Love on the Run
A Clean Romantic Suspense
Lorana Hoopes
Copyright © 2020 by Lorana Hoopes
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Contents
Prologue
1. Ginny
2. Graham
3. Ginny
4. Graham
5. Ginny
6. Graham
7. Ginny
8. Graham
9. Ginny
10. Author’s Note
11. Not ready to say Goodbye yet?
12. Secrets and Suspense Preview
13. A Free Story For You
14. The Billionaire’s Impromptu Bet Preview
Discussion Questions
The Story Doesn’t End!
About The Author
Prologue
Ginny Darling paused as she heard the engine of a car outside the window. He couldn’t be home. Not yet. She’d thought she had an hour at least. It wasn’t much time, but she had decided it would have to be enough. Her eyes darted around the tiny bedroom as she looked to see where she could hide and what looked out of place.
The engine faded away as it continued down the street, and Ginny’s breath escaped in a relieved rush. No time to slow down though. This was her one shot. She would not get another one. Quickly folding the shirt in her hands, she shoved it into the suitcase and turned to the dresser to grab some more clothes.
She didn’t have many. He only allowed her to have the clothes he purchased for her - none of which were her style, but that had never mattered to him. One day, when she was out from under his thumb and had enough money, she would buy clothes she liked. Simple ones that didn’t hug her waist or dip too low.
When her meager outfits were packed, she grabbed her hairbrush and toothbrush out of the bathroom. Nothing else in the bathroom belonged to her. He didn’t let her have a curling iron for fear she might use it on him. Nor did he allow her a hair dryer though she was unsure what the fear behind it was unless he thought she might try to throw it in his shower.
She grabbed a towel and a washcloth as well, unsure of how long it would be before she would have the money to purchase her own. Besides, he would be madder that she had gone than that she had taken toiletries.
Ginny hurried to the kitchen to grab food and the little money she had managed to stash away. He didn’t let her work, but he did give her money to buy groceries once every two weeks, and every once in a while, she could find a coupon or a deal and end up with a little left. She’d begun stashing it in a container that once held prunes knowing he would never look in it. His aversion to anything healthy would keep him away.
She grabbed it from the shelf along with some crackers and pop tarts. Not the healthiest fare by far, but it would do until she could afford more. Maybe she’d be lucky enough to find work in a restaurant and they would let her take home the extra food. After shoving the food and the can of money into her shoulder bag, she took one final look around the apartment.
It had never been home, not since the first time he had hit her, but it had been a roof over her head and protection from the even rougher crowd on the streets. She hoped she wouldn’t end up on the streets again, but she would know better what to look for this time, how to avoid another man like Carl, like her father.
A glance at her watch revealed she needed to get going. If all went well, Carl would be gone another half hour but occasionally his errands ran shorter, and she needed to be gone before he got back.
Adjusting the bag on her shoulder one more time, she grabbed the suitcase and exited the apartment building. Ginny was certain that Carl had neighbors that kept tabs on her comings and goings. The suitcase would definitely arouse suspicion, but she hoped to be at the bus station and on a bus before they could alert Carl.
She kept her ears open and her eyes alert as she made her way to the bus station. Every glance flashed her direction sent her heart racing and her pulse thundering in her ears.
“Where to?” the operator asked when she finally approached the window. His eyes barely registered her, and his tone declared his boredom.
Ginny could not have been more thankful. He would probably not remember her, and if he did, she doubted he would be able to describe her.
“How far can I get with forty-five dollars?”
His eyes flicked to her for a moment before he leaned forward and tapped on the keys of his computer. “Fire Beach, Illinois, and the bus leaves in ten minutes.”
Illinois wasn’t as far as she would have liked, but it would have to do. “I’ll take one ticket.” She placed the few wadded bills she had on the counter and pushed it toward him. A moment later, she held a ticket in her hand. Hopefully, it was her ticket to freedom.
1
Ginny
The bus pulled into Fire Beach, Illinois a little after five. Ginny’s stomach rumbled. She’d eaten a pop tart and some crackers on the way, but her stomach was craving real food, especially protein. Unfortunately, she had little money left. She’d have to ask around about a job first and hope she could score some food after.
When the bus stopped, she grabbed her bags and stepped off. The bus station of Fire Beach didn’t look much different than the one she had left in Indiana except that she could hear water. She briefly wondered how far the beach was. Perhaps one day, she would be able to enjoy it, but that day was not today.
She scanned the area and noticed a woman sitting on a bench with a notepad on her lap. With no luggage near her, it was a safe bet that the woman lived locally. Ginny bit her lip but decided to approach her. “Excuse me, do you live around here?”
The woman glanced up and offered a friendly smile. “I do. What can I do for you?”
“I just got into town and I’m hoping to find a job. Do you know of any place that’s hiring?”
The woman’s gaze searched Ginny’s face, making her want to squirm under the discerning eyes. With a stylish shirt and smartly tailored pants, this woman looked so put together that Ginny felt even frumpier. She’d put on her most modest shirt and the nicest pair of pants she had, but it didn’t hold a candle to this woman’s polished look.
“Actually, I might know of just the place. My name is Tia. What’s yours?”
Ginny paused as she thought about the question. Should she give her real name? It would probably be required to get a job, but it would also make it easier for Carl to find her. Still, this woman was offering to help her. Honesty seemed like the best option for now, and then perhaps she could ask whoever hired her to call her something later. “It’s Ginny. Ginny Darling.”
A wide smile split Tia’s lips, and her eyes twinkled. “Ginny Darling. That is a great name. It sounds like it came right out of a book.”
Ginny wanted to roll her eyes. If her name were in a book, it wouldn’t be a nice one. No sweet romance or fantasy book for her. No, since her mother passed away, it had been one punch after the other. She’d survived her father’s drunken rages until she was eighteen and legal to be on her own. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been the best at managing finances when she first left home, and she’d ended up losing her apartment and walking the streets. And then Carl had found her. She suppressed a shudder and tried to force a smile. “Thank you, I think.”
A silvery laugh bubbled out of Tia’s throat, and she shook her head as she stood. “I’m sorry. I’m an author and I see stories everywhere. In fact, that’s what I was doing here. People watching.”
“People watchin
g?” Ginny wasn’t sure she had heard the woman correctly.
“Yep. I like to go to public places and watch people. How they walk, their mannerisms, their reactions. Then I try to use those same characteristics when I write my characters. I feel like it makes them more real.”
“Ah, that makes sense.” Ginny loved books. It was the one thing Carl had allowed her. In addition to her grocery runs, she’d been allowed to visit the local library and check out books. As long as they didn’t keep her from keeping the house clean, and she stopped reading when he returned home. She wasn’t sure she could even count how many books she had read in the last year. “I do love reading.”
“I do too,” Tia said with smile. “It’s a bit of a walk to the place I’d like to take you, but it’s relatively flat. Are you up for it?”
“Definitely,” Ginny said with a swift nod of her head. The sooner she got to this place, the sooner she might get a job and something to eat. Of course then she had to find a place to stay, but she figured she could take one worry at a time.
2
Graham
Graham smiled as he recognized the blonde woman entering Fire Dreams. She had been a hostess with them while getting back on her feet, and though she still stopped in often, it wasn’t the same without her sweet smile lighting up the place.
“Tia, good to see you. Table for two?” He didn’t recognize the woman with Tia, but that wasn’t unusual. Fire Beach had a large population, and in Tia’s line of work, she often lunched with editors or publishers from other areas. Although this woman looked too simple to be in the publishing business.
Tia turned to the woman. “Are you hungry? I don’t mind grabbing an early dinner if you are.”
The woman’s face turned a bright shade of red, and her eyes dropped to the floor. She mumbled something under her breath, and while Graham didn’t catch all of it, Tia must have because she smiled and nodded at Graham. “Yes, we’ll take a table for two and some of your time if you have it.”
Graham glanced around the restaurant. It wasn’t quite dinner time yet, so the place wasn’t full, and he had a few other people working as well. Besides, his curiosity was piqued now. There was no way he would say no. “I can probably give you a few minutes.”
After grabbing two menus from the podium, Graham led the way to a booth near the back. Somehow, he felt the women might need a little privacy. “How about I get us some drinks and then I’m all yours until the place gets busy?”
“That sounds great, Graham, thank you,” Tia said. “We’ll take water for now.” The woman with her said nothing as she slid into one side of the booth.
“Three waters it is.” Graham sure hoped the silent woman’s story was on Tia’s topic list. He was certainly curious as to who she was. He filled the drinks quickly and then returned to the booth. Tia scooted in a little so he could sit down next to her.
“Graham, this is Ginny. She’s just arrived in town, and she needs a job. A little birdie told me you were looking for some help.”
“I see.” Graham looked at the woman across from him. She appeared clean but mousy. Her eyes flicked only briefly to his before dropping again to her lap. “Do you have any restaurant experience, Ginny?”
A slender hand reached up and tucked a strand of her brown hair behind her ears. “Um, a little. I worked at a fast food restaurant when I first graduated high school.” Her voice was soft and hesitant.
“And how long ago was that?”
Her eyes met his briefly. “Six years ago.”
“Have you worked anywhere since?” Tia asked as if hoping she might get more out of the girl.
The girl shook her head once. “I haven’t been allowed to.”
“What do you mean you haven’t been allowed to?”
Ginny looked up and met Tia’s questioning eyes. “For the last few years, I’ve been living with someone. He didn’t let me get a job.”
Graham ran a hand across his chin as he and Tia exchanged glances. He wanted to help the girl. It was clear there was something awful in her past, but he wasn’t sure he could take a chance on someone who had little experience. Plus, Jordan would give him an earful if he hired the girl without running a background check.
As if realizing what the stretch of silence might mean, Ginny lifted her eyes and held Graham’s gaze. “Please. I know you don’t me, and I probably sound a little crazy, but I only have a few dollars left to my name. I need a job, so I can afford a place to stay and food to eat. I may be young and inexperienced, but I’m not stupid, and I’ll work harder than anyone else.”
“And I’ll vouch for her,” Tia said. “If she doesn’t work out or whatever, I’ll cover the costs.”
Ginny turned her eyes on Tia. “Why would you do that for me? You just met me.”
Tia’s soft smile held the weight of her story. A story this woman didn’t know but Graham did. “Because people did it for me once. They helped me out when I didn’t know who I was and when I remembered how awful I had once been.” She turned to Graham and fixed him with a pointed stare. “Because that’s what we do, right, Graham?”
And just like that he knew he was hiring this girl. Tia was right. They had taken a chance on her - well, Jordan had - and it had been one of their best decisions. If Tia saw something in this woman, then Graham wasn’t going to argue with her. She was a pretty good judge of character which is what he would tell Jordan. Hopefully, his brother and co-owner would understand.
“Why don’t you two decide what you’re eating while I get some paperwork for you to fill out?”
Ginny’s eyes widened and glistened with unshed tears. “Really? You’re willing to take a chance on me?”
“It’s what we do,” Graham said as he edged out of the booth. “Just don’t make me regret it.”
She shook her head. “I won’t. I promise.”
Graham wasn’t sure what that was worth, but he did feel there was something about this woman. Something worth taking a chance on.
3
Ginny
Ginny couldn’t believe her luck. Not only had she gotten a job, but Tia had taken her to the local bed and breakfast and introduced her to Cara who owned the place and had offered her a room until she could get out on her own. Ginny couldn’t remember the last time she had met such nice people, and she just worried when her bad luck, as it inevitably did, would return.
The walk to Fire Dreams was a few miles from Cara’s bed and breakfast, and a light sheen of sweat beaded her forehead as she pulled open the door. Hopefully Graham would understand. She looked around for him as she entered the restaurant, but he was nowhere in sight. However, he had to be somewhere because while the restaurant was definitely not busy, there were a few patrons scattered throughout the place.
Suddenly the sound of raised voices came from the kitchen. She shifted her feet, unsure of what to do. Should she wait? Announce her arrival? The sound of her name took the second option off the table.
“I can’t believe you hired her without talking to me. Do you know anything about her?” Ginny didn’t recognize this male voice, but she assumed it was Graham’s brother who co-owned the restaurant.
“I know that Tia believes her, and I do too. Just meet her, Jordan. You’ll see that I’m not wrong about this.” That had to be Graham.
“We’ll see.”
The door to the kitchen flew open and Ginny froze as if her feet were stuck in cement. The man who exited first had brown hair and dark stubble, but it was his fiery eyes that struck Ginny.
“Are you her?” he asked, stopping in front of Ginny.
Behind him, Graham sighed. “Ginny, this is my brother, Detective Jordan Graves. Forgive his rudeness. Evidently, police work is stressful.”
Jordan turned his fierce stare on Graham. “You not consulting your partner is stressful.” When he turned back to Ginny, his eyes had softened a little, but his presence still commanded attention. “It’s nice to meet you, Ginny. I would have preferred to run a background check, but
since Graham and Tia seem taken by you, I’ll trust their judgment.”
“Um, thank you? I promise you that there’s nothing in my past except an abusive ex-boyfriend that I’m trying to get away from.”
Jordan’s eyebrow lifted. “Do we need to worry about him?”
Ginny shook her head. “I honestly don’t know. It depends on how angry he is that I left.”
“Okay, well, I’d like his information so I can do some digging and maybe keep tabs on his movement, so if he does come this way, we can be prepared.”
“Of course, I’ll tell you anything you want to know. His name is Carl Parker, and we lived in Decatur, Indiana.”
Jordan issued a nod, promising to return later if he had any further questions, and Ginny sighed as she was left alone with Graham.
“Is he always that intense?”
Graham chuckled. “He’s a good guy. He just comes across a little scary sometimes. It helps with his job. He’s in the special investigations’ unit, but enough about him. Let’s get you up to speed on working here.”
Ginny kept her focus on Graham as he walked her through the different parts of working in the restaurant. He was going to start her as a hostess, but he also taught her how to clear tables.
“It hasn’t been that busy lately, but some nights it will be. It’s important that you don’t wait for the busboy if you see that he’s busy. Help him out so we can get more people in.”
“Yes, sir.”
Graham chuckled and pushed the center of his glasses. “You don’t need to call me sir. I’m only a handful of years older than you.”
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