Page 78 of No Headlines Please

There she was.

Mrs. Stelter.

Again.

31

Team Stelter

Delaney

My lips were still tingling.

Actually, everything was still tingling – my fingers, my toes, and a few other places that I didn't dare dwell on, especially now, in front of an audience.

From inside the elevator, Mrs. Stelter was wearing the same expression she'd worn this morning, when she'd caught me holding that stupid burger bag.

But now, as the three of us faced off, her expression got even worse. Her eyes narrowed. Her lips pursed. Her nostrils flared.

She looked angry enough to wallop me with her handbag.

Damn it. That's what I got for not sneaking down the stairs.

And even though Maddox was standing beside me with his arm draped protectively around my waist, I still felt like a giant imposter, skulking where I didn't belong.

As the silence stretched on, I had to stop myself from blurting out, "See, I'm with an actual resident of the building." As if that would calm the likes of Mrs. Stelter.

Just like earlier, she made no move to get off. I made no move to get on. And Maddox made no move to turn away, which was actually pretty nice, considering nobody liked to be tossed to the wolves.

Okay, just one wolf, but the point remained.

I was just about to give Maddox an apologetic glance when Mrs. Stelter hitched her purse higher and glared daggers.

But not at me.

What the heck?

She was glaring at Maddox.

Her voice trembled as she said, "You."

I squinted in confusion. "Me?"

But her gaze remained firmly on Maddox. She opened her mouth to say something, but then abruptly snapped it shut.

She still didn't budge from the elevator.

I glanced between them, wondering what sort of neighborly feud would cause so much friction. Then again, this was Mrs. Stelter, who'd given me a year's worth of grief in a single day.

As for Maddox, he looked far from thrilled, like this lady had been hassling him every time they passed in the hall.

I could only imagine.

Even without the kiss, I would've been firmly on Team Maddox.

Finally, Mrs. Stelter looked back to me and stiffly said, "I hope you know what you're doing."

I stared. "Actually, I'm trying to get on the elevator."