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“Here’s your money. You come near her again, you’re dead. Got it?” I flick the collar of his jacket, baring my teeth. “Now get the fuck out of here.”
He wastes no time scooping up the bills before making a beeline for the elevator. I watch him go, a sense of satisfaction washing over me as I see the blood dripping down his chin.
Amoment after the elevator doors close, one of the neighbors opens their door a crack and peeks out. An elderly lady stares at me with a weary expression, and I immediately straighten my jacket.
“I’m sorry about that, ma’am,” I say, all manners in the face of someone older than me. “He should be gone now. I doubt he’ll be coming back.”
She opens the door a little wider, and I’m able to see she’s a short woman, with her gray hair pulled back into a tight bun and a worn green shawl wrapped around her shoulders.
“Good riddance, I say.” She speaks with a thick British accent and a tone of annoyance. “Poor Elizabeth has enough to worry about without Rex coming round here, giving her more grief. I always said he wasn't good enough. Ending things with him was the best thing she ever did.”
From inside the apartment, I hear a baby cry, and the woman’s expression immediately changes as she steps away.
Curious and not wanting to just stand in the middle of the hallway, I follow her inside. Her apartment is neat as a pin. It definitely is small, but she seems to have been able to make use of the space with various shelves and cabinets. It’s certainly well-lived in.
I’m surprised to see her picking up Isaac, rocking him to get him to calm down.
“I take it Lizzie isn’t home then if you’re watching the baby,” I say.
“No, she’s not.” The old woman turns to face me, waving me in with a wrinkled hand. “Come on in, dear. Don’t just stand there like a lump.”
I smile at her quirkiness and do as she commands, closing the door behind me. “I am actually hoping to see Lizzie myself. Though, under much better circumstances.”
The woman gives me a knowing smile that seems to stare right into my soul. “You wouldn’t happen to be the childhood friend she skipped out on her blind date for, would you?”
“I guess I am,” I say. “My name is Dillan.”
“Well, pleased to meet you, Dillan. You may call me Mrs. Loughty. Gosh, aren’t you a handsome young man,” she chirps.
Her compliment catches me off guard, but I can’t help but chuckle at her candidness. “Thank you, Mrs. Loughty.”
“Exactly like this little fella,” she remarks, her gaze piercing into mine.
When I give her a friendly nod, she carefully puts Isaac back in his cradle now that he’s calm. I cross the room to stand at her side, smiling down at the baby. He has definitely grown in the days since I last saw him. His cheeks have filled out, and his hair is already growing thicker. I notice his eyes have lightened considerably and are gray rather than black.
“He’s a precious one, isn’t he?” Mrs. Loughty coos at the baby, gently stroking his tiny hand. “When Lizzie asked me to look after him for an hour, I absolutely jumped at the chance. Well, I mean, I jumped as much as an old bat like me can jump. If only I was fifty years younger.” She giggles, and her dentures almost fall out.
“Is she okay?”
“Oh, yes, she’s fine. It’s just that a possible studio venue has become available, so she wanted to go and take a look before it’s snapped up. Always on the go, that one. Even motherhood can’t slow her down.”
I am surprised, but honestly, I really shouldn’t be. I can’t help the fond smile that crosses my face. “She definitely is headstrong.”
Mrs. Loughty pats me on the arm. “I’ll get some tea on. You can keep an old woman company while you wait for your love.”
I raise my eyebrow at her choice of words, and she just gives me a smirk.
“I recognize love when I see it, dear,” she says, shuffling over to the small kitchenette in the corner of the room. “And anyway, I heard everything you said to that horrible ex-boyfriend of hers, Rex. You wouldn’t have bothered with him if you weren’t head over heels for the girl, am I right?”
“Is he Isaac’s father?”
“No, he is not.”
Well, that’s a relief. “Who is the father?”
“You seem like a bright young man—what do you do?” Mrs. Loughty asks, ignoring my question.
“I’m a doctor.”
