Pamela Bauer - The Man Upstairs

“She did brag about it a bit,” Dena admitted.

“She must have told you about watching movies in Leonie’s great room?”

Dena knew that the large living area off the kitchen was what everyone referred to as the house’s great room. Leonie had told her that it was a communal area for the tenants to use. So far Dena hadn’t taken her up on her invitation, preferring to watch television in her own apartment.

“One thing about Leonie is that she likes having people in the house,” Krystal told her. “That’s why she converted this place into apartments. You don’t need to worry that you’re imposing on her privacy if you go downstairs. She loves having us girls around.”

“I’m afraid I work most evenings,” Dena told her in an apologetic tone.

“Then I’m glad I caught you tonight. How about if I meet you in the kitchen in say…twenty minutes or so? I need to shower and change. I’ve been working in these clothes.” She gestured to the short leather skirt and sweater sticking out from beneath her jacket.

“That’s fine.”

“Great. If you get down there before me, help yourself to any of the beverages in the fridge. There’s beer and soda or bottled water…you’re welcome to whatever you can find,” she said over her shoulder as she headed toward her door.

Dena nodded and forced a weak smile, wondering if she’d made a mistake accepting Krystal’s invitation. If she was going to keep her neighbors at arm’s length, it probably wasn’t wise to be sharing a pizza with one of them, especially one who was looking for “girl talk.”

When Krystal came into the kitchen, she was wearing tight black pants and a yellow sweatshirt. She arrived at the same time as the delivery boy. Dena watched her talk to him as if he were a good friend instead of a complete stranger, envying the ease with which the younger woman carried on a conversation.

As soon as he’d gone, Krystal said, “Wasn’t he just the cutest thing? A little too young for my taste, but cute.” She set the pizza in the middle of the table, then grabbed a Corona from the refrigerator.

“I noticed you asked if he had an older brother,” Dena remarked, taking the chair directly across from her.

“Of course. A girl has to explore every possibility,” she said as she helped herself to a slice of pizza.

Judging by the number of different guys that Dena had seen outside Krystal’s door, she assumed her housemate was definitely looking at her options.

“Have you heard from Maddie?” Krystal didn’t wait for an answer but continued on. “I got a letter the other day. She said that she and Dylan had a fabulous time on their honeymoon, but I guess that should come as no surprise, right? What woman wouldn’t be in seventh heaven with a guy like Dylan, right?”

“He seemed very nice,” Dena said between bites of pizza.

Krystal sighed dreamily. “He is. The world could use a whole lot more of his kind.”

“He has brothers, doesn’t he?”

“Yeah, but Shane’s married and Jason’s only twenty.”

“And the other one?”

“Oh…you mean Garret.” She looked startled that she’d forgotten to mention him. “He’s so quiet I sometimes forget that he’s a Donovan.”

“Isn’t he a doctor?”

She nodded. “He’s just finishing up his residency. He’s a sweetie, but so different from Dylan. Dylan’s big and brawny and an adventurer. He’s lived all over the world.”

“And Garret?” she prodded.

“He doesn’t have Dylan’s muscular build, but he’s not bad looking. You just never know what he’s thinking because he doesn’t talk very much.”

“He’s probably a good listener. That’s what you want in a doctor, isn’t it?”

“Oh, definitely. And you’re right. He is a very good listener.” She uncapped the Corona and took a long sip. “He’s over here a lot. He doesn’t have a washer and dryer in his place so he uses the laundry room here.”

“I haven’t seen him around, but then I haven’t met many people since I moved here,” Dena told her.

“Then you should come with me on Saturday night. A bunch of us girls are going out. We can show you which places rock and which ones don’t.”

“Thanks, but I better say no.”

Krystal shrugged. “Okay, but if you change your mind, let me know. You don’t have a steady guy, do you?”

“No.”

“Me, neither. What about an unsteady one?” she asked with a crooked grin.

Dena couldn’t help but smile back. “No, not that kind, either.”

“Would you like one…or maybe two?” Her eyes sparkled mischievously.

Dena chuckled. “Why? Do you have a couple to spare?”

Krystal grinned. “As a matter of fact, I do. And they’re not bad guys to have around if you just want to have some fun.” She took another sip of beer, then said, “I meet a lot of men through work.”

“Leonie said you work at the day spa and salon over on Grand.”

She nodded. “You have great hair. It’s natural, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“I can tell. If you haven’t found a stylist yet, you might want to check out the salon. I mean, don’t feel like you have to come to me, but you can—if you want.”

There was something especially charming about Krystal that made Dena feel as if she needed to watch out for her. Curious, she asked, “How old are you, Krystal?”

“Twenty-seven.”

She was only a couple of years younger than Dena, yet Dena felt almost maternal toward her. It was an unfamiliar feeling and caught her off guard.

She almost said, You don’t act twenty-seven, but stopped herself. “You don’t look twenty-seven.”

Krystal frowned. “Oh, shoot, not you, too. I’m always hearing that. Do you know how many times I’ve been ID’d to get served a glass of wine?” She didn’t wait for an answer but changed the subject. “It’s not always easy to meet people when you’re new to the city, so I want you to feel free to call me anytime you’re looking to go out and have some fun. And we don’t have to go looking for guys.”

“I’m really not looking for guys.” She emphasized the word not.

“What about Quinn? You were coming down from his place earlier this evening,” she reminded her, obviously wanting to know why.

“I need to talk to him,” she said.

“Yeah, you and about ten thousand other women,” Krystal said on a chuckle. “Take a number and get in line.”

“This is for professional reasons, not personal,” Dena was quick to point out.

“If you say so.”

“It is,” Dena insisted, not liking the dubious look on Krystal’s face.

She held up her hands. “Hey—you don’t need to explain to me. I’ve got eyes. I mean, even if he didn’t have a gorgeous face, that body alone could make a girl shiver. Those wide, thick shoulders, those big strong hands, and just that rough, tough look he has about him…” She sighed and trailed off dreamily. “Well, you wouldn’t be the first girl who wanted to get to know him better.”

“I don’t want to get to know him better,” Dena said with a bit of impatience, although she knew it was probably a waste of time to try to convince Krystal she wasn’t interested in Quinn. Women like Krystal didn’t understand how any woman could look at him and not see a hottie.

“It’s probably just as well,” Krystal stated pragmatically. “I mean, being a hockey player and all, he probably has women chasing him all over town.”

“Have you seen any?” As soon as Dena had uttered the words she knew it sounded as if she were interested in his love life. “I mean, women don’t stalk him to this house, do they?”

She giggled. “No. I don’t think hockey players are quite as popular as rock stars or Hollywood celebrities.”