Page 7 of Nikoli

"Tell me how your friend is doing."

I frown. "Which one?"

"The sexy one, Dario." She sighs.

I groan. "You can't have a crush on one of my friends. It's weird."

"Grandson, I am old, not dead nor am I blind. I don't have much else to do." She shrugs. "I watch all your games. It's not my fault if you have good-looking friends with nice... qualities." She winks and chuckles while I groan. It's impossible not to laugh. I shake my head with a grin on my face.

* * *

On my way out of Evergreen, I see Willow helping a man get comfortable in the media room. I stop and watch. She is patient and smiles kindly. When the man is satisfied, Willow pats his hand and walks toward me.

The way she takes her lower lip between her teeth makes me uncomfortable. I grin as she stops in front of me. The smell of raspberries wafts into my nose from her freshly washed hair.

"Come with me for a minute." I take her hand and wait.

She nods.

Looking around, I don't see anyone paying attention to us, so I move Willow into an alcove. "Will you have coffee with me when I get back from New York?"

"My life isn't easy, Nikoli."

"Just coffee," I beg, moving closer. Her green eyes meet mine and I'm completely lost. The things this girl does to me should be illegal.

"I'd like that," she whispers huskily.

"Good. Good." I lean in and brush my lips across her rosy cheek. "See you soon," I whisper in her ear.

The moan she lets out is dirty. I quickly leave her there.

I stand outside for a moment to cool off. The woman is dangerous to my self-control.

5

WILLOW

I spend a lot of time window shopping. I see the beautiful blouses and floaty summer dresses on the mannequins. I tell myself that one day I will be able to walk into one of those stores and buy a beautiful dress. I can dream. Sometimes I think it's a pipe dream. I work hard and save what money I can. I don't need much, and it helps a lot that my job is residential. I wouldn't have been able to afford an apartment in a nice neighborhood, so I'm grateful for that. It's just that sometimes I want to be me again. The memories of why I keep my head down remind me of why I don't want to be the little rich girl I used to be.

I take one last look at the pretty green dress with the little white flowers before I turn away and look out at the heavy traffic in the city. The bus doesn't take me anywhere, but I sit down on the bench at the stop. It's empty, except for me. The sun is beating down on my head, so I lift my face and enjoy the warmth. It's not often that I get a day off. The extra shifts gives me a little more money to hide in case I have to run again. I've only been running for a short time, but already, I'm tired. I know Marcus and his men will be looking for me.

I wrinkle my nose as a private bus drives by, the fumes nearly choking me. I slap a hand over my mouth and nose and shoot up from the bench. Boston Common is across the street, so I decide to head there. I sit by the pond and watch the ducks and whatever other animals show up.

It's a nice quiet day, and later I will watch the Boston Bay Vikings minor league team on the television. I told Mrs. Southern that I would only watch with her as long as she didn't tell her grandson. My elderly friend had lit up at that remark, so I wished I'd kept my mouth shut.

I told myself not to think about Nikoli Southern's toned body, hot and sweaty after the game. The man makes me nervous. The way his eyes focus on me like I'm the only one he's thinking about. He makes my heart flutter. No matter how many times I try to talk myself out of looking at him, my eyes always find him. I look forward to our coffee date.

* * *

Because we are watching the game together on the TV in the media room, I'm to call Mrs. Southern, Martha. She smiled in delight as I tried her name out.

The woman knows what she wants too. She reminded me not to forget to pour melted chocolate over the salted popcorn. As if I'd forget. My charge is more competent than I am most days. At least, that's how it feels. I know she has early onset dementia, a terrible disease with no cure.

I smile as I carry the popcorn and alcohol-free beer into the room. Martha rides roughshod over the other residents when it's game night. Some join her to watch the game and others grumble about missing their own favorite program. Martha has a small TV on the wall in her room, but for the game, it must be on the big screen. She reminds me of my brother and college football. I swallow hard and try to put him out of my mind, which isn't easy.

A frown appears on Martha's face, so I force a smile. "I remembered the chocolate."

"Hmm, I can see that." The noise on the TV distracts her, so I take the seat she's reserved for me.

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