True believer - Nicholas Sparks [127]
“It’s open. Come on up.”
He riffled through his bills, pulled out a twenty, and reached for the door just as he heard the knock.
“That was fast,” he said. “Usually it takes . . .”
His voice trailed off as the door opened and he saw who was standing before him.
In the silence, he and his visitor stared at each other before Doris finally smiled.
“Surprise,” she said.
He blinked. “Doris?”
She stamped the snow off her shoes. “It’s a blizzard out there,” she said, “and it’s so icy I wasn’t sure I was going to make it. The taxi was sliding all over the road.”
He continued to stare, trying to make sense of her sudden appearance.
She slipped her handbag from her shoulder and met his gaze. “Are you going to make me wait out in the hallway, or are you going to invite me in?”
“Yeah . . . of course. Please . . . ,” he said, motioning her inside.
Doris moved past him and set her bag on the end table near the door. She glanced around his apartment and removed her jacket. “This is nice,” she said, walking around the living room. “It’s bigger than I thought it would be. But the stairs were a killer. You really need to get the elevator fixed.”
“Yeah . . . I know.”
She paused at the window. “But the city is beautiful, even in the storm. And so . . . busy. I can see why some people would want to live here.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to talk to you, of course.”
“About Lexie?”
She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she sighed, then said evenly, “Among other things.” When his brow furrowed, she shrugged. “You wouldn’t happen to have any tea, would you? I’m still a little chilly.”
“But . . .”
“We’ve got a lot to talk about,” she said, her voice holding steady. “I know you have questions, but it’s going to take a while. So how about some tea?”
Jeremy went into the small kitchen and heated a cup of water in the microwave. After adding a tea bag, he carried the cup back to the living room, where he found Doris sitting on the couch. He handed her the cup, and she took a sip almost immediately.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t call. I know I should have. You must be pretty shocked. But I wanted to talk to you in person.”
“How did you know where I live?”
“I talked to your friend Alvin. He told me.”
“You talked to Alvin?”
“Yesterday,” she said. “He had given his phone number to Rachel, so I called him, and he was kind enough to give me your address. I wish I’d had the chance to meet him while he was in Boone Creek. He seemed like a perfect gentleman.”
Jeremy sensed that the small talk was a sign of mounting nervousness and decided to say nothing. He knew she was simply trying to work up to whatever it was she was going to say.
The buzzer sounded again and Doris glanced toward the door. “That’s my lunch,” he said, annoyed by the distraction. “Give me a minute, okay?”
He rose from his seat, pressed the intercom, and unlocked his door; as he waited, he glimpsed Doris smoothing her blouse. A moment later, she fidgeted again, and for some reason, the fact that she was nervous helped to steady his own nerves. He drew a long breath and stepped out into the hallway, meeting the deliveryman as he emerged from the stairwell.
Jeremy came back in and was just about to set the bag of food on the kitchen counter when he heard Doris behind him.
“What did you order?”
“Beef with broccoli, pork fried rice.”
“It smells good.”
It was, perhaps, the way she said it that made him smile. “Would you like me to make up a couple of plates?”
“I wouldn’t want to take your food.”
“There’s plenty,” he said, reaching for some plates. “And besides, didn’t you tell me that you like to talk over a good meal?”
He spooned out the food, then brought it to the table; Doris sat down next to him.
Again, he decided to let her begin, and they ate in silence for a few minutes.
“This is delicious,” she finally said. “I didn’t have any breakfast, and I guess I didn’t realize how hungry I was. It’s quite a trip to get here. I had to leave at crack of dawn, and my flight was delayed. The weather had everything backed up, and for a while there, I wasn