Page 14 of Blindside Love

She giggles, immediately tearing into it. If I thought she was excited about her present, it’s nothing now that she’s seen it. It’s a simple snow globe I got in Nashville, but it plays music. The one I got for her and Rory are both Taylor Swift ones, and apparently, it’s a winner.

“This is so pretty, Mr. Trevor! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she squeals, winding it up to play another song, right as Ellie walks over. Her eyes still hold the anger I noticed when she was talking to Tom, but her fists aren’t clenched like they were, and she actually smiles as she hugs Addy.

I’m glad that she’s feeling better, I guess all it took was him leaving.

“Thanks for hanging out with my girl,” Ellie says, a soft smile as she looks at me, mouthing the words thank you, again, her eyes are sad, and I hate it.

“Anytime, seriously,” I say with a smile as I grab my bag and gear from the chair, Addy still playing the music as she shows her mom.

Ellie smiles over at me, her cheeks tinging pink before she looks back down at Addy and somehow a present for Addy made both her and her mom smile.

I call that a win.

The worst part about hockey season is being away from home for so long. It’s always so exhausting trying to get back into a routine. There’s laundry, groceries, mail, and all the other mundane tasks that we get to avoid while we’re away.

Walking out of my laundry room, I put the basket back in my bathroom now that the last load is finally in. You’d think with it only being me, I wouldn’t have too much laundry, but I’ve practically been drowning in laundry today, and I still don’t see an end in sight. I’d be thrilled to just sprawl out on my couch and watch a movie, but I’d most likely fall asleep immediately.

Instead, I make my way down to get the mail, checking another thing off my to-do list.

“Good evening, Mr. Adams,” Mrs. Walker says as we pass in the hallway, her smile bright and cheerful like always. “You played one helluva game the other night. Kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time, watching you skate the puck through all those players like it was nothing. You’re a damn fine skater, son. Mr. Walker would’ve loved to have watched you play.”

Her husband was a huge hockey buff and loved the Cyclones nearly as much as he loved his dear wife. She’s told me a million stories about him, but I always love to sit with her and listen to them. She’s a dear friend. Plus, her oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are practically made with crack.

“Thank you so much, Mrs. Walker. I always love knowing I have you watching,” I say with a smile.

“Oh, always. I see you’re on your way out, stop by sometime soon and I’ll whip up some treats, and we can have some tea.”

“That sounds perfect. I’ll let you know,” I tell her before walking into the elevator.

When I get down to the mailroom, I’m surprised to see that I’m not the only one down here. Ellie’s also here.

After talking with Cade, it’s hard to not want to get to know the girl better. She’s such a little kitten, but the kind of kitten with spiky claws. Now, I’m not saying that this is divine intervention or anything, but I did tell Cade that if I ran into her again, I would actually talk to her more. Maybe actually try to spend time with her.

“Fancy seeing you down here,” I say with an overly cheerful smile as I walk over to my mailbox right next to her.

“How much of a surprise is it actually? I mean, we both live in this building and need to get our mail at some point,” she mumbles, her face scrunched up as she grabs her mail.

“Well, I mean… yeah,” I say, stuttering over my words. “I guess it would’ve been better if I’d just said hello, but for some reason, you kinda caught me off guard, kitten.”

She looks at me quietly, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth as she stares at me, no doubt sizing me up.

“Kitten?” she asks, her eyebrows scrunched together, making her look even more adorable.

“Yeah, you’re cute as fuck, but damn, you’re feisty.” I shrug. “I like it.”

“Oh,” she says, turning her head as she tries to hide the blush now taking over. Turning back, she bites her lip nervously. “Sorry. For snapping at you. That was really rude of me. I’m not really in the best mood right now—but that’s still no excuse to be a bitch.”

“Don’t apologize for having feelings. We all have bad days. Everything okay?”

For the second time during this interaction, Ellie looks taken aback, like she’s not used to people being nice and not judging her. Now I don’t know if this has to do with the fact that we don’t actually know each other or if everyone in this girl’s life is just a complete and total piece of shit and doesn’t ask her if she’s okay.

Either way, I don’t like it.

“Um, thanks… yeah, everything is fine, or I guess it will be. Just a lot to do between settling in and cleaning up, and then there was this asshole in the elevator that kept staring at me. I asked him to stop, and he started to yell at me. He was weird.”

“That’s Frankie. He’s the nephew of one of the older tenants. Someone usually rides with him up to his place. He’s harmless, just an entitled prick with a staring problem. If he bothers you again, let me know. I’ll talk to his uncle or him if I need to.”

“Thanks, Trevor. And, uh, thanks for coming over the other day when Tom, my ex, was there. He’s kind of a douche,” Ellie trails off as she chews on her bottom lip.

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