ate."
"We didn't have dessert. All I have is ice cream. You want some?"
"Sure," I say, like it's no big deal, even though the very thought of having ice cream has my mouth watering. I love ice cream and haven't had it for forever.
"Cookies and cream okay?" he asks, handing me a huge bowl of it.
"Yeah, it's my favorite. But you didn't have to give me so much."
"Eat what you can. I'll save whatever's left for your next visit."
"I don't think I'll be coming over again."
"Why is that?" He sits beside me with an equally large bowl of ice cream.
"I don't think people in your building want some homeless girl hanging out here. This is a nice building. I'm sure rent cost a fortune."
"They don't get to tell me who I can and can't have over. And you're not homeless. You're just in an atypical living situation in which your home is a tent. Technically, that could be called camping."
I laugh. It shouldn't be funny that I live in a tent but the way he said it just now made it funny. And it's true. I AM living like a camper. Thinking of it that way doesn't sound so bad.
"You want to watch TV?" He tosses me the remote.
"You're letting me pick the channel?"
"You're the guest. You pick the channel."
I quickly turn on the TV, excited because I haven't watched TV in months. And I never got to pick the channel if Rob was home.
I find a movie to watch but we end up talking and missing most of it. When it ends, I check the clock and see we've been sitting here for two hours.
"I really need to go," I say, getting up from the couch. "It's late and I don't want Gladys to be alone."
He hops up from the couch and grabs his keys and phone from the counter.
"You don't have to walk me back," I say, going to the door.
"I'm walking you back," he says, like I have no choice in the matter. "Let's go."
He locks up his apartment and we go down to the street. My new backpack is slung over his shoulder and when I look at him, I can't help but smile. I don't even know why I'm doing it and I wish I could stop because smiling this much can't be normal.
"I had a great night," he says, taking hold of my hand.
"What's this?" I ask, picking our hands up.
"I get scared in the dark. I have to hold your hand to feel safe."
"It's not that dark. There's street lights everywhere. You just made that up."
"If I told you the real reason, would you still let me do this?" he asks, giving my hand a squeeze.
"Maybe. So what's the reason? Why'd you take my hand?"
"Remember when we were talking about choices?"
"Yeah."
"I had a choice. I walk beside a beautiful girl, dying to hold her hand, but don't do it because she might tell me to go to hell, or I take the risk and just go for it."
"I could still tell you to go to hell."
"I'm thinking that might be next."
"Why? What do you mean?"
He stops suddenly and turns me toward him, and just as I'm about to ask what he's doing, he kisses me.
Sparks—flames—shoot off inside me. It's the type of kiss I've had dreams about but didn't think were real. I've never felt this much heat, excitement, emotion, from a kiss. I grab hold of him, wanting more. So much more.
I nearly melt when his hands slide under my hair, holding my head as his warm, soft, perfect lips move softly over mine. My lips part and I feel his tongue slip in my mouth, setting off more sparks. More heat.
God, I want this so much. More kisses like this. More nights like tonight. More Miles. But I can't have him. Lawyers don't date homeless girls. They don't date former addicts. Miles and I would never last. And I'm not going to let myself get hurt again.
"Stop," I say, shoving him away.
"Why?" he asks, his hands dropping to his sides. "What's wrong?"
"This." I shake my head. "I can't do this. I have to go." I run off.
"Raine, wait!" He runs to catch up.
I turn back to him. "I can get back by myself. Just leave me alone, okay?"
Hearing the plea in my tone, he stops. "Would you at least take the backpack?"
Shit. I forgot to pick it up.
I run back to him and he hands it to me, but keeps hold of the strap.
"Tell me what happened just now." He tugs tighter on the strap as I attempt to yank it away.
"Let it go," I say.
"Raine, that wasn't just any kiss. I know you felt it as much as I did."
"You're wrong." I look at him.
"I'm not wrong. I know what I felt."
I swallow. "It's not what I want. Now let go of the bag or I'm not taking it."
He slowly releases the strap and I sling the backpack over my shoulder and run off, down the block, then across to the other street, until I'm back in the alley.
I shouldn't have done it. I shouldn't have let him kiss me. Because now I want something I can't have. Something I want more than anything else.
"Who is it?" I hear Gladys call out, panic in her voice.
"It's me," I say, hurrying to unzip the tent. "Sorry I scared you. I thought you were asleep."
Turning on the lantern, I see her sitting up. Her white hair's a mess from sleeping on it and she has her blanket wrapped around her. She loves that blanket Miles gave her. I love mine too. And we both love the tent. But I still feel like I shouldn't have taken it, or the other stuff. It just makes me more involved with him, which I shouldn't be.
"I couldn't sleep," Gladys says. "I was worried. You didn't come home." She grabs my arm, pulling me down to her. "Where were you?"
"I was with Miles, remember?"
"Miles," she repeats to herself. She's confused. I can tell by the way her eyes are moving side to side. Her confusion worries me, and what worries me even more is that it's unpredictable. One day she'll be perfectly fine and remember even the smallest detail about something, but then another day she can't even remember my name.
"Miles," I say. "The guy who gave us the tent. Dark hair. Tall. Remember?"
She slowly nods. "Yes, I remember. Your boyfriend."
"He's not my boyfriend. He's just a guy I met at the coffee shop."
She cups her hands around mine and looks at me, smiling. "How was your date, dear?"
"It wasn't a date. We just had dinner down the street."
"But it's so late. Did you go somewhere else?"
"We went to his apartment. He gave me this backpack because mine was falling apart." I take it off my shoulder and show it to her.
"It's very nice," she says, running her hands over the fabric.
"Yeah, and he put some snacks inside." I unzip it. "Do you want anything?"
"No, dear. I'm not hungry." She smiles. "You look so happy."
"Happy? I'm not happy. I mean, I'm not sad but I'm not—never mind. I'll just put this away for later." I toss the backpack behind me. "I should get to sleep." I turn my back to her and lie down.
"That boy really likes you," I hear her say.
If I let her, she'll keep talking about this, and it's not something I want to talk ab
out.
"Goodnight, Gladys."
"Goodnight, dear," she says in a soft sleepy voice. Moments later, I hear her snoring.
I wish I could fall asleep that fast. I usually can, but not tonight. Not with my mind still on Miles. Why did he have to kiss me? Now that's all I'll be able to think about. Miles and that amazing, incredible kiss. The type of kiss I'm sure I'll never experience again.
12
Miles
"Did you update the file?" Lisa asks, standing by my desk.
I turn to her. "Which file? You gave me several."
"The one for the meeting today." She reaches across me and grabs the stack of folders. She rifles through them and yanks one out, then shoves the stack at me. "Hurry, up. We're going to be late."
I set the files down, glancing at the clock on my desk. It's almost four. I didn't realize it was so late. I've been working nonstop since I got here. I didn't even have time for lunch. I was hoping I'd be able to sneak out at noon and go see Raine but then Lisa piled more work on me and I couldn't leave.
"Why are you still sitting there?" Lisa barks, staring down at me.
"Sorry." I hop up from my chair. "Let's go."
But instead of leaving, she stands in front of me. "What's going on with you?"
"Nothing. Why?"
"You've been acting out of it all day. Are you sick?" She steps back, pointing her finger at me. "I don't have time to be sick. If you're sick and didn't tell me—"
"I'm not sick."
"Then what is it? Why are you so out of it today?"
"I'm not. I'm fine." I go around her and head to the conference room.
Lisa's right. I haven't been myself today. I can't stayed focused and it's taking forever to get my work done. It's because of Raine. I keep thinking of her and our date last night. It wasn't really a date, but it felt like it was, especially at the end, when we kissed.
That wasn't just any kiss. There was something between us. Something that confirmed it wasn't just her physical appearance drawing me to her that night in the coffee shop. It was more than that. I felt something for her I can't explain. It's why I can't get her out of my head. Why I've been distracted at work. Why I keep waking up at night, unable to sleep.
She ran off last night and I don't know why. I know she felt something from that kiss. It wasn't just me. So why did she leave?
I have to talk to her. Find out what happened last night. I've been counting the minutes until I can get out of here and go see her. I just have to get through this meeting and then I can leave.
Everyone's already in the conference room when I get there, including one of the partners. The meeting is about our client who owns the hotels. I was hoping I wouldn't have to work on this case but I did such a good job on the research Lisa assigned me that she convinced her boss to keep me on the case.
"Miles, tell them what you found," Lisa says halfway through the meeting.
I have no idea what she's talking about. My mind has been on Raine the whole time and I haven't been listening.
I straighten up in my chair. "What specifically are you referring to?"
Lisa glares at me, but forces out a smile. "Tell everyone what you discovered about the man's history."
She's referring to the guy who fell down the stairs. The one who's suing our client.
"My research found that he spent time in jail for minor offenses," I say, "including loitering and petty theft."
"And he was homeless at one point, correct?" Lisa asks.
"Yes, but that's not a criminal offense."
"But it will prove to the judge he's just out to get money," Gerald says. He's old, and one of the original partners of the firm. He's too important to show up at meetings like this but he's good friends with our client so he's overseeing the case.
"The medical records show his injuries were substantial," I point out. "It's not unreasonable for him to ask for compensation."
"Whose side are you on?" Gerald asks, narrowing his eyes at me.
Lisa kicks my foot under the table. "I'm sure Miles is just pointing out issues we'll need to address with the jury, assuming we're unable to settle out of court."
"Settling is the only option," Gerald says. "If this goes to trial, every one of you is fired." He looks at each of us at the table. "And settling is our last resort. Our client shouldn't have to pay a dime to some opportunistic homeless man seeking damages for his own carelessness."
Carelessness? The guy wasn't being careless. He was just trying to walk down the stairs. He fell because our client didn't fix his staircase.
"He's no longer homeless," I say. Lisa kicks me again under the table but I continue. "He works as a mechanic now and bought a house last year."
"With money he swindled out of people like our client," Gerald says with disgust. "I'm so sick of these people stealing and swindling to get money, then expecting us to feel sorry for them. We're not letting this man get one cent from our client. If any of you here don't believe that's possible, I suggest you pack up your things and go." He stands up. "Any questions?"
We all sit in silence, our eyes on the table.
"Good." He walks to the door. "Lisa, meet me in my office after the meeting."
"Yes, of course." She nods at him as he leaves.
The meeting ends just before six and Lisa walks with me back to our desks. She's quiet the whole time, which worries me more than if she yelled at me. She's never quiet. So why now? Is she getting ready to fire me?
"Lisa," I say when we reach our desks. "I didn't mean to upset Gerald. I was just stating the facts from the research."
She pivots on her heels to face me, her eyes landing on mine. "Next time we'll prepare what will be said, and when, before each and every meeting."
"That's not necessary. I—"
"It's necessary if I say it is. I want you to go home tonight and find out all you can about that man. If we're going to win this case, we have to destroy that man's reputation. Show that he’s only doing this for money. I want you to dig up everything he's ever done, even parking violations. I want all of it and I want it by tomorrow morning."
"But there's nothing else to find. I've already done a complete search of the records."
"Then make something up," she snaps before storming off.
She wants me make up evidence against the guy? I can't do that. And I won't. I'll quit before I do that.
"Hey." Mark appears beside me. "A few of us are going out for beers at the place down the street. You in?"
"No." I check to make sure no one's around. "Hey, do you have a minute?"
"Yeah. Why? What's going on?"
I lower my voice. "Lisa just basically asked me to make up stuff about a plaintiff to make sure our client wins his case."
"Yeah? So?"
"You don't think that's wrong?
He shrugs. "I'm sure she didn't mean to make stuff up, but more like embellish it."
"And that's somehow better?" I shake my head. "Sorry, but the law school I went to didn't teach us to cheat and lie to win cases."
"Mine didn't either but everyone knows you have to play dirty sometimes to win a case. Both sides do it. You don't think the other guy's lawyer's trying to make our client look bad?"
"Yeah, but this guy, the plaintiff, he's not trying to get rich here. He's not even asking for much. He just wants his medical bills paid and to be compensated for the time he couldn't work."
"Just do what they want. If the bosses want to take this guy down, then do it. It's easier that way. And you're less likely to lose your job. So you going with us for drinks or not?"
"I can't. Lisa's making me work tonight."
"Sorry, man. That sucks. Maybe some other night. See ya." He walks off.
I grab my laptop and keys and hurry to the elevator. It's after six and most everyone's already left by now.
Back at my apartment, I quickly change clothes, then go back down to the street, heading to the coffee shop. I should be working but I can't right now.
I need to see Raine. I need to find out why she ran off last night.
Passing a food truck, I get a whiff of whatever they're making and my stomach growls. I turn back and walk up to the truck to see the menu. It's all different kinds of macaroni and cheese. I order three different kinds and have the guy pack it up to go, along with three bottles of soda.
When I get to the alley, Raine isn't there but Gladys is, seated on her lawn chair, the blanket I gave her draped over her legs. It's a warm fall night but I'm guessing she gets cold easily because she's old.
"Hey, Gladys," I say, walking up to her.
She looks at me like she doesn't know me. Raine said Gladys gets confused sometimes and doesn't remember stuff.
"I'm Miles," I say, shaking her hand. "I'm Raine's friend."
She smiles. "Her boyfriend."
So she DOES remember me, and she called me Raine's boyfriend. Is she just saying that or did Raine tell Gladys I was her boyfriend?
"Is Raine here?" I ask, glancing at the tent.
"No, but she should be back soon."
I sit down on the milk crate next to Gladys. "Any idea where she went?"
"I don't know, dear," she says, her eyes going to the sack I'm holding. "What do you have there?"
I smile. "Dinner. Are you hungry?"
She doesn't answer, her eyes still on the sack.
"Bacon or ham?" I ask as I take the containers from the sack.
Her eyes light up. "Bacon."
"Bacon it is." I hand her the mac and cheese with bacon, along with a stack of napkins. "Be careful. It's hot." I help her remove the lid, then hand her a fork.
"What are you doing here?" I hear a voice ask.
Looking over at the street, I see Raine coming toward me.
I stand up. "I wanted to talk to you."
"He brought dinner." Gladys smiles as she takes a bite of her food. "Oh, my, it's delicious."
"I brought some for you too," I say to Raine. "There was a food truck down the street selling different types of—"
"Get out," she says, pointing at the street.
"Why?" I walk up to her. "What's wrong?"
She grabs my arm and pulls me toward the street, away from Gladys. "I told you I didn't want you coming here."
Home With You Page 11
