Page 142 of X's and O's

I slapped his arm. “Jesus, be quiet. I don’t need the entire building knowing my business. You know these walls are paper thin!”

Toby laughed and tucked his arm in mine. “Oh, I know. The whole building knows. I think we all heard the X and Violet show the other night, followed up by the Whip and Violet encore.”

“I’m never going to live any of this down, am I?”

“Nope. It was glorious.”

“Can we at least concentrate on the X problem? If I walk out there, he’s going to want to talk to me, and I do not want to talk to him right now.”

“Don’t sweat it. I’ve got it covered.”

We got to the bottom floor apartments, and Toby knocked on the door of the one closest to the exit. The sounds of conversation, a TV, and a crying baby all came from the other side of the previously mentioned too-thin walls, but even still, I grabbed Toby’s arm.

“What are you doing? It’s late! I don’t want to disturb these people.”

The door opened before Toby could answer. On the other side stood a middle-aged woman who I’d seen around but had never spoken to, the crying baby on her hip. The woman looked tired and run-down, and several other kids poked their heads around her to curiously stare at us.

“Hey, Cass.” Toby leaned on the doorframe, super casual like it was completely normal to be dropping in on your neighbors at this time of the night.

Though it did surprise me that he knew her name.

Clearly he was a better neighbor than I was.

The woman jostled the baby on her hip and tried tosmile at him. “Can you guys hear the baby crying from all the way upstairs? I’m so sorry. He’s teething, and nothing makes him happy.”

I was quick to shake my head. “Oh my gosh, no, it’s totally fine. We can’t hear a thing.” I offered her a sympathetic smile and then one for the red-cheeked baby who seemed utterly miserable. “Poor thing.”

The baby reached for me and touched my hand to his much smaller one in a mini high five. He was a sweet little thing, even through his teething misery.

The baby lost interest in me and reached for Toby.

Instead of high-fiving him like I had, Toby pulled out his wallet and focused on the mother. “I noticed there’s an ice cream van outside. And I know it’s late, but it’s Friday and everyone should get dessert on Fridays.”

Cass sighed. “The kids have been hounding me about that all week. Every time they see that guy sitting out there, they want me to buy them ice cream. I just can’t afford it.”

Guilt swirled in my stomach. It was my fault he was always out there.

Toby opened his wallet and took out a hundred-dollar bill.

The woman’s eyes widened as he passed it to her.

So did mine. When had Toby suddenly had so much money? First he’d had enough to fund my tryst with Whip, which I put down to him raiding his savings. But now he was carrying around hundred-dollar bills and just handing them over to neighbors?

It was a lovely thing to do, of course. And Toby’s job had always paid better than cleaning, but I’d neverthought of him as flush with cash like he suddenly seemed to be.

I wasn’t going to question him about that in front of Cass though.

She shook her head. “I can’t take your money.”

Toby pushed the bill into her free hand. “Please. Take it and buy your family a treat. You deserve it.”

“Are we getting ice cream?” one of the older kids asked excitedly from behind his mother.

At his shout, more and more kids appeared, each of them begging their mom to accept Toby’s money.

Cass still looked uncertain. “That’s really kind of you. I don’t want to take it, but I need the money. We could use some extra groceries.”

The kids all groaned behind her.