“Jordan?”
I turned my head to the left to find my best friend and fellow waitress Lauren Yi waving her dishrag at me. She shook her head, biting back a smile.
“You were cleaning the same spot for like a minute. Something on your mind?”
I shrugged. “Not much.”
“There’s a surprise,” she teased, her brown eyes flashing with mischief. That might have offended some people, but Lauren had an abrasive personality. She seemed like a bitch when you first met her but beneath the attitude was a richer, more interesting Lauren. Besides, how many Korean girls worked at Southern cuisine kitchens? Maybe I’d Google the statistics later.
“I’m just saying that you’ve been moodier than usual. Don’t ask me how I know, I just do,” she continued, holding up the salt and pepper shakers while I cleaned underneath them. Maybe I should have told her the truth—that not twenty-four hours earlier the archangel Gabriel was in my kitchen marking off souls in my own personal Penance Book. She’d probably just rent me a nice white padded room and a jacket to match.
“Just tired and ready to call it a week,” I said as earnestly as possible.
She wiped her brow, ruffling her pin-straight black hair. “Aren’t we all? When’s your shift over?”
“Soon. I’ve got a few stops to make and then I’m passing out for the weekend.”
Lauren arched an eyebrow at me. “For a girl with no life, you sure have a lot of ‘stops’ to make. You’re always late for work. What are you doing all the time?”
I met her eyes with a dead serious expression. “I’m Spider-Man.”
She burst into giggles, slugging me in the arm before moving on to the next table. “Get back to work, you moron.”
Her insult seemed to be just the pick-me-up I needed because I finished off my shift with a genuine smile. I waved good night to everyone and headed out of the door into the cool August evening. If I got lucky, I would spot another ghost to finish off my debt. Gabriel seemed to have confidence in me. I could only hope The Big Guy did as well.
Fifteen minutes later, with keys dangling in my hand, I walked up the short stairwell to my apartment only to stop halfway there. The cute guy from the park was leaning against the wall to the left of my door. Shock and fear rolled through me. How did he know where I live? How should I react? Could I get to the gun in time?
Finally, I decided to play it cool and continued up the steps as if nothing had bothered me. When I got closer, I could see him more clearly. He was even more handsome up close. His longish dark brown hair was parted down the middle, hanging low over his forehead and along the side of his neck. Intense sea-green eyes held my gaze.
He smiled at me with those full lips when I walked over. “Hi.”
“Hi,” I replied, not sure of what else to say. “Can I help you?”
“Actually, yes. Mind if we step inside for a chat?”
I glanced around in the narrow, empty hallway. No witnesses. Shit. “Uh, I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”
The stranger raised his hands. “I’m not gonna hurt you, I swear. You can even pat me down if you want to.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
He grinned. “No comment. So how about it? I’ll be quick, I just don’t want an audience.”
I took a deep breath. This was a terrible idea. I knew that. He probably knew that. Still, according to the law I couldn’t shoot him outside of my property and claim self-defense so I might as well go inside. After all, I was a small relatively cute girl and he was a big strapping fellow. The cops would probably believe me over him if I claimed he assaulted me. Morally questionable but effective.
I stuck the keys in the door and nodded. “Yeah, come on.”
When the door opened, he didn’t try to rush me. He stepped inside and watched me close the door. I was careful not to lock it in case I needed to escape. I tossed my duster on the chair by the round kitchen table and headed for the fridge. The key was to act casual. The guy had no idea I owned a firearm, nor was he aware that I knew self-defense.
“So what’s up? I saw you in the park the other day.”
“Yes, you did. I was surprised.” That made me look at him. He seemed serious.
“Why? Were you pretending to be invisible?”
The stranger chuckled, walking towards me. I froze, pulse thundering in my ears as adrenaline shot through me. He stopped a few inches short of actually touching me and murmured:
“You have no idea.”
Still meeting my eyes, he reached up into the cabinet and brought down my favorite green coffee mug. “You were going to make coffee, right?”