Park. In the short time I’d been in New York, I’d witnessed the wrath of bystanders when traffic was blocked.
Anderson stood with his back to me, dressed in dark blue jeans, a black polo, and a baseball cap. The man wore clothes better than anyone. Focus, Jurnee. You’re angry at him. Remember that.
He turned as I reached him, as if he had eyes in the back of his head. With a smile, he tipped the brim of his cap to me. “Shall we eat first or walk?”
“Walk.”
His eyebrows jetted up at my tone. He extended his hand to indicate I should lead. I started down the sidewalk with all the horse carriages lined up. The smell of hot gym socks soaked in urine gave way to a mixture of hotdogs, popcorn, and horse manure. I brushed my hand over my nose to dissipate the smell.
“Want to take a carriage around the park?” Anderson was definitely trying.
“Nope.”
I had reluctantly agreed to meet him for lunch after our not so great date the night before. Once Michigan came up, the rest of the dinner went downhill. The fact my feet hurt from the shoes Derrick suggested I wear hadn’t prevented me from taking the subway back to the sublet.
We walked in silence as I looked around like a kid experiencing a giant toy store for the first time. There were couples of every age walking along the different paths and sitting on hilly grassy spots between the path intersections. Kids laughed and ran in circles around their parents. The sound of water caught my attention as we walked under a small bridge.
I stopped as we reached a creek. “Water! Is there anything this park doesn’t have?”
“Not really.” Anderson pulled his cap down further.
We began walking, but slower this time. “It’s almost 900 acres and has seven bodies of water.”
“Dang. I could get lost in this place.”
“If you ever do, look for the iron light posts.” Anderson pointed to a light post in the distance. “They are marked with a code to let you know exactly where you are in the city.”
“A code.”
He chuckled, “First two numbers indicate the closest cross street, and the second pair tell you whether you are East or West. Odd numbers are West, and even numbers are East.”
“Do you spend a lot of time in the park?”
“No. I haven’t been here in years.” There was a sadness in his voice.
“Oh.” I took a deep breath. “Anderson, I called the leasing office for the apartment Eric had available. It rents for thousands more a month than you said.”
“He was–”
“Seriously, are you going to stand here and tell me that Eric was going to give me a deal?” My hands were on my hips, and my voice was louder than I realized as a couple on a park bench looked over at us.
“Jurnee, I just wanted to–”
“You wanted to control–” My words cut off as I stepped off the path, twisting my ankle. I collapsed to the ground, crying out in pain.
Anderson grabbed me when I began to fall as I put weight on my foot. “You’re hurt.”
“You think?” Snapping at him wasn’t going to help, but the pain was shooting through my ankle, and I refused to cry. Somehow, anger felt safer.
He scooped me up into his arms and headed down the path. “Let’s get you looked at.”
“Stop! Put me down!”
He did as I asked, but continued to steady me as I hopped on one foot. “What?” It was Anderson’s turn to be annoyed.
“My insurance isn’t going to cover a doctor’s visit in New York unless I’m admitted to the hospital.”
“So?”
“So, do you know how much a visit to a doctor is when you’re out of network?”
He rolled his eyes and tried to lift me again. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Geez. You can’t just take care of it. That’s the whole point of me being angry about the apartment.” A surge of pain shot through me, causing me to sway.
Anderson’s lifted me in his arms, leaving me no chance to resist. “You are being ridiculous.”
“Anderson Douglas, if you don’t put me down right this minute.”
“Not going to work, but it’s pretty cute when you get mad.” He held me tighter. “Guys!”
Two men dressed in blue jeans and white polo shirts came rushing up to us. I’d noticed them walking behind us when we walked under the bridge but hadn’t given it any thought. There were people everywhere.
“She’s hurt.” Anderson snapped, causing one of the men to dart down the