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I began jogging his way, unable to avoid the bigger puddles. Not like it mattered.
“There you are!” I said, crouching down to get a better look at Oscar inside the tent. My dog looked mighty cozy with Lachlan, now that he was out of the rain.
“How did he get loose?” Lachlan asked.
“He was whining at the door when the storm hit, so I thought he had to do his business.” I tried to temper my exasperated tone. “As soon as we got outside, he began pulling on the lead, and it slipped through my fingers. Before I knew what was happening, he was gone. Ran a couple of blocks and all the way to you, apparently.”
He scratched his head. “Why would he do that?”
“If I had to guess, I’d say he was concerned about you.” That theory certainly made the most sense. Oscar was pretty attached to Lachlan by now. “Animals can sense danger.”
“Danger?” he asked, as if he didn’t fully understand how treacherous this storm might get for him. Or maybe for us, since we were all out in the elements now.
I waved toward the sky. “Bad weather. And this storm is wicked.”
“I’m fine in my tent,” he said evenly, though his shaky hands gave him away. “Just a few little leaks.”
That’s when I noticed he looked damp. I wasn’t confident his tent would hold up much longer.
My hand splashed in the puddle forming between us. “The streets are flooding, and your tent will be washed away. This rain is not supposed to let up for hours.”
“So I’ll move,” he replied as a wind gust threatened to carry my umbrella away again.
“Come stay with us tonight.”
“No, thank you. You don’t have to—”
“I doubt Oscar will leave you.” I motioned to my dog, whose tail was thumping.
“If this is about your dog—”
“It’s not.” Christ, did he really think that? Somehow, I needed to get through to this stubborn man. “The truth is, I was napping and didn’t know how bad it was outside. I’m concerned about you. Please, just until the storm passes. One night. I have a guest room.”
He stared at me, from my damp hair to my soaked shoes, as if weighing whether to put his trust in me. And I got it, totally, after what he’d been through, but I hoped he knew I meant well. If he stayed out here any longer, his tent would undoubtedly be swept away. As it was now, the water by the curb looked more like a moving river.
He took in our wet surroundings. “Okay, fine.” He began gathering his things. “Thanks for offering.”
I breathed out in relief and reached for Oscar’s leash, encouraging him to exit the tent and give Lachlan more room. I was able to move him under a store awning to wait, and then I watched in awe as Lachlan got busy stuffing his things into a rolling cart. It was a smart way to store his belongings, even if at the moment it barely did anything to keep his stuff dry.
At one point he gasped as he jostled stuff inside the cart, then glanced at me before turning his back to maneuver something. Once he backed out of the tent, he began tearing it down. It wasn’t complicated, but he certainly knew how to do it speedily. Maybe being pelted with rain helped. I stepped up to offer shelter under my umbrella as he turned with his rolling cart in one hand and the handle of the tent bag in the other.
“Ready?” I asked, and he nodded, still looking uncertain.
There was really no time for debate in these conditions. As we turned the corner, a crack of lightning made us both jump, and a branch from a nearby tree fell onto the sidewalk. It wasn’t large, but still a clear warning to get to safety.
We picked up our pace without uttering another word, and when we got to my high-rise apartment building, his shoulders tensed. I had no idea why, but if he wanted to talk about it, we could do that in the lobby. I closed my umbrella under the awning, unlocked the door, and then we were finally inside.
“No doorman?” He looked around the lobby, which was fairly plain with its beige walls and muted blue carpet.
“Nah, pretty sure that amenity would make my rent higher.”
I led him toward the elevator, and when we stepped inside and I punched the button to my floor, he blurted, “I ruined your book.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s soaking wet.” He motioned to his cart. “I don’t know if I can save it from falling apart.”
So that was what the ruckus was earlier when he was gathering his stuff. There was a swirl of different emotions in his eyes, ranging from fear to guilt.
“I don’t care.”
“But it belongs to the library, where you work.”
