Page 30 of Evidence of Secrets

“How’s everything going?”

“Same ol’, same ol’.” She gave Manny a small smile. What else could she say?

“You’re home early. Finished for the day?” Manny turned and greeted a couple as they entered the lobby and pressed the elevator button. “I’m sorry. You were saying?”

“No, I’m home for a short break, then back for the evening shift,” said Laura.

“Enjoy your time off.”

Laura huffed. Yeah. She would enjoy the time off.

There were a couple of calls she had to make. One was to the bank. The other was to a person who might be interested in buying her car. It was the only thing left of value she owned outside of her grandmother’s ring, and selling the car would keep the sharks at bay for a couple of weeks while she tried to come up with a plan. Although she had no idea what that plan would be.

Her chest ached. Her head ached. Laura just wanted things to be right again.

What had she done wrong? She finally found the thief. It cost her a pretty penny. More people were dining at the restaurant, but the hit she took when she had to pay for car repairs and dealing with the health department over bugs in the kitchen put there by Colin Woods had hurt long term. In retrospect, taking out a larger loan to renovate the outdoor space was a bad decision.

Thankfully, the building she lived in was a short walk from her bistro. She didn’t need a car. Yes, it would be late and dark when she left the bistro, but there were many people walking around the Riverwalk at any given time. She should be safe. It would be an inconvenience, but hell, she grew up with inconveniences, so this wouldn’t be any different.

Laura wondered how long she could continue living hand to mouth. How long would it be before things finally went her way? She could only pray for good luck and that Stuart found a solution to her problems.

However, praying accomplished little. Hard work and perseverance did. She’d have to work harder.

CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE

The sun had set hours ago, and the only light Hank saw was the lamplights spilling their glow over the water.

All the stores and restaurants were closed, and the few people walking around the Riverwalk weren’t there for shopping or eating. While the Riverwalk was generally safe, late night was prime time for the riffraff to congregate.

Hank parked his car and entered his code to the building. The lobby was lit but subdued. Manny left hours ago, so it was George Taylor on night duty.

George was a twenty-something guy going to school during the afternoon. He could get his homework done while he worked at night, and since there was little activity, he could sleep until Manny got there in the morning. An alarm would wake George if anyone came in.

Hank picked up his mail just as George walked out from the back room, rubbing his eyes.

“Hey, Mr. Hank. How’s it going?”

“Fine, George. Go back to sleep.”

“Kay.”

It had been a week and a half since Hank saw Laura. They tried to talk every other day, but their schedules differed. When he had free time, she was busy and vice versa. She told him she loved the apartment, and Manny was extremely helpful. It pleased him he could provide a safer environment for her. While Laura’s old apartment wasn’t in the worst neighborhood, it also wasn’t in the best.

Monday, the bistro was closed, and she didn’t have to work. Hank planned on getting up early and surprising Laura with breakfast. In fact, he’d been surprised the whole time he was away that he’d been thinking about Laura nonstop. Missing a woman was uncharted territory in his mind. Hank needed to see Laura to understand if what he was feeling was real or if he was just horny.

That was stupid. He was always horny. However, thoughts of Laura made him think about a future, something he hadn’t thought about since the disaster with his ex-fiancée.

First thing, he’d call the deli next door and have juice, muffins, bagels, and cream cheese delivered. Maybe a pound of coffee, although he thought Laura had that.

It meant he’d get about four hours of sleep, but Laura was worth it.

* * *

Eight o’clock came too early.

Hank yawned, got out of bed, showered, and made himself a cup of coffee. He forced himself not to look at the clock. Was nine o’clock too early? Too late? Laura most likely slept in. Hank didn’t want to wake her because she already worked too many long hours. However, he didn’t want to miss her if she had plans for the day. He supposed he could call, but that would ruin the surprise.

The thought of seeing Laura made his heart flutter—an unfamiliar sensation, for sure.

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