No. He wasn’t going to storm upstairs and shout at the person making all the noise in the apartment over his. He wasn’t going to lose his temper after only a week at his new place. He was going to do some Zen breathing and forget about the noise–
BANG!
Oh, hell no.
Alexei Novikov twisted away from his yoga mat and shoved his feet into the slippers by the door. There was a shriek from above and another series of stomps and thumps, rattling the light fixture over his head. Growling, his frustration upping several notches, Alexei ripped open the door and stormed up the single flight of stairs to the next floor of his apartment building.
At the door he heard laughter, high and feminine, right before he knocked — probably a little too hard– with one fist. The laughter ended and a moment later there was a patter of footsteps approaching the door before the lock turned and the door opened.
Alexei looked down a good six inches into eyes the color of aquamarine. They tilted up a little at the outside and under the thickest lashes he’d ever seen were round cheeks covered in a smattering of light freckles. The face smiled at him and he blinked, wondering how in the world this angel had been making all that noise a minute ago.
There was a blur of color out of the corner of his eye and his gaze darted down to see an identical face framed in identical hair peering up at him from around the woman’s thigh. The little face was the spitting image of the woman standing with her hand on the door, though the child was obviously two decades younger, at least.
“Hi.” The woman tilted her head to one side, the curtain of her dark red hair falling over her shoulder.
Alexei’s gaze caught on the wavy strands and he clenched his hands into fists, dragging his eyes to the woman’s. “Can you keep it down?”
“Oh.” She caught a stunningly full lower lip between her teeth and her cheeks turned a shade of pink Alexei couldn’t identify. “Are we making too much noise?”
“You’re making my lights shake.”
There was a little giggle from the woman’s side and Alexei’s gaze darted down to the small face. She made a noise as their eyes met and buried her face in the woman’s thigh, little hands clutching the bottom of the woman’s shirt. He could tell she was still laughing from the way her little body shook.
“I’m so sorry. My daughter and I were practicing our gymnastics.”
“Inside?” He crossed his arms over his chest and his scowl returned in full force. “Is that smart?”
This time it was her gaze that narrowed. “When it’s raining cats and dogs outside so we can’t go to the park to practice, yeah, it is.”
“Well, it’s too loud.” Alexei took half a step backwards, ready to flee. He didn’t do well with other people, never mind women with doppelganger children. “Don’t be so loud.”
Her expression was mild and she nodded. “I do apologize. We’ll try to keep it down.”
Before he could retort that ‘trying’ wasn’t good enough, she stepped back and closed the door. A moment after that, the deadbolt clinked shut with a resounding thunk and Alexei was left staring at the numbers on the front of the door.
Cursing under his breath in his native Russian, he stalked away, heading back downstairs to his own apartment. Inside, he stood in the center of the main space, the combined kitchen and living area, and listened, scowling at the ceiling.
It was quiet. He heard a series of normal footsteps to one side, then it fell silent again. He stayed there, glaring at the ceiling, for longer than he should have. By the time he stopped, the time over the stove told him he had a mere twenty minutes to shower and get to his meeting at the arena.
Grumbling under his breath the whole time, he stalked to the bathroom, showered, dressed, and was out the door nineteen minutes later.
At the arena, Alexei nodded in greeting to his teammates as he walked through the building towards the team meeting room. There, he took a seat next to his friends, Tarik Hassan and Olle Norberg. They’d all been traded to the team at the same time during the off-season, a few years ago and it had made for a quick friendship to develop, even though their backgrounds could not have been more different.
“How was the day off, Al?” Olle held his hand up for a fist-bump as Alexei took a seat next to him.
Alexei grunted, making the Swede grin. It was no secret that Alexei was a man of few words. He’d probably done more than his fair share when confronting the upstairs neighbor earlier but he was in no mood to recap that for his teammates.
Tarik leaned over and squinted at Alexei. “He looks like he’s in a good mood, so I’m guessing it was a good day off.”
Olle snickered and nodded. “Yeah. He looks slightly less constipated than last week.”
Alexei rolled his eyes and relaxed back in his seat, choosing to ignore his teammates’ jibes. He crossed his arms over his chest and watched the rest of the team as they filed into the room around them. About ten minutes after he’d arrived, the coaches walked in and the meeting began.
They were facing the Detroit Red Wings the next night, always an exciting match-up. Same as any game between any of the original six: the six original teams that had formed the NHL back in the early twentieth century.
Growing up in Russia, Alexei would never have dreamed of playing in North America, let alone one of the most storied franchises in the league. And yet, here he was. The thought, as it usually did when it occurred to him how far he’d come in his life, made him smile.
It startled Olle when the defenseman glanced in his direction again, which made Alexei smile wider.
The Swede leaned close to him. “Stop it. Halloween is still two weeks away.”
Chuckling, Alexei elbowed his teammate and they focused their attention on the game film now being played in front of them.
Later, Alexei let himself back into his apartment and his relaxation after spending hours with his teammates and friends faded. He scowled into the dim light of the space and waited, expecting a thump or bump or anything from above. But no. It was silent.
Breathing out in relief, he turned and locked the door before heading to his room to change into sweats and a T-shirt. As he did, he ran through his to-do list for the rest of the evening. He needed to get his smoothie and morning oats ready, and finish with his laundry because he was out of socks and would need them before his morning run.
As he was measuring out the protein powder for his smoothie, there was a distinct shriek followed by a BANG from above. This time, also rattling the single picture he had hanging on the wall over his couch.
Glaring at the measuring cup in his hand, he carefully tipped it into the blender and slapped the lid over the powder canister. While he moved on and tried to finish measuring out his vegetables and fruit to add, there was more banging, thought not quite as loud. Some stomping, more rattling, another thump, all with an accompanying loud childish laugh. Finally finished with his smoothie prep, Alexei washed his hands and jumped when there was another loud thump.
Growling under his breath he whirled around and glared at the ceiling, as if that would make the noise stop.
Who would be doing gymnastics at eight o’clock at night, anyway?
After the last loud thump, the noise faded and Alexei started to relax again by degrees. He finished with prepping his meals for the following day, checked that his suit was all pressed and ready to go for the game tomorrow night, and at last, sank onto his comfortable couch. He grabbed the remote control and turned on something loud and full of explosions to watch.
As a fourth car was being blown up on screen, there came a light knock on his door. For a moment, Alexei thought it was his imagination, or someone knocking on the door across the hall. It came again, louder this time.
Frowning now, he stood and crossed to the door, leaning down to look out the peephole. Familiar red hair and luscious lips twisted in a frown.
Flipping the lock, he pulled the door open. “Yes?”
“Hi.” She gave him a brief, tight smile. “Upstairs neighbor, remember me?”
He gave a short nod, his eyes narrowed on her face. Those freckles. They were perfect.
“Would you mind turning down your show?”
Alexei blinked, dragging his eyes from the lips shaping the words and met that startling aquamarine. “Excuse me?”
Her lips twisted. “Your show. It’s very loud and I just put my daughter to bed a half an hour ago.”
“After more gymnastics. Yes, I noticed the difference in the noise level.”
Her eyes flashed and her hands went to her hips. “Yes, well, it’s late now and I’d appreciate it if you could turn your volume down.”
“Maybe.” He shrugged and stepped back, reaching for the door, ready to close it on her and this whole conversation.
Her mouth dropped open, her expression of shock obvious. “Maybe? Are you kidding me? I’m asking nicely and you say maybe?”
“I asked nicely earlier.”
“You did not.” She scoffed. “You growled at me like a wounded bear and stalked off instead of discussing it like an adult.”
“What was to be discussed? You were loud, I asked you to stop it.”
“Just like I am now.” Her chin lifted. “Please.”
Alexei ground his teeth. She had to say please. With a grunt, he nodded once and backed up, closing the door in her face. Crossing to the couch, he picked up the remote and shut the whole thing off. He’d had enough anyway. Time for some stretches before bed.
But the whole time he stretched, working one leg, then the other, he thought about those eyes and those damn perfect freckles.
─────
“I mean, you should have heard him, Sarah.” Charlotte Woods dropped her voice and affected an accent. “‘Don’t be so loud’.”
Sarah giggled as she placed the towels on the display rack. “He did not sound like that.”
“No, it was more asshole-ish.” Charlotte frowned as she straightened the display of soap dishes she’d set up. Damn her downstairs neighbor for ruining her day off with Zoe. “I mean, he couldn’t have been more rude.”
“I’m sorry he ruined your day off, sweetie.” Sarah was always using terms of endearment like that. Sweetie, honey, pumpkin, gremlin –though that one she reserved for Zoe, and Zoe didn’t mind at all. “But you have to admit, the noise is substantial when Zoe starts throwing herself off the furniture when she’s pretending to be a superhero.”
“Gymnast.”
Sarah shot her a wide-eyed look.
Charlotte exhaled and backed up as she eyed the soap dish display one more time. “She wants to be a gymnast now.”
“Well, that’s at least a real possibility. I was worried she’d stay attached to the idea of becoming Wonder Woman forever.”
At that, Charlotte grinned, her mood lifting. Her daughter indeed had long harbored a fantasy of becoming Wonder Woman. She’d even insisted on wearing the gold arm cuffs for weeks on end.
“Right. So, we were practicing yesterday, until Grumpy McGrumperson stormed up to my door.”
“Practicing?” Sarah wrinkled her nose. “Inside? Oh, Charlotte.”
“What? It was raining all day. Where else were we supposed to do it? The building lobby?”
“You could have chosen any other rainy day activity, anything that didn’t involve Zoe landing her full body weight on the floor over and over. I can only imagine how much noise that would have been.” Sarah sighed and patted Charlotte’s shoulder. “I know you’re not a fan of telling Zoe ‘no’, but it doesn’t make you a bad mom if you do.”
It was a perfect example of how well Sarah knew Charlotte, that she zeroed in on every one of Charlotte’s insecurities in a single sentence. Then again, Sarah might be a sweetheart, but never one to beat around the bush.
“Come on. Ursula wanted us to start on unpacking the new stock before lunch today.”
Charlotte followed her friend through the store to the back stockroom.
She’d been working at Heart and Home for almost three years, ever since she’d moved to Chicago with nothing more than a baby and a car full of clothes. Ursula Kline, the owner, had been her first acquaintance in the big city and Sarah Lanham had been the second. They’d become her new family after the old ones had sloughed her off when she’d had the temerity to get pregnant at nineteen.
“What new stock?” Charlotte asked as they walked into the dusty space.
Sarah led the way to the far aisle, where two pallets of shrink-wrapped boxes were set. “This stuff. It’s the new line from Venus Linens.”
“Oh.” Charlotte clapped her hands in excitement. She loved Venus brand items. “I can’t wait to see them. All the stuff we saw on the last sneak peek email was gorgeous.”
Sarah grinned and nodded, pulling her box cutter out of her back pocket. “Let’s get to it.”
The two women worked side-by-side for a good hour until a beeping signaled the store’s opening time. The store opened at ten every Tuesday-to-Friday, eleven on weekends, and was closed on Mondays. Sarah and Charlotte worked together every morning from eight o’clock on, starting with tidying the front store, resetting displays as Ursula requested, or putting out new stock as needed. Ursula usually came in around noon, and a few other part-time employees worked the afternoon and evening shifts, rotating through the days. The store was located in a busy retail area and did well enough that Ursula could pay Sarah and Charlotte more than fair wages.
Also, Ursula was more than understanding about Charlotte’s status as a single mom. She was fine with Charlotte having to bring Zoe to the store on weekends when her usual baby-sitter couldn’t watch her. The daycare Charlotte had Zoe in from Tuesdays to Fridays only did weekdays, which made weekends a little extra stressful. Thankfully, Ursula was good friends with an older retired lady who lived in the building above them. Mabel loved keeping an eye on Zoe when the store got too busy for Charlotte to keep up with her daughter.
Sarah and Charlotte cleaned up and walked back out to open the store. Charlotte unlocked the door and carried the chalkboard sign out to set on the sidewalk, displaying their weekly deals.
“Hey, Char, did I tell you I need to take off a little early today?” Sarah asked as she booted up the computer at the front desk.
Charlotte nodded as she walked around the counter to join her friend. “Yeah. Dentist, right?”
Sarah made a face. “Yes. I’ll make it up to you though.”
Smiling, Charlotte booted up the second computer, though they were rarely busy enough to use both at once. “Sure. Because I have such a blistering social life, I need all the favors and coverage for all my shifts.”
“One day, sweetie. You wait. Some man is going to sweep you off your feet and you’ll be begging me to stay so you can take off early for a Friday night.”
Charlotte seriously doubted that but she appreciated her friend’s support. In reality, having a three-year old child, — nearly four– no college education, and a retail job at age twenty-four was less than sexy. Not to mention the added curves and bumps on her body since having Zoe. Oh yeah, she was tearing up the singles scene, no doubt about it.
The day drifted on much the same as all the rest. Charlotte broke for lunch at one and chatted with Ursula when the older woman came in. Sarah left early for her appointment, leaving Charlotte alone for about a half hour until Dora, a university student, showed up for her shift.
It wasn’t until Charlotte was driving her beat-up old Chevy Cavalier to pick up Zoe from her daycare that she realized how tired she was. It probably was because she’d tossed and turned for an hour before falling asleep the night before. Stupid grumpy downstairs neighbor with his piercing eyes and coarse accent. What was that anyway? Slavic? German? Dude needed to relax, whatever it was.
Zoe was full of beans and chatter as they drove the rest of the way to their apartment building. She filled the car with tales of her daycare adventures, letting Charlotte get away with minimal nods and acknowledgments.
For dinner, Charlotte reheated the soup from the night before and popped some store-bought biscuits into the oven to go with it. As she did that, Zoe continued to chatter about her day, throwing in gestures and acting out the parts of her fellow daycare residents.
“And then, then the chair fell over, just like this!” Zoe climbed onto one of the rickety kitchen chairs and started to tip it sideways, kicking her little legs.
For a moment, Charlotte continued to watch her with an amused smile. Then she saw where this story was going and realized the monumental crash that Zoe was about to create.
“No, Zoe!” Charlotte jumped forward and caught the chair before her daughter managed to tip it all the way over.
Zoe pouted and scrambled off the chair. “Mo-om! It’s part of my story.”
Charlotte sighed as she righted the chair. “Well, you can finish the story without showing me the chair tipping over.”
Her daughter looked like she was going to protest, but like all three-year olds, she moved on and didn’t look back.
“So it fell and Ms. Reinholdt, she said we couldn’t do that, and then Stacy said that was stupid and then! Do you know what Ms. Reinholdt said?” Zoe ran from one end of the apartment to the other, her little feet slamming down on the floor with what seemed like more than her usual force.
Charlotte cringed as she watched her daughter, her mind replaying her conversation with Sarah over and over again.
“…I can only imagine how much noise…”
The trouble was now, since Mr. Gruff-Foreigner from downstairs had confronted her, Charlotte could imagine. It was true, Zoe was an energetic three-year old, nearly four, but maybe it was past time Charlotte started to set some limits.
“Zoe, slow down, honey.” Charlotte caught her daughter against her legs as Zoe was about to make another lap, her mouth still tripping out words and tales from daycare-land. “Can you stop stomping around, please?”
Zoe made a face. “That wasn’t stomping, Mom. This is stomping.” And she proceeded to demonstrate.
Charlotte grabbed for her daughter again, stifling a laugh. Even when she tried– “Zoe, please. Come on, let’s sit and watch some cartoons before dinner is ready.”
“Yay!” Zoe cheered at the top of her lungs and threw herself onto the couch, making it crash against the wall.
Jesus. I can’t win. Rubbing her head, Charlotte picked up the remote control and turned on the TV, selecting something animated for her daughter to watch. Something that could hopefully keep Zoe quiet for a little while. She worried for the next hour that she’d hear the pounding on the door, signaling her downstairs neighbor’s displeasure at the noise.
No knock came, and they moved to the kitchen table in a little while when dinner was ready.
After that, Charlotte wrangled her daughter into a jacket and they headed to the playground across the street to hopefully burn off even more energy. She didn’t want a repeat of the evening before when Zoe had been so stir-crazy from being indoors all day that she hadn’t wanted to go to bed. She’d practically run laps around Charlotte until after eight.
Honestly, now that she thought about it, it was a miracle the gruff man downstairs hadn’t come back after that episode.
Thankfully, it was overall a quieter evening for both of them. Charlotte stayed up after Zoe was tucked in bed, watching some late night sitcom on low volume. She wasn’t paying much attention though, spending her time browsing on her slow-as-heck tablet for possible second jobs that she could do from home, and wouldn’t require further daycare.
As she moved to her bed, tablet still in hand, Charlotte’s search switched from work to community college classes. That only made her frustrated. The beginning costs of even a few night classes was out of her reach.
With a disgruntled noise, she set the tablet down and turned her light out. Sleep remained elusive as her thoughts went from extra work to educational options, to a pair of dark eyebrows pinched in a scowl over a rugged face and crooked lips. Man, he’d been tall. And big. Muscular, as if he worked out or had a very physical job. Maybe he did. Maybe that made him tired and grumpy most of the time, which explained why he was so sensitive to noise.
Annoyed that thoughts of her disgruntled downstairs neighbor were invading her thoughts, Charlotte rolled over again and punched a pillow for good measure.
It didn’t help.
─────
The game against the Detroit Red Wings was grueling. The Blackhawks managed to pull off a win but Alexei felt that win in every joint as he let himself into his apartment late that night. He rotated his left arm over his head and around, grimacing at the pull. Chase Andersson had slammed him hard into the boards late in the second period and Alexei thought the opposing player’s shoulder pad had connected at the exact right angle to do some damage. At the moment, it was no more than some aching muscles and probably a bruise come morning, but nothing he couldn’t live with.
Letting out a breath, Alexei locked his door, kicked his shoes off and crossed to his bedroom to undress. There, he listened for noise coming from upstairs. Not that he expected any at this late hour, but one never knew.
Even as he stood in front of his bathroom mirror, toothbrush in hand, he heard a creak from above and the sound of water running.
The thought that her bedroom was right over his, his bathroom right beneath hers, stopped his movements. He listened as the water stopped. There was another creak, presumably his neighbor walking back out of the bathroom again, then nothing.
Resuming his routine, Alexei told himself he didn’t care that her bedroom was over his, that her bed might be in the same spot, that she was on top of him as they slept.
─────
Morning came in with a bang. Literally.
Alexei jolted up in bed, his heart thundering, and listened as there was another clatter, then the sound of feet thumping across his ceiling. He groaned and scrubbed a hand over his face as the noise faded, his eyes going to the clock on his nightstand.
Fucking seven-oh-seven? Seriously?
Another groan and Alexei pushed himself to his feet. He needed to use the bathroom now, and as he did that, there was some more thumping and a loud stomp. Maybe the kid was throwing a temper tantrum. Hell, if he was three years old, he might do the same thing if he’d been woken up at fucking seven-oh-seven after sleeping only about six hours in the end.
Washing up, the upstairs apartment seemed to fall silent. Letting out a breath, he climbed back into bed and let his body sprawl out diagonally on his big king-size mattress –an absolute necessity for his hockey-player’s body.
He was just drifting off again when there was a loud thump, from what sounded like right over his head.
“Come on!”
He threw the covers back and jumped to his feet. He grabbed the pair of flannel pants he had laying over the foot of bed-frame and yanked them on before storming out of the bedroom. He had his slippers on and was upstairs in a flash, banging on the door.
It opened mere seconds later, startling him. Then he took in the flushed face, those freckles standing out even more in her cheeks.
“What?”
Alexei narrowed his eyes and planted fists on his hips. “Don’t ‘what’ me. You know what. You and your animal woke me up.”
Her eyes flashed. “My animal?”
Maybe that was out of line. Looking down, Alexei sucked in a breath, striving for calm. “I apologize. That was rude.”
When he looked up again, she was full-on glaring at him, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.
“I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, well, I guess I’m sorry too that we woke you.” She blew out a breath and shoved a loose strand of hair from her face. She’d secured most of it into some sort of bun at the back of her head but more than one wavy strand of dark red had come loose. “On the plus side, we’re on our way out. Zoe, now. Come on.”
“I’m coming, Mom!” came a loud sing-song voice from somewhere out of sight.
‘Mom’ winced and turned back to Alexei. “Sorry again.”
The whirlwind appeared at the woman’s side and Alexei looked down at that small version of the woman before him.
“Hi.” She gave him a wide grin.
Alexei blinked. “Hi.”
“I’m Zoe.”
Completely caught in her energy, Alexei shifted on his feet. “Um. I’m Alexei.”
The little imp stuck her hand out, holding it way over her head, aiming for his hand. Without thinking, he reached down and shook her tiny hand. As he straightened, he glanced up at ‘Mom’ again. She watched the entire exchange, her aquamarine eyes wide and her luscious lips parted.
“Come on, Mommy!” Zoe jumped in place and then took off running down the hall.
“Oh, for the love of– Zoe, get back here this instant.”
The tiny redhead halted four doors down and ambled back, her grin cheeky.
Alexei found himself backing up a step as the woman exited her apartment and locked the door.
“Look, I am really sorry. I’m trying, but it might take a while before we’re completely silent,” she said.
Her expression was so harried that Alexei’s stomach dipped. He reached up to cup the back of his neck and nodded at her once. “It’s fine. I’ll try to be more patient.”
She pressed her lips together and reached out a hand as she turned away from him. Her daughter slipped her hand into her mother’s and they strode off down the hall.
Alexei stood there, watching them shrink, the further away they got. Before they disappeared around the corner, the woman glanced over her shoulder and their eyes met. Then she was gone.
Left standing there, Alexei realized that he’d rushed upstairs to confront her with nothing but pants and slippers on.
At least he’d had the foresight for those. Pretty sure she wouldn’t have appreciated him banging on her door buck naked.
With a sigh, Alexei turned and walked down to his place.
─────
God in heaven, all those muscles!
Charlotte still hadn’t calmed down by the time she got to work. She’d have been flustered no matter what the man wore, she was pretty sure. A side effect of Zoe being full of especially energetic beans, and knowing they’d been far too loud. Again. But he’d shown up with nothing but pants on and it had been all Charlotte could do to keep from drooling and reaching out to touch his abs, just to see if they’d been real.
She very nearly had, anyway.
Unlocking the front door to Heart and Home, Charlotte scurried in, locked up, and went to put on a pot of coffee in the office.
Sarah showed up a short while later, took one look at her, and pressed her into a chair.
“All right, what happened?” she said.
Charlotte took a deep breath and let it out, her mind full of all. Those. Muscles.
“His name is Alexei.”
Sarah’s dark brows winged up and she smirked. “Who? New boyfriend?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Charlotte let out a laugh and shook her head. “The downstairs neighbor I was telling you about yesterday.”
Sarah’s eye widened and she sank onto the chair beside Charlotte. “We know his name? How delicious. What else?”
He’s built like a Greek God. And he’d been adorably rumpled, that dark hair sticking out on one side. Five o’clock shadow covering the lower half of his face. A single thin chain of gold around his neck, with a small medallion dangling below his collarbone. And how could she forget all. The. Muscles.
Sarah started to laugh, slapping a hand on Charlotte’s thigh. “Oh, honey, you should see your face right now!”
With a groan, Charlotte buried her face in her hands. She could only imagine what Sarah had seen in her expression.
The coffee maker sputtered as the last of the water finished running through. Sarah jumped up to pour them each a cup –black for Charlotte, easy to remember. They sat together, sipping the fresh brew and Sarah waited for her to explain.
“Well, Zoe was full of energy this morning so she was being exceptionally loud, even for her.”
Sarah winced. “Yikes. Let me guess, she woke up this Alexei?”
“Sure did. He came knocking just as we were about to leave.”
“Well, that’s something at least.”
“Yeah.” Charlotte recapped the brief encounter, including Zoe’s adorable introduction between them. Her daughter really was going to rule the world one day, she’d swear by it. A soft smile came over her face as she explained the way Alexei had bent at the waist to shake her daughter’s hand.
“He looked so serious, Sarah.” Charlotte shook her head. “As if he was meeting a business associate or something.”
Sarah pressed a palm to her chest. “That must have been beyond adorable.”
“It really was, even I can admit that.” She sighed and slumped back in her chair. “Which makes it so much worse that we woke him up and it was such a lousy encounter otherwise.”
“Yeah? Is that because he was a tall slice of man candy you wanted to lick up one side and down the other?”
Charlotte gasped and swatted her friend, her face flaming. Curse her fair complexion! “He called Zoe an animal.”
Sarah arched a brow. “To be fair–”
Charlotte tried to be disgruntled but dissolved into laughter along with Sarah. Bless her sweet little outgoing heart, but Zoe was something not quite human sometimes with her energy and enthusiasm. Charlotte loved her all the more for it. Zoe was her whole world.
“All right. So it was awkward, but he didn’t swear at Zoe, so that makes him all right.” Sarah sipped her coffee. “Maybe later, to make it up to him, you guys could take him some home-baked cookies or something.”
Charlotte pursed her lips as she considered her friend’s suggestion. Alexei’s hard body didn’t look like the kind that indulged in cookies but she could do something.
“Maybe.” Rubbing her cheek, Charlotte sipped her coffee, wondering more about how she could curb Zoe’s rambunctious behavior at home. She didn’t want to force Alexei to complain to the building manager. She was lucky enough to be in such an affordable place so close to her work and Zoe’s daycare and couldn’t afford to lose it.
“Hey, how about I take Zoe for a sleepover sometime?”
“A sleepover?” They had done that once or twice in the last two years. Charlotte always enjoyed the time to rest and recharge but ended up feeling guilty that she couldn’t cope like she felt she should. The voices of her parents and older sister always rang in her head, telling her she’d made her bed and she needed to lie in it now.
“Think about it.” Sarah leaned forward and squeezed her hand. “There’s nothing wrong with getting help, Char. Don’t let yourself burn out.”
Charlotte nodded, looking down at their joined hands, Sarah’s soft brown hand encompassing hers. “Thanks, Sarah. I will think about it.”
Another squeeze and Sarah released her. “All right. Now, let’s finish sorting that new product and then Ursula can decide later how she wants to display it.”
Charlotte nodded and downed the rest of her coffee, more than ready to forget her morning.
─────
“I’m Zoe.”
Alexei shook his head as he returned from his daily run and workout in the building’s gym.
‘I’m Zoe’, she’d said, as if she introduced herself to every angry, early morning guest. And it hadn’t occurred to him to ask what her mother’s name was. Not that it mattered. It shouldn’t. Except, he’d done nothing but wonder what her name was since that morning’s encounter.
His phone rang as he stood in his kitchen, guzzling a glass of water. He lifted it up, frowning when he saw Olle’s name on the display. He’d have thought Olle would be busy with his wife on their day off. They’d be leaving for a road trip in another two days, following their next game against the Minnesota Wild.
“Hey.”
“Alex! What are you doing for dinner tonight?”
“I don’t know. Something here, like usual.” Alexei poured more water into his glass and chugged that back as well. “Why? What do you have in mind?”
“Joelle told me to invite you guys over.”
By ‘you guys,’ Alexei knew he meant him and Tarik. Possibly a few more of the single guys on the team. Joelle, Olle’s wife, was sweet and had decided long ago that she needed to feed all the single guys on the team, especially the ones from Europe, with no family nearby to look after them. As if they weren’t all grown men. Still, Alexei knew she was being kind and seemed to genuinely enjoy throwing impromptu gatherings.
“Sure. I’m in. What time?” Alexei wasn’t much of a social butterfly, but he didn’t mind spending an evening or two with his teammates throughout the season. He was one of those European players, with no family nearby. No family at all, really.
Olle hummed as he considered. “I mean, come over whenever you want. We can all play some pool or ping pong or something until dinner. But Joelle says dinner will be at seven, sharp.”
Alexei smiled and nodded, finishing another glass of water. “All right. See you then.”
He did some stretching before jumping in the shower. As he got dressed, he checked the time. He might as well head to Olle’s now. Not like he had some pressing hobby or significant other who demanded all his spare time.
Red hair and lips flashed in his mind’s eye and he shook the thought free. Or tried to. As he double checked that he had his wallet and phone, thundering feet overhead announced Zoe’s arrival home.
Instead of irritating him, Alexei shook his head with a sigh. She was just a kid. He could and would be patient, as he’d promised earlier. Starting now, by fleeing the scene.
─────
When Alexei got home from dinner later that evening, he walked down the hall to his apartment while scrolling through his Twitter feed. He didn’t do much in the way of social media but he did follow some entertaining folks and often got stuck on the scroll, like anyone else. He heard a soft knocking and looked up, startling when he saw Zoe’s mother with a hand stretched out at his door, her other hand holding something close to her stomach.
She knocked again as he got closer, not noticing him at first. After another moment, her shoulders dipped and she looked up. Her eyes widened when she saw him. “Oh. Hi.”
He came to a stop before her, his eyes locking on hers as she lifted her free hand in a feeble little wave.
“Hi. Can I help you?” What on earth could she be doing at his apartment door at this time in the evening? A glance at his phone showed him it wasn’t all that late, actually. A little after eight. “Where’s Zoe?”
She smiled and pointed at the ceiling. “She’s in bed. Actually went down easy tonight, thankfully.”
He nodded, his gaze skittering over the rest of her now. She was wearing a loose long-sleeved shirt that looked threadbare at the collar, and did nothing for her figure. Her pants were also loose and he was pretty sure there was some sort of brown streak on one thigh. She wore slip-on sandals, her feet bare within them.
“I didn’t realize you were out.”
As she spoke, Alexei dragged his eyes back up her body, telling himself he wasn’t checking her out. “I was out.”
Her lips curled up in a tentative smile. “Right. Well, I came to apologize pre-emptively for all the noise tonight.”
Alexei huffed out a breath and shook his head. “I missed out on it.”
“Lucky you.”
“Zoe does seem to have a lot of energy.”
“She does.” Her hand shifted from her side to cup the plate in her hand. “I brought you these. We made them tonight.”
Alexei’s eyes dropped to the plate she held and saw about a dozen or so cookies covered in plastic wrap. “You made me cookies.”
“Yeah. As an apology. Or thank you, for being patient.”
He lifted his gaze to hers again. “But I wasn’t here tonight.”
Her face fell, the smile fading away. “Oh. Right. Of course. Why would you want these cookies?” She half-turned away from him as if to go, her shoulders drooping. “Well, I’m glad we didn’t disturb you tonight.”
“Wait.” Alexei rubbed his chin as she turned back to him, those luminous eyes boring through him. “I like cookies.”
“They’re snickerdoodles.”
“I’m sorry?” He lifted his eyebrows. “What is a snickerdoodle?”
She bit her lip, drawing his attention there for a second that lasted a little too long. “You’ve never had a snickerdoodle?”
“It’s not a cookie I had growing up in Russia.”
“Oh, you’re Russian.” She nodded as if he’d answered a question for her. “I wondered.” At his look, she flapped a nervous hand between them. “Your accent.”
He rubbed a hand over his head. “And all this time, I thought it had faded.”
“I mean, it’s not super strong or anything. Obviously.”
“Obviously.” He eyed the plate in her hands and stepped closer to her, reaching for it. “May I?”
She nodded, holding the plate out as he peeled back one side of the plastic. He picked up one fluffy cookie and took a bite. It was as fluffy as it looked, with a bite of cinnamon under the sweet, buttery flavor.
All the while, Zoe’s mother watched him, her eyes wide.
“Good.”
“Would you like another?”
Instead of taking one, Alexei plucked the plate from her hands. She opened her mouth, one hand reaching out to take the plate back but Alexei blocked her, turning his body to slide the key into his lock.
“Um.” Her voice shook as he opened his door and walked inside, flicking on a light as he went.
“Come in.” He didn’t look back to see if she followed.
She did, barely standing inside his doorway, her hands clenched together in front of her. “I should get back upstairs. Zoe’s all alone.”
“Does she wake up a lot during the night?” Alexei set the plate on his kitchen island and turned to the fridge. Cookies and milk. That was the American thing to do, right? It certainly hadn’t been a regular tradition in his home growing up. Cookies or anything beyond the bare necessities, really, but that wasn’t a memory he wanted to peek at tonight.
“No. She hasn’t done that since she was a baby. She’s always been a good sleeper, actually.”
Alexei couldn’t help but smirk at that as he poured two glasses of milk. “She wears herself out during the day, I guess.”
The woman matched his look and nodded once. “You’re probably right.”
“Did you lock the door?”
She nodded again, patting her pocket where she presumably had a key tucked away.
“Then I’m sure she’s fine for a minute.” Alexei handed her a glass of milk and nudged the plate of cookies towards her. “Have one.”
“I have two dozen upstairs still.” But she lifted one from his pile and nibbled at it while he watched her.
Another personal first. Alexei didn’t mind socializing with his teammates but he struggled to make friends outside of his hockey life. Even as a kid, he hadn’t been much for idle chatter or play.
As they stood there, each eating a cookie and holding a glass of milk, Alexei watched Zoe’s mom. She fidgeted and hadn’t closed his door behind her, letting the fluorescent lights from the hall flood into his foyer.
Remembering his introduction to Zoe earlier that very day, Alexei set his glass on the island and brushed his hands together, dislodging sugar and crumbs. “I’m Alexei.”
She smiled, her neck working as she swallowed her last bite of snickerdoodle. She slipped her smaller hand into his and shook. “I’m Charlotte.”
Charlotte.
“Nice to meet you.” He let her go, leaning back against his island.
She dipped her chin once in a nod and continued to smile at him. He didn’t know if he should smile back, offer to walk her upstairs, or toss her over his shoulder and show her his king-sized bed. The mixture of feelings were entirely new for him.
“Well, I should probably get back upstairs.” She pointed over her shoulder, as if he needed clarification on where she lived. She set her half-empty glass of milk on the island next to his and Alexei’s gaze lingered on the two glasses for a second before he followed her back his door.
“Thank you for the cookies.”
She paused in the hall and looked up at him. “I am sorry about this morning. Like I said, it’s going to take some time to get Zoe on board with the quiet.”
Alexei sighed and rubbed his neck, leaning with his other hand on his doorjamb, looming over Charlotte. “I don’t expect you to be silent. She is a child.”
Charlotte nodded, nibbling on that perfect bottom lip. Perfect lip, perfect freckles.
Fucking hell. He was into her.
“All the same, I’m trying.”
“I know.” He tilted his head and let his hand fall back to his side. “I don’t need cookies every time you make noise.”
Her aquamarine eyes skipped over his shoulders and down his torso before she met his gaze again. “Um. Well, okay. We’ll make oatmeal raisin next time. They’re somewhat healthy.”
He made a face. “Raisins are evil.”
A light laugh escaped her, surprising her, and she lifted her fingers to her mouth, pulling his eyes there as well.
“Duly noted.” She waved and moved off. “Good night, Alexei.”
“Good night, Charlotte.”
He stayed in his open doorway for a minute, listening to the stairwell door bang shut and then a minute later, he backed into his apartment when her heard her enter hers overhead. Then he followed her steps into her bedroom, over his, and thought again about her perfect freckles, wondering if she had them anywhere else on her skin.
─────
A week later, Charlotte found out who Alexei really was.
“I’m Alexei.”
He introduced himself to Zoe and Charlotte so nonchalantly, as if he were a normal neighbor and not an international superstar with a World Hockey gold medal and a Silver Cup title.
“That’s Alexei?” Sarah stared at Charlotte’s phone screen, her chocolate-brown eyes wide with shock. “Your Alexei?”
Charlotte flushed at the way she phrased it but shrugged. “So it would seem.”
She’d discovered his true identity by accident. Or rather, it had been Zoe. They’d been caught up with a new chocolate chip and nut loaf recipe in the kitchen, but the television had been on, the afternoon children’s movie turning into a Chicago Blackhawks game at the dinner hour.
“Zoe recognized him when the hockey announcers started talking about the game last night.”
“She did?” Sarah smiled and handed the phone back. “That’s funny.”
“It is.” Sort of. Alexei had knocked on their door one more time before apparently leaving on his road trip. The afternoon after she’d taken him the snickerdoodles, Zoe had been in rare form, driving Charlotte right up to her wits end. And Alexei’s apparently. He’d knocked on the door, gruff and grumpy as he had been the first two times.
Zoe, in a sulk at her side, had stared at him while Charlotte stammered out a fresh apology. Alexei had rubbed his eyes and asked them to keep it down. It had been all Charlotte could do to rein in her own temper. She’d told him–the night before!– that she was trying and that it wouldn’t be instant. If he was going to come knocking every time they made a peep, maybe she should think about giving up her apartment. She was as stressed over his possible confrontations as she was over Zoe causing them.
So clearly, his face had been fresh in Zoe’s mind when the game had played a couple days later. The hockey team was in Calgary for a game, then would travel on to Vancouver before returning to Chicago the following week.
“She said, ‘Mom, it’s the grumpy man’.” Charlotte mimicked her daughter’s voice so well that Sarah giggled in response. “I thought she was talking about some commercial, but sure enough, there he was.”
Alexei Novikov. Leading scorer last season for the Chicago Blackhawks. Stanley Cup winner from his rookie year with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Currently having a great start to the season with two goals and five points already, in less than ten games.
The front doorbell rang and the women exchanged one more look before heading up to the front end. It was nearing the end of their shifts for the day but no one else was on the clock yet.
Sarah went to see to the new arrivals, two women, and Charlotte double checked the stock levels on a few more items. She headed back and forth between the front end and the stockroom, finishing up her shift with nothing exciting to interrupt the day.
Zoe was quiet for a change when Charlotte picked her up from daycare. At first, it made Charlotte worry that something had happened in daycare but as soon as they got home, her little girl fired up the energy.
Well, Charlotte thought, at least Alexei isn’t home for another couple of days. Knowing what he did for a living, and knowing the obvious days when he wouldn’t be home would help her anxiety over the situation a bit, no doubt.
─────
Alexei didn’t want to storm up to Charlotte and Zoe’s apartment the same day he’d arrived home. He really didn’t. But he knew the exact minute they got home from wherever they’d been for the day.
He’d spent the past week going back and forth on whether or not he felt like a total ass for how he’d handled their last encounter. Every time he remembered the snickerdoodles, he was an ass. Then he remembered how the last two games on the road trip had gone and his right thigh started to ache again. That shot he’d blocked hadn’t been light. It had affected his sleep ever since, which was why he was so annoyed now. Or so he told himself.
It had nothing at all to do with the fact that he was wondering how they were doing. Of course it didn’t. He wasn’t their friend, perfect freckles or not.
There was a series of bumps from overhead, ending in a louder bang that startled him from the book he was trying to read.
“Really?” He pinched the bridge of his nose. Maybe they assumed he was gone, still gone, since he hadn’t complained for eight days now. Though why that should make a difference he didn’t know.
Another bang, and he set the book down, crossing to his front door. He didn’t want to be the bad guy but seriously. This was getting old.
As he approached their door a minute later, before he raised his hand to knock, he heard Charlotte’s voice. It was loud, though not quite a shout. There was a response from Zoe, definitely on the whiny side.
Rolling his head on his neck, Alexei knocked twice, short raps.
Silence for several heartbeats, then something spoken low and sharp from Charlotte –at least he thought it was Charlotte– followed by footsteps to the door.
“Hi.” Charlotte frowned at him but her lips turned up at the corners, as if she was trying to smile. “I knew it would be you.”
He wasn’t sure what to say to that. Lifting one hand, he rubbed his fingers through his hair, absently noting that he should get a haircut. “I’m sorry.”
Her frown evened out and she shifted on her feet. “Well. That’s a first. Sorry that we’re disturbing you?”
“I don’t know.” Alexei wasn’t sure anymore. All he knew was she looked so unhappy and stressed that he couldn’t bring himself to berate her. He blew out a breath and dropped his hand. “I’ll go.”
“Wait. I’m sorry, Alexei.” She took a half a step out of her doorway and glanced over her shoulder. “I had a terrible sleep last night and I’m afraid I’m not being a very attentive mom today. Zoe is letting me know. Loudly. So, yeah. I’m sorry.”
Alexei let his eyes roam over her face and realized she did look pale. She also sported some dark circles under her eyes and even her freckles looked lighter. “Don’t worry about Zoe then. Make noise. It’s fine.”
She bit her lip on an aborted laugh. “You can’t mean that.”
“Maybe.” He shrugged one shoulder. “I maybe shouldn’t be so sensitive.”
“Right. You are a tough athlete after all.”
He started to nod but at her words, he froze. “Athlete?”
She looked down, clenching her hands together. “Yeah. Zoe recognized you on TV the other night.”
“Oh.” Well. It wasn’t like he’d set out to hide it from her. He didn’t walk around with a sandwich board proclaiming his identity either. “Yes. Which game?”
“Um, Pittsburgh?” She squinted as she tried to recall. “Yeah. It was Tuesday night.”
“Right. That was a good game at least.”
“Well, Zoe enjoyed it, I think, but she didn’t make it to the end.”
Alexei nodded. “Sure. She goes to bed early?”
“I try to get her down around eight every night.” Her eyebrows lifted and she smiled. “Maybe I’ll try for earlier tonight, just for you.”
“No, for you.” He circled a finger in front of her face. “You need sleep.”
Her cheeks colored, just a touch. “Gee, thanks, Alexei.”
“No, I didn’t mean–” He narrowed his eyes when she smirked. “You’re teasing me.”
“Sure am.”
They stared at each other for a moment, the silence stretching out. At last, she shifted on her feet, one of her hands going to the edge of her door, as if to brace herself.
“Look, I am sorry, Alexei. I’ve put Zoe on a time out for a bit, and then I was going to suggest a Disney princess movie marathon. That usually gets her to settle down for an hour or two.”
“It’s okay.” And there he went, knowing for damn sure he was an ass for piling on to Charlotte’s worries. She was a single mom, for crying out loud.
“You’re kind, but we’ll be better from now on.” She backed up, swinging the door closed. “Have a nice evening, Alexei.”
He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but couldn’t come up with a single word. The door closed with a click, followed by the heavier thunk of her deadbolt a second later. He stared at the numbers on her door for a second longer before heading upstairs.
─────
Over the next two weeks, Alexei had no reason to go knock on Charlotte and Zoe’s door. He was torn over the relief of having his relatively quiet apartment back, and disappointment that he had no excuse to go upstairs.
An opportunity was presented as he walked into the building one afternoon following practice, a few days after Halloween. He was checking his mail in the main lobby when the front door opened and in swept two familiar redheads.
“Grumpy!” Zoe cried and bounced up to his side. “You don’t knock in forever!”
“Zoe!” Charlotte followed, her cheeks flushed and hair coming loose from her ponytail.
Alexei stared down at Zoe as the child skidded to a stop on the tile floor about eight inches from his hip. “Do you want me to come to the door?”
Zoe shrugged, shifting from foot-to-foot. “Yes! I can go like this!” And she stomped her feet, her mouth open as she added some sound effects. “And then you go, knock-knock! It’s like a game.”
Charlotte stopped behind her daughter, lifting mortified eyes to Alexei’s. “I’m so sorry. Just ignore her. Sweetie, say sorry to Mr. Alexei.”
“Why?” Zoe’s lower lip jutted out.
“You called him a name.” Charlotte bent close to speak in a low tone to her daughter, though they all knew he could hear every word. “That’s not nice.”
“I didn’t.” Zoe pointed up at Alexei, who stood with his mail in one hand and his other on the key still sticking out of the aluminum mailbox door. “He’s grumpy.”
“She’s not wrong,” Alexei said, his tone mild, and not at all offended. He rarely smiled and he could readily admit it, never mind the nature of their interactions to this point.
“Oh my God, don’t encourage her,” Charlotte hissed at him as she straightened and pressed Zoe’s head to her thigh. “She doesn’t need to be going around giving people accurate nicknames.”
Now there was a thought. There were a few interesting characters in their building and the idea of Zoe labeling them as he’d been labeled did make him smile at last.
Charlotte blinked as he shut the mailbox and extracted his key, still smiling. He blinked in return and tipped his head one way. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah.” She nodded and reached for her own mailbox, quickly flipping it open, then closed, nothing inside. “Come on, Zoe. Let’s get upstairs and see if we have enough to make those garbage cookies.”
“Yay!” Zoe pelted across the lobby for the elevator. She jumped and pounded the ‘up’ button, even though she was tall enough to reach without the added physicality.
No wonder she made such a ruckus in their apartment. How did Charlotte keep up with the little imp? Another glance at Charlotte told him that maybe she didn’t. Her face was as pale as it had been the last time they saw each other, if not more so. Her gait was slow as well and her eyes didn’t seem as bright as normal. Perhaps she was having trouble sleeping?
Shoving the thoughts aside, Alexei scratched his eyebrow and walked with Charlotte towards Zoe and the elevator. “”Um. Garbage cookies? You don’t actually cook garbage?”
Charlotte smiled and shook her head. “No. That’s just what they’re called. The recipe is all stuff that you usually have leftovers of in your pantry or fridge. Some things can be substituted for others, or quantities adjusted.”
“This is good?”
“They’re sooo good!” Zoe clasped her hands under her chin, tilting her little freckled face up towards him as they boarded the elevator. She turned and immediately smacked the number four for their floor.
Alexei kept his attention on the little girl. “Why?”
“Because my mom makes them good.” Zoe glanced at her mom and grabbed Charlotte’s hand. “She makes everything! Eggs, and cake, and cookies, and fish sticks.”
“Really?” Alexei nodded. “Moms are good with food.”
Zoe nodded, as if it were an unassailable truth.
Charlotte’s gaze bounced up and down between Alexei and her daughter, her aquamarine eyes wide.
“Are garbage cookies your favorite?” Alexei asked.
“Yes!” Zoe grinned and jerked her mom’s hand as the elevator doors opened on the fourth floor.
They all filed off.
“They are?”
“Yes. And I love chocolate smacks.” Zoe hopped up and down, swinging Charlotte’s hand as they walked. “And ginger snaps. Oh, and oatmeal.”
“And snickerdoodles?”
Charlotte shot him a look that he returned with a mild one of his own.
“Yes!” Zoe reached out and grabbed his hand, though her smaller one couldn’t to much except clasp three of his fingers. “They’re yummy and Mommy lets me make them. All alone.”
“Does she?” Alexei lifted an eyebrow at Charlotte.
Charlotte wasn’t looking at him though. She was staring at the way Zoe was clasping Alexei’s hand.
Uh-oh. Was he crossing a line? Shit. He hadn’t meant to overstep. He was only the grumpy downstairs neighbor after all. He’d just been sucked into Zoe’s orbit, like a wandering meteor. The girl was a force unto herself, no doubt.
“I make all the cookies.” Zoe skipped a step and wiggled both hands she held.
“I thought your mom made them?”
“Well, she helps.”
“Ah. I see.”
“Well, here we are.” Charlotte announced, drawing her keys out and sliding one into their lock. “Thanks for the walk, Alexei.”
“No, Mom, he needs to see the garbage cookies.” Zoe marched into the apartment, Alexei’s fingers in her death grip.
Alexei turned wide eyes to equally surprised ones in Charlotte’s face, but bent slightly at the waist to follow the imp inside. She dropped his hand at last and fell to the floor to yank her shoes off, tossing them to one side.
“Zoe–” Charlotte stood in the open doorway, her eyes still wide. “I’m sure Mr. Alexei has more important things to do than make cookies with us.”
Alexei should nod right now and leave, let the tiny family get back to their own lives. But something kept him rooted to the spot. Quite possibly the little hand that grabbed his three fingers again. The child had a remarkably strong grip.
“No.” Zoe tilted a stubborn chin up at her mother. “He stays.”
Jesus. It was like a hostage negotiation. The little imp had a spine of steel.
Letting out a breath, Alexei scratched his chin. “I can stay for a little bit.”
“See?” Zoe threw herself at Alexei’s legs, hugging them tight before scampering away again.
“I’m so sorry, Alexei.” Charlotte moved to his side, closing the door. Her voice was pitched low, so Zoe wouldn’t overhear. “I can sneak you out. Don’t worry, she’ll forget all about you in minutes. I’ll add extra chocolate chips to the cookies or something.”
Alexei huffed a laugh and shrugged. “I don’t mind. Besides, this way, we’re all noisy together and no one is being disturbed downstairs.”
Charlotte chewed on her lip for a second before she sighed. “Are you sure? The noise in here might change your mind.”
“Then I can leave. Win-win for me.”
“So be it.” Charlotte turned and put her jacket and purse on the hooks hanging from the outside of the front hall closet door. “Well, let’s get started.”
Apparently, making cookies consisted mostly of Zoe jumping up and down off the chair she dragged to the kitchen counter to stand next to Charlotte. She’d get excited about being allowed to add sugar or flour, and then want to show Alexei her favorite toy or book or ponytail elastic.
Once the cookies were in the oven, Alexei and Charlotte watched as Zoe jumped down again, almost upsetting the chair she’d been on. Alexei caught it in one hand and righted it under the little kitchen table, looking up to see Charlotte holding her palms to her cheeks.
“She’s–” Alexei searched for the right word. “Energetic.”
Charlotte let out a laugh and nodded. “That’s a very good word for it.”
“Have you considered putting her in sports? Or dance?” Alexei watched Zoe whirl around the apartment, some unrecognizable doll in her hand.
Charlotte dropped her hands, her lips pressing together in a thin line. “They’re all too expensive for me right now.”
Alexei nodded. Right. That should have been obvious to him. It wasn’t like he’d always had the bank account balance he did now.
“Are they done, Mommy?” Zoe raced back into the kitchen, throwing herself at Charlotte’s legs.
Charlotte smiled at her daughter, running a hand over Zoe’s wild red hair. “No, sweetie. You know it takes longer than that.”
Zoe blew out a breath and turned to Alexei. “Want to play?”
Alexei covered his smile with one hand. “Actually, I should probably go.” He’d clearly stuck his foot in his mouth a few too many times already and he’d sensed all along that Charlotte was out of sorts with him being there. “I had fun though.”
Zoe grinned and clutched his legs, tilting her head back so she could rest her chin on his thigh. “You’ll knock soon?”
“Sure.” On impulse, he reached down and patted her head. “Thanks for having me over.”
“Yeah!” She jerked back and held her little hand up in a fist.
Alexei hesitated before bumping his own fist against hers. She grinned and hurried around his legs to resume her flight training with the same toy from before.
Charlotte walked him to the door and he turned to face her as he stepped out into the hall.
“I’m sorry if I was intruding.”
She shook her head, her cheeks a little flushed but she managed a small smile for him. “You weren’t. It was nice to have her energy focused on someone else for a change.”
Alexei frowned. “You do too much on your own.”
Her smile vanished. “I don’t have much choice on that.”
“No babysitters? Friends or family? Where is her father?” As soon as the words left his mouth, Alexei knew he’d gone too far.
Charlotte’s entire body stiffened and she gave him a proper glare. “That’s none of your business. Good-bye.”
Without another word, without even giving him a chance to apologize, the door all but slammed in his face. Alexei lifted his hand, ready to knock at once, but dropped it.
Damn. He’d messed that up and then some.