Page 24 of Zimyra

“I thought the office opened at eight.”

“It does, but maintenance starts at nine. So, just stop by the office and I’ll give you the maintenance list for the day. It’s pretty substantial being that we’ve been without maintenance for a full week.”

“Nothing me and Mauricio can’t handle.”

“We’ll see.”

He finally leaves. I grab my purse, lock up and then drive home, checking the rearview, making sure I’m not being followed by a black Genesis SUV.

CHAPTER 7

“I’m in,” I tell Peteras I drive to the office in the morning.

“I’m not even surprised. I knew if anybody could pull this off, it was you.”

“And get this—I even hired a guy to work with me. Of course he’s the one doing all the work, especially since I know nothing about maintenance.”

“Of course. I taught you well. There’s no need for you to get your hands dirty with that stuff, anyway. It’s not like she’ll know. She’s tucked away in her office while you’re out doing the jobs, right?”

“That’s right. She won’t know if I’m doing anything or not, so I’m good. Now all I have to do is get close enough to crack the code on how she’s dealing with these people and running this place.”

“You have no intel so far?”

“Well, she’s very cordial—always happy and upbeat. I suspect that she knows every tenant on a first-name basis.”

“Impossible.”

“I thought the same thing, but she’s personable. People like it when you know their names. Oh, and when I was in her office yesterday, I saw some flyers on her desk about a paint and sip event. I’m wondering if she’s planning that for the tenants.”

“Ah…maybe. Okay. This is good. Keep me posted on what you find out.”

“Yep. Later.”

I pull up in a parking space that’s not marked ‘Future Resident’ and shut off the engine. It’s 8:45. I figured I’d show myseriousnessby arriving early. When I step into the office, I notice Zimyra’s on the phone. She glances up at me and continues her conversation. I hear her telling someone about what she expects of the grounds. She doesn’t like that the grass is not being cut on schedule.

“I don’t care what you have to do to get it done,” she snaps at the caller. “You’ll either get your men here when they’re supposed to be here, or I will hire a company that will. Is that clear enough for you?”

Dang. I don’t know what the person said to that, but I imagine they’re acquiescing to her requests.

Interesting.

This pretty woman is a fireball. She makes sure people do their jobs. I better warn Mauricio that we have to stay on target with this gig, or she’s going to be spewing her wrath at the both of us.

She hangs up the phone, massages her temples, and sighs heavily.

“Rough morning?” I ask.

“Something like that.” She blows an even breath like she’s doing some form of meditation.

While she’s in namaste mode, I walk over to the coffee, pour myself a cup, and say, “Ay, is this community coffee, or is this only reserved for the people you actually like?” I ask, then take a sip.

“Don’t start with me this morning, Jennings.”

“That was a serious question.”

“You could’ve stopped for coffee on the way in. You got here at 8:45—a whole fifteen minutes early.”

“I wanted to make sure I wasn’t late. I didn’t want to give you a reason to fire me.”

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