hallway in front of it. He was snoring. I pressed a finger to my lips and lifted Abby to my hip. Cautiously, I stepped over him.
I nearly screamed when he grabbed my ankle.
“Necie.” He propped up on an elbow and rubbed his eyes with his free hand. “Wait.”
“Let go of me,” I said, and tried to shake off his grasp.
“Baby, I’m sorry—”
I shot him an angry glance. “Not in front of her.”
Immediately, he released me. I moved toward the stairs.
“But when—”
I paused on the first step. Our eyes met. Tears glistened in his, but still I felt nothing. I kept walking.
“Will you come home for lunch, so we can talk?” he called.
“I don’t know.”
He followed me all the way to the garage and waited until I set Abby down to thrust a piece of paper in my hand. I stared down at the name Marty and a phone number I didn’t recognize.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“He’s a coordinator for the local AA meetings. I’m going to one tomorrow night.” Grady clasped my hand. “Please, Necie, don’t give up on me. You’re right, I need help. I need you, too, and Abby.”
What about me, and what I need? I thought, but didn’t say it out loud. If Grady was ready to admit he had a problem, I wanted him to get help. He was the father of my child; I didn’t want to see him destroy himself.
“Will you come home for lunch?” he asked again.His green eyes pleaded with me. It shocked me how haggard he looked. When had he lost so much weight?
“I’ll be here at noon.” I shut Abby’s door and faced him. “But I’m not promising anything.”
“That’s okay,” he said. “I understand.”
When I walked through the double glass doors of the DEA building, I spotted Cougar standing by the elevators. He gave me a little wave in greeting and pressed the up button. His brown hair was damp, and he wore no coat. I tried not to notice the way his navy T-shirt stretched over his chest, or the rocky cleft of his bicep peeking from beneath his sleeve.
“Morning,” he said when I drew near.
“Morning.” My face heated when I thought about our encounter in the snow, and some of the things he’d said to me last night.
Oh grow up , I thought. This is Cougar. He probably says the same sort of thing to the waitress who brings his morning bagel .
I jumped when he leaned in to sniff my hair, then felt a flash of irritation at myself. This school crush thing I had going had to stop.
“That’s different,” he said. “Cotton candy?”
Did the man notice everything? Maybe that was the magic of Cougar. He had a gift for making every woman around him feel like the only one who existed.
“Bubblegum. I used Abby’s shampoo.”
He nodded, unscrewed the cap from his Dasani bottled water, took a swig, then closed it back. He looked troubled—maybe even a little nervous. It wasn’t something I was used to seeing in Cougar.
“Look, Necie,” he said. “About what happened last night … I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you or anything.”
He frowned and uncapped his water again when the elevator lurched to a stop and the fifth-floor button lit.
“That’s okay,” I said when he turned the bottle up. “No, ah, hard feelings.”
Cougar dribbled water down the front of his shirt. I giggled as he coughed and laughed.
My smile faded when Kimberly glided into the elevator in all her auburn-haired glory. I felt downright schlumpy in my jeans and wrinkled T-shirt.
She grinned at Cougar, who was dabbing at the front of his shirt. “How did you miss a mouth like that?” she asked.
“Ha, ha,” he said. “This pick-on-Jason day or something? Necie’s already been poking fun at my expense.”
“Poor baby,” she cooed, and winked at me.
I tried not to hate her and her perfect genes. It wasn’t her fault she was five foot eleven, curvy, and brilliant. Okay, so maybe I would try not to hate her tomorrow. I’d had a bad night.
Still, I consoled myself, it couldn’t be easy to love a guy
I nearly screamed when he grabbed my ankle.
“Necie.” He propped up on an elbow and rubbed his eyes with his free hand. “Wait.”
“Let go of me,” I said, and tried to shake off his grasp.
“Baby, I’m sorry—”
I shot him an angry glance. “Not in front of her.”
Immediately, he released me. I moved toward the stairs.
“But when—”
I paused on the first step. Our eyes met. Tears glistened in his, but still I felt nothing. I kept walking.
“Will you come home for lunch, so we can talk?” he called.
“I don’t know.”
He followed me all the way to the garage and waited until I set Abby down to thrust a piece of paper in my hand. I stared down at the name Marty and a phone number I didn’t recognize.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“He’s a coordinator for the local AA meetings. I’m going to one tomorrow night.” Grady clasped my hand. “Please, Necie, don’t give up on me. You’re right, I need help. I need you, too, and Abby.”
What about me, and what I need? I thought, but didn’t say it out loud. If Grady was ready to admit he had a problem, I wanted him to get help. He was the father of my child; I didn’t want to see him destroy himself.
“Will you come home for lunch?” he asked again.His green eyes pleaded with me. It shocked me how haggard he looked. When had he lost so much weight?
“I’ll be here at noon.” I shut Abby’s door and faced him. “But I’m not promising anything.”
“That’s okay,” he said. “I understand.”
When I walked through the double glass doors of the DEA building, I spotted Cougar standing by the elevators. He gave me a little wave in greeting and pressed the up button. His brown hair was damp, and he wore no coat. I tried not to notice the way his navy T-shirt stretched over his chest, or the rocky cleft of his bicep peeking from beneath his sleeve.
“Morning,” he said when I drew near.
“Morning.” My face heated when I thought about our encounter in the snow, and some of the things he’d said to me last night.
Oh grow up , I thought. This is Cougar. He probably says the same sort of thing to the waitress who brings his morning bagel .
I jumped when he leaned in to sniff my hair, then felt a flash of irritation at myself. This school crush thing I had going had to stop.
“That’s different,” he said. “Cotton candy?”
Did the man notice everything? Maybe that was the magic of Cougar. He had a gift for making every woman around him feel like the only one who existed.
“Bubblegum. I used Abby’s shampoo.”
He nodded, unscrewed the cap from his Dasani bottled water, took a swig, then closed it back. He looked troubled—maybe even a little nervous. It wasn’t something I was used to seeing in Cougar.
“Look, Necie,” he said. “About what happened last night … I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you or anything.”
He frowned and uncapped his water again when the elevator lurched to a stop and the fifth-floor button lit.
“That’s okay,” I said when he turned the bottle up. “No, ah, hard feelings.”
Cougar dribbled water down the front of his shirt. I giggled as he coughed and laughed.
My smile faded when Kimberly glided into the elevator in all her auburn-haired glory. I felt downright schlumpy in my jeans and wrinkled T-shirt.
She grinned at Cougar, who was dabbing at the front of his shirt. “How did you miss a mouth like that?” she asked.
“Ha, ha,” he said. “This pick-on-Jason day or something? Necie’s already been poking fun at my expense.”
“Poor baby,” she cooed, and winked at me.
I tried not to hate her and her perfect genes. It wasn’t her fault she was five foot eleven, curvy, and brilliant. Okay, so maybe I would try not to hate her tomorrow. I’d had a bad night.
Still, I consoled myself, it couldn’t be easy to love a guy
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