Even Homer was a constant reminder how wrong for each other he and his ex-wife Sheena had been. While he’d never been a cat person before Homer, he did like pets. Most of his life he’d grown up around Great Danes. The building allowed pets, and he’d considered getting a dog when he first moved in. Maybe not a Dane because the lack of room to run in the city was unfair to those big animals, and Sydney didn’t have the time for the long walks a dog that large would require, but even a smaller breed would’ve been cool.
His entire marriage he’d gone pet-less because Sheena hadn’t wanted to be bothered with pets.
“I’m not an animal person. I’m sorry,” she’d said when he suggested they get a dog. “They’re messy and stinky and just too much of a hassle.”
She’d offered to get a fish, as if a fish tank with cold-blooded animals he could never cuddle with came even close to man’s best friend. The words best friend reminded him of Lynn’s text. He read it again and decided to text her instead of calling just to be sure it wasn’t too late for that now.
Just got your text. Is it too late to talk?
Seconds later his phone rang. He sat back on his sofa, wondering if something was wrong. It’d been years since he and Lynn spoke this often. He’d just been around her for the better part of two days, talked to her earlier in the week, and now here she was calling again.
“Hey, how was the drive?” she asked, sounding cheery enough.
“Good,” Sydney said, still wondering about her call. “We didn’t get any traffic and Emi was good company, made the trip seem shorter.”
“She’s such a hoot, isn’t she?”
Sydney smiled, remembering how impossible it was for Emi to control her laughter even at a repast. ‘Yeah, she is.”
“Listen. She’s the reason why I’m calling. I can’t tell you how relieved her siblings were to hear someone I know so well lives in her building. They asked if you’d mind me giving them your number.” She spoke a little faster as if maybe Sydney might balk at that. “Only because, well, you know, she’s the baby and all, and they worry about her being so far. Not sure if she mentioned what happened last year. Did she?”
“She did actually,” Sydney said, closing his eyes.
“Oh, good. Then you know why they’re so anxious. They wanted to get her a bodyguard, which she absolutely refused.”
“Understandably so,” Sydney said, sitting up slowly.
“I agree,” Sarah said immediately. “And please don’t think anyone is asking you to be one to her or even keep an eye on her. She might be their baby sister, but she is an adult. They just said there’ve been times when they haven’t been able to get a hold of her for like the whole day, and after the scare they had last year, they start to wonder if maybe they need to drive down or something. It’d be nice to know someone nearby that they could call before having to take the drive all the way down there. If you knew what that family has gone through, you might understand better.”
“That’s fine, Lynn. Give them my number,” Sydney said before she felt compelled to tell him more about Emi’s family.
Already this was turning into more than he’d anticipated. It also felt contrived. He had no intention of calling Emi or making any special visits to her apartment just to tell her about her siblings now having his number. And he was fairly certain neither Lynn nor her brothers would be letting Emi in on this either. From the sound of what she’d shared with him today, Emi already thought her brothers a bit overbearing and overly anxious about her well-being.
He’d agreed to Lynn giving them his number and hoped they’d never actually call, but that was it. He didn’t need to get any further involved. Emi had mentioned living here for months now. Before the elevator incident, he’d only noticed her a few times. After today, he’d be going back to seeing her only whenever he happened to run into her.
Emi was sweet enough and likely harmless, but Sydney knew better than anyone that a friendship with a girl was never that simple. Add an overbearing family and Lynn, who he’d have to answer to if ever any drama occurred. No thanks. He’d leave well enough alone and just keep things as they were before this weekend.
Chapter Four
Emilia
“Ugh!”
If Emi could fling her laptop across the room, she would. But she couldn’t. She knew her options, but she didn’t like any of them.
She could go down to the building’s Internet cafe and use one of the computers there to type the damn paper due in just three days, but then she’d still have to deal with this stupid laptop. One of her favorite things about her one day of online courses a week was that she got to stay in her pj’s all day and not leave her apartment like with her all her other classes. If she was going to have to rely on the Internet cafe for her computer access, it defeated the whole purpose, and she’d have to get showered and dressed just to do homework.
Her second option was she could text her new friend, neighbor, and tech genius to see if maybe he could figure out what was wrong with the damn thing. She’d planned on texting him eventually to say hello, but she hadn’t planned on contacting him this soon after their unexpected weekend together. It had only been a week since they’d gotten back. She didn’t want him thinking she was making excuses to text him or hang out with him.
There was no doubt the man had it going on. She didn’t know a whole lot about him, but she knew all she needed to know. He was single, well off if he lived in this building, and a near genius from what Sarah had mentioned, not just at the party in front of him, but after he’d left for his hotel the night of the repast. Not just when it came to technology either. Sarah had gushed about his musical talent. Apparently, he played the saxophone and had once upon a time played in a symphony orchestra.
From the looks of him, the man likely had many a woman making excuses to see him—be around him. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she was one of them.
That left her with her only other option, one she really didn’t want to do: call one of her brothers, who’d likely offer to buy her the latest and greatest most expensive laptop out there.
It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate her brothers and her sister. Emi loved them all dearly. As much as she complained about them being overbearing, she still missed them all the time. She missed the feeling of being surrounded by family. But she needed to stop being so dependent on them. It was part of the reason she insisted on coming back to school—alone—even after last year’s incident.
Being able to attend ESU without it being a financial burden on her family was a dream come true. They could more than afford to put her up in this building, pay for her tuition, and even asked her not to get a job because they wanted her to concentrate on school one hundred percent. She had an allowance for Christ’s sake, a generous one. They encouraged her to use it because she knew they feared she just might be tempted to get a job and that would mean her being out and about more. All the more chance that she might be abducted or attacked again—one of their biggest fears, given what they’d all been through already.
Emi got it. She understood the fear. She lived with the same fear for them. Two of her brothers were firefighters. Every time she watched a news story about a fallen or hurt firefighter, she’d switch the channel because she could hardly stand the thought of one of her brothers ever getting hurt. All three of her brothers had scary tempers. Nathan had already been in trouble for it once. A.J., famed as much for his rage as he was for being a triple threat in his sport, seemed to have the hardest time getting a handle on his. It was part of his celebrity now as a well-known baseball player. Of course, she worried that one day that rage would get the better of him.
Livi was the one she worried about the least. They’d had their major scare with her once, and Emi could only pray they’d never have to go through something like that with her again. Thankfully, she was now married to a man equally as protective as her brothers. She was more than well taken care of.
Deciding that she’d
deal with this without calling her brothers, she bit the bullet and texted Sydney. Once he saw her laptop, he’d know it wasn’t something she was making up or using as an excuse. It really was all screwed up. She wouldn’t even stick around either if he agreed to look at it. Just drop it off and ask him when she should pick it up. She’d pay him when he was done, take her laptop, and be on her way.
Her text was simple enough. She was not going to over think this. He was an easy going guy. The idea of having a friend like him in the building was a pleasant one—like being around her brothers at home. It might even help with the overwhelming homesickness she felt too often.
Hey! I’m having issues with my laptop. Sarah said you used to fix computers on the side. Maybe you still do? I’d of course pay you.
Twenty minutes later she’d just about given up hearing from him when she got the text and clicked on it. She chided herself for the stupid butterflies just seeing his name on her screen gave her.
Sorry. I was at the gym. Sure, bring it by in a few. I’m in 1208. I’m just going to jump in the shower, but I should be out in about ten or fifteen minutes.
Pleased with herself for having handled that perfectly well all on her own without having to get her brothers involved, Emi walked into her bedroom to also take a shower. Her pajama day was over. But at least if Sydney fixed her laptop it wouldn’t be her last pajama day for a while as she’d feared.
Twenty minutes later she was at his door, freshly showered and dressed in jeans and a tank. He opened the door and invited her in. Emi walked in, trying not to fixate on how casual he looked compared to all the other times she’d been around him or seen him in the building. Even his casual appearance at the kids’ party that past weekend didn’t have anything on the basketball shorts and snug black T-shirt he wore now. His hair was still wet, and he wasn’t as clean-shaven as he normally was. Without all the layers of clothes he usually wore, Emi could now appreciate the impressive muscle he was packing. Okay, she’d admit it. The man was sexy as hell.
Still Emi was certain he had more than his share of women falling all over him. He didn’t need another one, and she didn’t want him to see her that way. It was a decision Emi had made almost as soon as she realized how wrong she’d been about him at the repast. It was further confirmed the next day at the kids’ party and again on their two-hour drive home.
She’d established a rule before she’d even met Sydney. She wasn’t going to date or even have a meaningless fling with anyone who lived in the same building. She didn’t want to spend her time avoiding anyone. And the last thing she needed was to have to explain to her brothers why she needed to move. With Sydney, it was a double whammy. Even as she’d stared at his kissable lips and perfect teeth at the repast and kids’ party, she couldn’t help but think of how awkward some family gatherings might get if she allowed so much as a fling.
What she had looked forward to almost immediately, after having such a pleasant time with him, was spending more time with him.
As friends.
Even though he wasn’t married, she was certain a man like Sydney was at least already seeing someone. But he’d already had a friend that was a girl for years. Obviously, the idea of being friends with a girl platonically was one he’d be open to. Hopefully. For now, she’d focus on one thing: getting her laptop fixed.
“Starts up fine,” she explained as she set it down on his countertop and hit the start button. “Then once everything is up and running, it just goes into this safe mode and I can’t do anything. I Googled on my tablet what the problem might be, went through all the troubleshooting steps, and nothing.”
“Did this just happen today?” he asked, glancing down at the screen that was starting up.
“No. This happened last week, but I hadn’t tried to fix it until the last couple of days because the due date for a paper I need to write is sneaking up on me now. I’d been doing everything else on my tablet, but I need this for my paper.”
Sydney hit a few keys on it, getting it to immediately go to another screen, a black one where he typed in a few words and numbers. It reminded her of the IT guys at her school who so easily figured out what she’d been trying to remedy for hours.
“Just tell me if you think it’s fried or if you think it’s fixable.”
“No, it’s definitely fixable.”
Sydney didn’t even look up. He typed a few more things, and that’s when Emi made her move. As much as she would’ve liked to stick around longer, she had to make it clear this was not an excuse to be around him.
“So I can let you be, if you think it’s gonna be a few minutes and come back for it,” she offered, hoping he might suggest she stick around. “I don’t wanna be in your way or anything.”
Now he looked up from the screen, his brow going up, and her eyes were instantly distracted by the swath of thick lashes over his eyes. “You’re not in my way,” he said, but just as she began to get her hopes up, he continued. “But, yeah, if you wanna go get something else done, you can come back for it. I should have it ready for you in an hour, hour and half tops.”
“Uh,” she said a bit unsure then decided to just do as she’d first planned and leave. “Okay, so do you charge by the hour or how does this work?”
His eyes narrowed and he shook his head. “I’m not gonna charge you. This is nothing. I gotta let it run its course, so it’ll be sitting here doing its thing on its own for the most part.”
“Well, I gotta repay you somehow.”
The moment she said it she felt her face warm. Their eyes met for a second without either saying anything. God that’s not how she meant for it to sound. “I know!” she said quickly then started to the door before he’d see her blush. “I’ll be back in an hour and a half. Or if it’s done sooner and you need to go somewhere or something text me, and I’ll run up for it.”
She didn’t even turn to look at him when he said he would. She just rushed out the door.
“Idiot!” she muttered to herself the moment she was far enough away from his door.
Once back at her apartment she decided she was doing way too much over thinking about this. She’d had friends who were guys before. It was a simple concept. You treat them just as you would any of your girlfriends. Easy peasy. The problem with Sydney was he was so damn good-looking. As laid-back as he was, being around him was still a bit daunting, not to mention breathtaking. She’d been silly enough to think that he’d be less intimidating out of his power suits despite how down-to-earth he was.
“Those muscles and lips and dreamy lashes, oh my. Alright,” she began one of the pep talks she often gave herself as she mixed the flour, poppy seeds, and the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. “Be yourself. Act just like you would when you’re around Livi or your brothers. Don’t look at him as a guy—an incredibly handsome guy—with yummy muscles and bedroom eyes that make you tingle in places you have no business tingling. Think of how easy it was to laugh and hang around him at the repast and the party. The drive home that seemed to be over in a flash. This is the same guy. Don’t ruin this.”
Her phone rang just as she was about to begin pouring the mixture into the muffin pan. She would’ve ignored it, but it was her sister, and she needed a reminder of how to have a normal conversation like the one she was hoping to be able to have with Sydney when she picked up her laptop.
“Hey, sissy,” she said, answering and putting her on speaker.
“You busy?” Livi asked.
“I’m making muffins, but I have you on speaker. What’s up?”
“Have you talked to A.J.?” Livi asked, sounding a little too excited.
“Not today. Why?”
“Guess who’s in negotiations to sign with the Padres next year when he’s a free agent?”
Emi thought about that for a moment, licking muffin mix off her finger. Who would have Livi this giddy? “Dave Wright?”
“No,” Livi said, lowering her voice. “Who were we just drooling over last time you were here and
we were watching the game on TV?”
Emi laughed. “You’re gonna have to be more specific than that.”
“What were we saying the Padres need badly?”
“A shortstop,” Emi said then stopped and gasped. “Oh my God, Sylvester Sabian?”
“Double S for double the sizzle!” Livi squealed.
“Sssssss!” they both said at the same time then broke out laughing.
Emi leaned back against the counter, wiping her hands with a towel. “Are you serious? A.J. told you or did you hear this on TV or something?”
“I heard it on TV and called A.J. immediately afterward. He said they’re definitely negotiating with Sabian. Can you imagine?”
Their whole lives Emi and her siblings had all been big sports fans. It’d been customary for Emi and Livi to fall in love with the players. They each had picked out their fantasy husbands in high school, but Sly Sabian was a young recent standout both for his game and for his looks. Much like A.J. had been picking up sponsors in a lot of the sexier types of merchandise, so had Sabian. Sabian’s latest was a beer commercial that had him stranded on a desert island. In it, he wore a baseball uniform tattered in just the right places to show off his perfectly toned body. Emi and Livi had drooled over it the last time Emi had gone home and they’d been watching one of A.J.’s games on TV. A.J. had brought home fellow team members for the family to meet in the past. So a good possibility existed that they might be entertaining Double S himself one day.
“No, I can’t imagine,” Emi said, placing the muffin pan in the oven.
They gushed about it a bit more with Livi filling her in on some of the other gossip she’d read about Double S and the latest in the news about their own brother Rage. As usual, when she and her sister got on the phone, the time flew. It was nearly an hour later when they hung up, and the muffins were ready and cooling on her stove top.
Talking to Livi had taken a bit from the angst she’d been feeling after seeing Sydney again, something she hadn’t expected given how comfortable and easy it’d been to talk to him this weekend. As she carefully placed the still warm muffins in a small basket then covered them with a kitchen towel, she decided to shake it off. This was what she’d been most taken by with Sydney in the first place: her ability to just be herself around him without feeling the least bit self-conscious. She was ruining this by over thinking it.