I was a little shocked, seeing her standing there. “Uhhhh.” I said as my brain tried to kick into gear.
“They’re COVID free.” She said, her eyes showing her smile. “I haven’t been around anyone in almost a month.”
“Thank you.” I said, taking the plate. “Do… do you want to come in?”
“Actually, I was wondering if you could come up to my place.” She said hesitantly. “The cookies aren’t a bribe, I promise, they’re an apology. But when you heard me fall, it’s because I was trying to change a lightbulb, but it’s weird, it won’t unscrew. I was wondering if you could help?” She asked, tilting her head to the side a little and flashing her big doe eyes at me.
She was so damn cute, and I’m a sucker for cute. “Sure.” I replied. “Lead the way.”
She gave a little bounce and I could see the smile in her eyes again. “Thank you.”
As I followed her up the stairs, my eyes were drawn to her ass. She was wearing tight khaki shorts that did nothing but accentuate her amazing figure. It wasn’t quite as small or toned as her daughters, but I thought her ass was way better, the slight jiggle with every step was almost hypnotic. I tried my best to only take glances, instead of the all-out lecherous stare she had caught me using on her daughter.
Mr. Fuzzles greeted us at the door and she showed me the offending light fixture. “I tried standing on a chair, but the bulbs wouldn’t budge, the chair slipped, and I fell.”
“I can definitely help you with this.” I said, reaching up. “It’s a par 20 socket, you just have to push and twist.” I handed her the bulb and popped the other one out as well.
She looked at me dumbfounded. “It’s that easy? I feel so stupid.” She said, shaking her head.
“Don’t beat yourself up about it.” I chuckled. “You don’t know something until you know it.”
She cocked her head at me and laughed. “Are you trying to be insightful about lightbulbs?”
“It made you laugh.” I shrugged. “Am I correct to assume you don’t have any replacements?”
“You are. I’ll have to order some though, all I have are these.” She said, showing me a box of standard bulbs.
“I have some at my place. I’ll just go grab you a few.” I said, turning to the door.
“You don’t have to do that. I’ll just need you to tell me what they are again, pair something?” She said.
“It’s fine, I’ve got at least a dozen extra.” I replied. “Most of my bulbs are this type.”
I returned a few minutes later with a four pack. “There, now you have extras.” I said, putting in the two new bulbs.
She stood there, looking at me, with an odd look in her eyes. “Thank you. You’re not exactly the guy I thought you were.”
“Yeah, I really am sorry about how we met. I don’t think I made a very good first impression, and then it just kept getting worse.” I said sheepishly.
“That’s fair, but I should have taken the blame. I was the one who didn’t close my door when the cat got out, and you were really kind to stop what you were doing to help get Mr. Fuzzles from the tree.” She said thoughtfully.
“It’s the least I could do.” I replied. “I am sorry about the cloud of smoke too. I didn’t know my friend’s truck would do that. I’m more used to cars.”
“No, I’m sorry. My ex husband loves to ‘roll coal'” she said, using air quotes. “It just made me think you were like him. I felt so bad when I saw how sorry you were, but I was just so mad at him and took it out on you.”
“I get it, I sometimes see my ex wife in other people and judge them based on that.” I chuckled. It was nice to clear the air, but I was worried about bringing up her daughter. She was starting to warm-up to me, and I didn’t want to remind her of catching me being a pervert. I took a deep breath and decided to jump in anyways. “And I’m sorry about perving on your daughter. I know it doesn’t make it any better, but I thought she was one of the college girls that lived here. I didn’t mean to stare, but I was really caught off guard.”
“Ha!” Angela laughed. “Are you going to apologize for every slight you think you’ve caused me?” She laughed again. “Hayley is a terrible flirt, she knows she looks good and loves to tease guys. She probably did it on purpose.” She smiled, her eyes crinkling at the edges. “I wasn’t very mad at you, I just had to make sure you knew she wasn’t 18. Hayley thrives on attention, she gets that from her father.” She put her hand on my arm. It was the first physical contact I’d had with a woman in nearly six months, it was amazingly comforting. “Anything else you want to apologize for, or can we just try and start fresh from today?”
I acted as if I was deep in thought. “Hmmmm… nope, I think that’s it. Thank you.” I said.
“You’re welcome. And thank you for your help.” She said, removing her hand from my arm and holding it out. “Hi, I’m Angela. I’m your upstairs neighbor.”
“Hi Angela, my name’s Ken. Nice to meet you.” We shook hands and laughed.
I looked at my watch, it was already 6:30pm. “We’ll, I’d better go, let you get on with your evening.”
“Oh? Ok.” Angela said. “Do you have to? I haven’t thanked you for changing the lights and leaving me some extras.” She added.
“You don’t have to thank me, I’m just being neighborly.” I replied.
“We’ll, let me be neighborly as well. Can I make you supper?” She offered. “It’s been nice talking to you, and I feel bad for being so bitchy before.”
“I guess.” I replied. “I don’t want to intrude on you and your daughter.”
Her expression darkened a little when I mentioned Hayley. “She won’t be here. She decided to stay with her father for the summer, he’s got a pool.”
“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.” I said. Angela cocked an eyebrow at me, possibly questioning my intent. “I just mean that although I don’t have kids, I know I’d want to spend time with them if I did.” I said hurriedly.
Angela laughed lightly. “You’re sweet.” She said. “I do wish she’d spend at least part of the summer with me, but her dad is the fun one, and with everything that’s going on in the world, I can’t blame her for wanting to stay with him.”
“I guess.” I replied, not knowing what else to say.
“We’ll, you might as well come in.” Angela said. “Do you think we can get rid of our masks? I haven’t been anywhere with people, just out for walks.”
“I’ve only been to the grocery store in the last two weeks, are you ok with that?” I asked.
Angela pulled off her mask, giving me a warm smile. “I guess I’ll take the chance.”
I smiled as I removed my mask as well. Everything felt more intimate once our masks were off, almost like it had just turned into a date. I dismissed the thought almost as quickly as I had it, chalking it up to the lack of female, or human for that matter, contact in so long.
I realized I had been staring at her face blankly for a few moments longer than I should have. “So, what’s for supper?” I asked. “I can help in any way you need, just give me very clear directions. My skills in the kitchen are very limited.”
“I was thinking about a chicken stir fry.” She said, heading towards the kitchen. “You can help by keeping me company while I make it.”
She poured us each a glass of wine and asked me about myself while she got started. I told her about my job, my parents, my sister, and Dan’s family. She told me about her family, then gave me a summary of her marriage; married young, pregnant with Hayley shortly after, he was a self-centred ass, they had bought this condo as an income property, but when she’d had enough of his lying and (probably) cheating, she left him three years ago. She got the condo and he kept the house. She told me about her job. She was the business manager for a small chain of pharmacies, it wasn’t glamorous, but it paid well and she enjoyed it.