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Looking through the peephole on the door, he saw her board the elevator. As the door shut behind her, he wondered why a girl who looked like that was delivering food in downtown Cleveland.
Probably the owner’s daughter?
That had to be it. She just didn't fit the mold of the typical delivery people that he had seen since arriving in Cleveland.
He slowly opened the door, looking out to make sure the elevators weren't on their way up before picking up the food and shutting the door. He punched in his code on the alarm system keypad.
It was kind of pointless, he thought, looking at the elevators. Aside from a visit from his best friend in June, the only people that had visited him in the three months that he lived there were those delivering food and mail. Of course, he never invited anyone, either.
That doesn't mean that there weren't uninvited guests. Namely, reporters, who once they found out that Cooper Madison was holed up in the Wescott in Cleveland, Ohio of all places, tried every trick in the book to gain access to the 11th floor.
Luckily for Coop, the Wescott took their tenant's privacy very seriously. The doormen and even the elevator operators could sniff out a fraud in no time, like the one time a reporter from the Times tried delivering flowers to suite 1100.
Unfortunately, for the reporter, Henry Wilson knew every delivery person in town.
Henry, the Wescott's daytime doorman for the better part of two decades, is also an imposing figure as a former defensive end who played two years of college football at the University of Michigan before dropping out of school. He and his girlfriend at the time had a baby girl, and he needed to provide for both of them. Henry’s father was never in the picture, and he wanted to ensure that would never be the case for his daughter - even if it meant giving up the dream of becoming a college graduate or playing in the NFL.
Henry was also one of the few people, along with the other doorman and elevator operators, who had even seen Cooper Madison in the few months since he moved in. Henry, always one to practice complete discretion, never talked to Coop about baseball. However, he did divulge the story of the Times reporter and his half-assed attempt to deliver Coop flowers.
"I knew he was a fraud, Mr. Madison, because he had roses, and you seem like more of a carnation guy," Henry joked, even getting a chuckle out of Coop that early morning in August.
Coop was wearing his typical disguise of sunglasses, a Buckeyes hat, and workout clothes. He would occasionally sneak out for an early morning stroll and felt an immediate connection with the doorman when they first were introduced.
He also appreciated the fact that Henry, while always professional, wasn't afraid to bust his balls a little bit like only a former athlete would feel comfortable doing to a relative stranger. Coop missed that camaraderie most of all these days, and would even play along a bit in his brief encounters with Henry.
"Well, if you must know, I prefer lilies… they're more delicate, like a Michigan Wolverine…" Coop teased.
"Here we go again, I'll have you know we beat your precious ‘Suckeyes' my sophomore year!" Henry replied. This was where almost every conversation ended up between the two former athletes.
"I know, you remind me EVERY time I see you," Coop mocked, "and I always tell you that blind squirrels find acorns, too."
The two would always laugh off the insults, just as anyone who has ever spent time in a locker room would expect them to, and table the battle for another day.
He laughed about that encounter as he opened the two orders of Chicken Parmesan, garlic bread, minestrone, and cheesecake inside the bag. He would soon find out that Stucky's made a mean Chicken Parm. He had always been a big eater, and this time just one of the entrees was more than enough for him. He would definitely order from Stucky's again.
