Nora's Guy Next Door

It took Nora a minute to catch on, and when she did, her mouth dropped open.

“You were growing pot in this apartment?” That explained the sickly sweet smell.

“Well, hell, say it a little louder, princess! I don’t think Sheriff Dan quite heard you. It’s not like I was dealing or anything. It just helps me sleep at night.” She gave Nora a wink and turned away, heading toward the back of the apartment beyond the kitchen with a swish of her long cotton skirt. “The thermostat’s back here. The plants liked it warm, but I’ll turn it down for you. Over there’s the other bedroom and the bathroom, and the utility room’s by the back door. The washer and dryer aren’t exactly new, but I had Ash check everything and he said the plumbing and appliances were all functional.”

Nora stopped short. “Ash? Asher Peyton?”

Cathy was fighting with the deadbolt on the back door. She nodded without looking back to see Nora’s discomfort. “Yup. He’s your neighbor to the west, with the furniture shop. He’s a little crusty on the outside, but a good man underneath. If you ever need anything, just knock on the wall and he’ll come right over.”

“Knock on the wall?”

The deadbolt finally opened, and Cathy gave the door a hard yank to pull it open, letting in a rush of cold air. “Well, not the brick wall, of course, but you see those filled-in windows along the side of the apartment?” Nora looked back at the arched openings in the brick, filled with wide boards painted reddish brown to match.

“His place was built after this one, back in the early 1900s, and it butts up against this wall. The brick is thick enough that you can’t hear anything, but those old boarded-up windows allow a little noise to seep through. Sometimes I’ll hear his music if it’s turned up really loud.”

Cathy smiled. “Two winters ago I was working up here, trimming plants, and I tripped over that crazy old cat of mine and everything went crashing down—lights, plants, table, tools and me. What a racket! Before I was on my feet, Asher was pounding on this very door to get in, scared someone was killing me over here.”

The cold air wasn’t the only thing making Nora feel chilled. Buying a business next door to a man who hated her and her daughter was one thing, but knowing he might be listening was entirely another. Cathy must have noticed her concern.

“Oh, honey, don’t worry. When I say I can hear his music, I mean only if he’s cranking it, and even then it’s just low, fuzzy bass notes. He doesn’t do that a lot.” Cathy’s smile faded. “But when he does, he doesn’t want company, just so you know.”

Cathy stepped outside, oblivious to the cold. “He’s not the type to hold a glass up against the wall trying to hear what you’re doing. He keeps to himself. More than he should.” Those last four words were spoken under her breath, as if to herself.

Before Nora could respond, Cathy was pulling her outside onto a long metal fire escape overlooking a gravel parking lot behind the row of buildings. The walkway stretched across three or four buildings, with a matching one right above it. On the rear of each building a small wooden balcony jutted out over the parking lot. Narrow metal staircases led down to the ground at regular intervals. There was one right between her doorway and Asher’s.

Their buildings were not only connected, they also shared a fire escape. Nora frowned.

“Well, this isn’t very private, is it?”

Cathy just shrugged. “There was a big fire in town ages ago.” She stepped back into the warmth of the apartment and closed the door behind Nora, turning the deadbolt. “Grandma used to talk about it. These buildings didn’t burn, but some across the street did. Back then, a lot of places used these upper floors as boardinghouses. Some people were trapped in their rooms and died. After that, the town decreed that all downtown structures had to have fire escapes for each level. They’re not the prettiest thing to look at, but it’s nice to sit out there in the summer and watch the sun come up over the mountains. The neighbors used to get together for drinks out there in the evenings.”

Nora kept her thoughts to herself. She couldn’t imagine she and Asher Peyton would be sipping wine on the fire escape anytime soon. Cathy kept talking as she headed past the kitchen.

“Of course, that was back when more of them lived here, you know? I think the only places being used as homes now are Asher’s and Carl Wallace’s. Carl owns the liquor store a couple doors up. He’s lived over that store forever, but he’s been talking about retiring. His wife, Eunie, just passed away last year. And Asher’s building a house up on Gallant Mountain, so he’ll be out eventually.” Cathy opened the door leading to the coffee shop downstairs. “You might be the only one left if you really want to live up here.”

“I do.” Nora followed Cathy down the narrow steps after locking the apartment door. Amanda had offered her a suite at Halcyon for as long as she needed it, but she wanted her own space. Even a ten-bedroom castle started feeling small when you were living in it with someone else’s family. Besides, she was determined to show Becky that she could do this, be independent.

“Hey, look! We have customers!” Cathy walked over to greet Blake and Amanda in the center of the now-empty café. The tables and chairs were stacked in the back of the building, just as she’d written on her to-do list. She’d have to start a whole new list for the work required upstairs, of course. The artwork was off the walls. Even the old counter was gone, ripped out today and set aside. And there, by the window, stood her daughter.

Nora stopped, afraid to speak. Becky was staring outside, so she had a moment to take in her appearance. They hadn’t seen each other since Christmas. Becky’s hair was longer than usual. She wore a dark wool coat, but it was open and Nora could see the swell of her stomach. She was almost six months pregnant now.

She wanted to run and hug her daughter and never let go, but she was afraid to make the wrong move. Becky hadn’t exactly been supportive of this move when she’d finally answered her phone so they could talk about it.

Are you for real? After I told you I didn’t want you here, you went and bought that gross coffee shop? God, Mom, how desperate can you be?

And now her angry daughter was standing in that gross coffee shop. She was ignoring Nora with every ounce of stubborn energy she had, but she was here. Amanda stepped closer and whispered to Nora as Cathy wandered back to the kitchen.

“Blake told me the upstairs was pretty grungy.”

Nora shrugged. “It has potential. I just need a lot of cleaning supplies.”

“You don’t have to live here to run the coffee shop.” Amanda ran her finger across a shelf, grimacing at the dirt she lifted. “We have tons of space at Halcyon.”