Page 29 of Evidence of Secrets

Wouldn’t that be nice? The extra cash would ease some—a lot—of her problems. But no. Her neck and ears felt impossibly hot. Her mother always drilled into her “never a lender nor borrower be.” It was her mantra.

“Thanks, but I’ll be okay,” said Laura.

“So I heard you had to move out of your apartment,” said Grace. Laura’s heart dropped. Grace was an investigative reporter, and nothing missed her sharp eyes. “Since you’re not staying with one of us—and I will ask, why not?—where are you staying?”

Laura tapped her fingers on the table. Damn, where was that waiter when you needed them? She should have known she’d be in the hot seat today. She exhaled the deep breath she took. It might be uncomfortable; however, she wasn’t going to lie.

“I’m staying in an apartment in Hank’s building. Apparently, it was empty, and the rent was paid for three months.”

“Hubba, hubba,” exclaimed Marlee, who gave her a big smile.

“It’s nothing like that,” Laura said. “I didn’t ask any of you because none of you have the extra space. Veronica lives in the loft at KnightGuard Security, and Alex has the spare bedroom in Sam’s house. Claire, you’re pregnant. I don’t want to stress out Joe any more than necessary.”

“Speaking of Joe,” said Sam, “I just saw him walk to the bar to speak with Jake.”

Everyone turned around. Joe smirked and saluted them.

“I’m going to die of embarrassment,” said Claire as she shook her head.

“Ahh, I think it’s kinda sweet.” Marlee laughed. Underneath her feisty exterior was a romantic soul.

Hailey cocked her head and squinted at Laura. “I know Hank’s been out of town a lot. Have you been on any more dates?”

The girls all looked at her. Crap. Now they were going to ask about her relationship with Hank.

“Do tell,” said Julie.

“Hmmm. We’ve gone out a few times.”

“Aaand?” Marlee asked. “Have you kissed? Are you two serious? Have you stayed over at his place? Have you made love? Tell us more.”

“Maarlee!” the girls said as one. Marlee was the one person who wasn’t afraid to ask the sensitive questions.

“What? Don’t tell me you’re not curious,” Marlee said as she gave everyone at the table her death stare.

Laura could only laugh. Marlee was a hoot. “Look, Hank and I are still getting to know each other. We enjoy each other’s company. I know he’s a bit of a flirt, but I suspect he’s deeper than that. I feel like someone hurt him in the past and he’s cautious around women. I like him and hope to see more of him.”

“Hank’s a good catch,” said Hailey. “And you’re right. He doesn’t say much, but he has a good heart, and you two are good for each other.”

Laura sure wasn’t going to add that her body tingled whenever Hank touched her or how happy she was to hear from him.

The waiter came back with their meals and refilled their water. The conversation was temporarily suspended while they ate.

Laura was happy not to be in the hot seat anymore. Her problems embarrassed her, but Laura knew her friends loved her and would want to help if they knew how terrible things really were. Tomorrow, she’d get in the bistro early and just work harder. Failure was not an option.

CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO

“Hey, Manny. How are you?” Laura walked into the lobby of the apartment building and placed a tray of brownies on the console. Manny never accepted payment for the food he purchased for the apartment, so this was one way of thanking him after Laura found out he had a sweet tooth.

That she was still living here after two weeks rankled her. Management at her old building found structural problems they were fixing, and repairs would take another week. Thankfully, Manny told her she was welcome to stay as long as she needed.

Laura saw Hank twice in the lobby as she was going to work and he was coming back from a job. The last time he said he was working a lot of overtime and would be away for several days on a job. They made plans to get together when he got back, and she was looking forward to seeing him.

Things were not going well at the bistro. Laura filled in for the pastry chef, along with her other duties. Levi and the servers stepped up, but there was only so much Laura could ask of them. She’d have to let someone go if she didn’t find more money to pay them. The bistro couldn’t function with less staff. The bank wouldn’t extend her loan repayment date, and she was out of money.

“Thanks, Laura. You didn’t have to bake these.” Manny took one and offered one to Laura.

She shook her head. “I’m glad you enjoy them. It’s the least I can do.”

---