Page 70 of Winter
This early, the Sakura was silent and dark. She stood for a while in the quiet, trying not see the bloodstains in the backroom or the police tape littered everywhere. For a moment, her chest felt tight, and she struggled to compose herself.
Don’t cry. Don’t cry.
She went to the sink and grabbed a bucket, filling it with soapy water. She cleaned the floor, a few tears escaping as she cleaned her friend’s blood from the floor.
Oh, Scarlett, I’m sorry.
After a couple of hours, Inca finished cleaning, went to pull the shades up, and unlocked the front door, moving around on auto-pilot. She flicked the coffee machines on, listening to their rhythmic hum, staring into the gloom of the teahouse. To distract herself, she thought again about the apartment above her head. Why the hell had Olly not told her he bought the place—and why hadn’t he moved in? The date of the letter threw her. Hadn’t she told him then that she wanted to buy it? An idea started to form in her mind, and she smiled grimly to herself.
“Hey.” The sound of Luna’s stilted greeting made her turn. Her friend looked at her warily as she emerged from the backroom. Inca’s eyes filled with tears and she went to her friend.
“I’m sorry about yesterday, truly.”
Luna’s body slumped in relief. “Me too. I’m sorry I was such a bitch. I’m just worried about you and about Olly. My head’s a mess.”
Inca laughed through her tears. “Right back at you.” She held onto Luna for a few moments. “Don’t let’s lose each other, okay?” She felt Luna nod and pulled back to smile at her. “And I promise, I will be more accepting.” She hated lying to Luna, but there was no reason to drag her into this thing with Olly.
Luna wiped her own wet eyes with the back of her hand. “Sounds good to me. Look, I came to offer my services because … you know.”
Inca smiled at her gratefully. “Thank you, babe. I appreciate it.”
There was a knock at the teahouse door—customers waiting for their morning dose of caffeine. Inca went to let them in while Luna put her apron on. They dealt with the customers and got on with their day, the tension between them gone.
As she worked, Inca again went through every reason why Olly would have bought the apartment. He certainly didn’t have the money, she knew, to offer the outrageous price that had knocked her out of the running.So how? Why?
The idea came to her later in the morning, and she pulled Luna aside.
“My head is about to split open. Mind if I step out for a half hour?”
Inca went to the kitchen, pulling out the drawers until she found the flattest knife she could. Upstairs, she pressed her ear to the door to the apartment, listening for any movement inside. She knocked quietly, then, when there was no answer, she slid the knife into the gap between the door and the jamb, wiggling it to ease the lock open. She grinned to herself, wondering if Raff and Tommaso would be impressed by her lock picking skills.
You can take the girl out of the trailer park …Inca smiled as the door popped open. She closed it behind her and padded slightly around the dark apartment. The drapes were closed, and she flicked the overhead light on. The apartment was dusty but tidy, almost too still. There was no furniture, no personal touches. Not lived in. She breathed in the smell of the place—there was a tang of abandonment in the air. She shook her head. If Olly had bought the apartment, why was he still living at his old place?
Anger was starting to build in her. She moved about the apartment looking for anything she could use, anything that would tell her more about the man she thought she had known all her life, that would explain why he would have done this to her.
Later, after a decent interval, she made her way back down to the coffeehouse. As she went out to the counter, she heard Tyler and Luna laughing. She smiled as she saw them, but as she moved close, Tyler moved to hug her, and she saw, seated behind him, watching her with careful, intense eyes, Olly. His eyes bored into hers, the slight smile on his face mocking.
He knows you saw the papers.
The thrill of adrenaline that coursed through her body and made her stomach drop was almost painful. She looked away from his gaze.
“What are you kids joking around for?” she asked lightly, forcing herself to smile.
Tyler nodded to Olly.
“Olly’s been telling us about the surprise he’s got planned for you. Well, I say telling us, but he won’t let on what it is and Luna’s been trying to get it out of him.”
Inca kept her face neutral as she looked at Olly. “Oh?”
He nodded. “Good news. My lovely sister,” he nodded at a still smiling Luna, “has offered to cover your shift this afternoon, so you are free after all. Isn’t that great?”
Inca’s heart sank. Tyler and Luna were looking at her expectantly. She tried to smile. “I suppose. I’ll get my stuff.”
In the backroom, she took her time gathering her coat and purse. Luna followed her in a second later, frowning slightly.
“Hey, it was all right to say yes to him, wasn’t it?”
Inca laughed softly. “It’s fine.”
