Meeting The Unpredictable by Riann C. Miller Read Free Book Online Page A

looking at my apartment that way?”
    “I’m only looking around.”
    “No, you’re not. Your nose is practically turned up.” I drop down on his couch and look at him.
    He’s right. When I look around his apartment, I can’t help but think of how many animals—hell, for that matter, people—could be saved by the money he spent on this couch alone.
    “I think I’ll pick us up a sandwich. I’d offer to fix lunch, but we both know that won’t work out well.”
    This time, Tyler does smile. “I’ll go with you, but afterward, I need to get back to work.”
    I force myself not to smile. Tyler likes me. The only person he’s fooling otherwise is himself, but I think he’s even having a hard time doing that.
    ***
    “WHAT CAN I GET YOU?” The older waitress shakes her head in disgust when she looks at my tattoos. I don’t care. I stopped caring what other people thought of me a long time ago. “You know, when you’re an old lady those tattoos are going to look downright awful, not that they don’t already.”
    Maybe I should ask her if a sleeve will look good. I start to giggle to myself when I hear Tyler. “Excuse me?” he sneers from across the table. Both the waitress and I look over at him.
    “You’re here to take our order, not pass judgment on others.” After a few long seconds, Tyler reaches for my hand. “Come on, Lennie. We’ll find somewhere else to eat.”
    The shocked expression of the waitress is the last thing I see before Tyler drags me out the door. When we arrive at his SUV, he looks over at me. “I’m sorry.”
    My nose scrunches. “What are you sorry about?”
    Tyler points back at the restaurant. “That lady. The way she behaved was horrid.”
    Where Tyler is concerned, my heart softens even more. I wonder if living in his own world for as long as he has made him naïve or if his heart is really made of gold.
    “You have nothing to be sorry about. A lot of people act that way, especially older people. Not to mention I’m the one who picked this restaurant.”
    Tyler sighs before hopping inside his vehicle. Once I’m in and buckled, I look over at him only to find him staring at me.
    “I think I was on the path to becoming that old lady,” he quietly states.
    “I didn’t know you were thinking about having a sex change.” I laugh at my joke, but Tyler doesn’t.
    “I’m serious.” I know he’s not kidding by the sad expression on his face.
    “Tyler, if you had met me when I was younger, you might have thought the same thing about me. Life isn’t about who you were. It’s about who you are,” I state.
    His eyes narrow but he doesn’t say anything else. Instead, he pulls out of the parking space and drives us to a café down the road where our lunch was just as good as the service.

I SHUT DOWN MY COMPUTER and glance over my shoulder at Lennie who’s sound asleep on my couch. This woman is driving me batshit crazy in a way I’m coming to almost like. My attention moves from Lennie to the door as Chad walks in with a huge smile on his face.
    “You’re in a good mood.”
    “That I am, man.” He tosses his wallet and keys on the counter. “I have a date tonight.”
    “Really? I thought you were holding out for our neighbor.”
    “No more holding out because we’re going out for dinner.”
    My eyes widen in shock. “Wow. Congratulations.”
    “I’m fairly certain Jodi thinks I asked her in a neighborly way, but I’m hoping to make my point clear by the end of the night.”
    “At least she knows you exist. That’s a step in the right direction.” Chad flips me off before walking towards his bedroom.
    My eyes dart back at the woman who’s still sound asleep. When she came over earlier today, we played the same song and dance. I acted annoyed that she was here, and she continued to act like she didn’t give a damn. We ate lunch then she watched TV until she fell asleep.
    If anyone had asked me three weeks ago if I could get any work done with someone