by Mia Malone
“He isn’t,” I said.
“Hand. Face,” she said. “Pawing.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “But not younger.”
“Really?” She moved closer and squinted a little. “What the hell are you using?”
“A bar of soap and a tub of sunblock.”
“Huh.”
And there was that word which wasn’t a word again.
“Joke thinks my ID is fake,” I informed her and to my surprise she burst out laughing.
“Guys, back off,” she ordered, still sounding happy but there was a little snap in her voice and the men both took a step back.
“Lee,” Joke started but she just looked at him, so he stopped speaking immediately.
“I’m Lee,” she said to me. “When do you start?”
She’d told me about the job, and seemed convinced I’d already gotten it, but I wasn’t sure anymore, so I glanced at Joke.
“Tonight,” he said. “Let’s go.”
The last was for me, and I knew this because he put a hand in the small of my back to propel us toward the door.
“Cool. See you later,” Lee called out, and as we entered the bar again I heard her say to what I assumed was the gray-eyed man next to her, “I’m off, want to go home?”
“Haven’t pawed you since this morning, so yeah, I wanna go home,” Gibson asked, and his voice had deepened into a soft but still gravelly murmur.
A shiver went down my spine and I tried to cover it up by turning toward the blonde man closing the door behind us.
“How old did you think I was?” I asked.
“Forty,” he muttered.
Forty? I looked younger but not that much younger, although I decided to not point his stupidity out to him at that exact moment.
“Do I still have a job?” I asked instead, trying to sound casual, as if the whole exchange of words outside hadn’t been just a little bit odd.
“Yeah,” he said just as casually. “Where do you stay?”
“The motel over by the highway.”
He got a funny look on his face as if he didn’t know if he should laugh or scowl.
“Ah, babe, you can’t stay there.”
“Why not?”
It had seemed clean, and it was certainly cheap. I’d asked for, and gotten a room on the second floor, and there was a big dresser I could push in front of the door, so I’d be safe.
“They rent out rooms by the hour.”
Oh. Well, I guessed that explained the waterbed and the coin slot next to the TV. It also explained why they hadn’t asked me for an ID when I checked in, and accepted the name I’ve given them, which wasn’t my own. And hadn’t raised a brow when I paid in cash for the night.
“I’ll be fine,” I said dismissively.
“Huh,” he said, and I thought I’d burst out laughing.
“If you want to make a copy of my driver’s license, then I could perhaps get it back tonight?” I suggested.
He held it up again and looked at it.
“Lovisa Parker,” he said slowly, struggling with my name like almost everyone did.
“Scandinavian ancestry,” I explained like I had so many times before. “You can pronounce it Louisa. Most do.”
“Louisa,” he murmured. “You don’t look like a Louisa.”
“My family calls me Sissy,” I heard myself say, but realized it would be what I wanted to be called when I started my new job. “I’m not one, but if we could tell everyone it’s my name, I’d appreciate it.”
He grinned, and it changed him so much I struggled to keep my mouth from falling open. I’d thought he was handsome with his sharp features and blonde hair in a ponytail, but when he smiled, he was absolutely gorgeous.
“Sissy,” he murmured, and another shiver suddenly went down my spine. “Works for me.”
“Okay,” I said, again trying for casual but only achieving breathless. “I’ll be back at six,” I added, trying for businesslike this time, which I thought I’d pulled off credibly.
His grin widened, and he nodded.
“Six, babe.”
I turned and walked out of there, wondering if I’d gone insane.
***
I had four hours until I was supposed to be back at Oak for my shift, and only a small bag to unpack, so I sat at my bed and wondered what to do. I checked my email, but neither of my girls had responded to the one I’d sent that morning, although they were still in school, so I’d have to wait until later before I could expect anything from them. I missed them so much it hurt, and I’d only been gone for two weeks. How would I last until Easter break? Maybe I could ask Dante if I could see them somewhere over a weekend?
“Please,” I whispered. “Please let this be a safe place.”
Wilhelmine was an anonymous town like so many others. Small enough so strangers behaving weirdly would be noticed, but big enough to have a small police station. If I could make sure no one knew I was here, then I hoped the girls could visit for the summer. Or, as much of the summer as my ex-husband agreed to.
We had joint custody, but I knew that if I upset Dante he could easily apply for full custody. I knew this because he’d told me so, and added, “Don’t for a second think that I’m joking, Louisa.” I’d talked to my lawyer and he’d said that if we ended up in court battling for custody it would cost a lot of money and it could go either way. His advice had been to keep Dante happy, which was why I’d given up the house I’d rented and left. I’d told the girls I’d stay away until the school year was over. Cady needed to focus on her last year and had seemed mostly relieved, but Mimi was just fourteen, almost fifteen… God. My breath hitched when I thought about my baby.
I’d take a walk around the small town. Anything was better than sitting on a squishy waterbed in a worn-down motel room with my arms wrapped around myself because I had nothing else to hold on to. Hating that man.
Table of Contents
Copyright
Dear Reader
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
A reminder
Continue reading Book #3 - Joke
Table of Contents