Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 67665 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67665 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
“Is it that obvious?”
“Well, you haven’t smiled once,” Ava observed. “Even when Mrs. Mifflin showed us pictures of her grandkids.”
I sighed. “The kids weren’t that cute.”
“They were adorable,” Ava said. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m being evicted,” I said.
“What?” Ava gasped. “But you just moved in.”
“I know! And moving wasn’t free either. I broke my lease at the apartment complex—I can’t just move back into my old place.”
“Why did you get evicted?” Ava wanted to know.
“The guy, Jason.” I paused to make sure she was following.
“The guy from last night?” she guessed.
I nodded. “He wants to buy the cabin.”
Ava’s eyes went wide, and her jaw dropped. “No.”
“Yes.” I nodded in confirmation.
“Well, did you tell him he couldn’t have it?”
“Yes!” I could feel my blood start to rise again. “I told him to find another cabin, and he said he was sorry, or something like that, and that there weren’t other cabins available.”
“Oh.” Ava made a heartbroken noise and draped her arms around my shoulders. “I thought he was too good to be true.”
I sniffed. It was good to have a friend to talk to.
Ava pulled back. “You should talk to a lawyer. Sue the bastard.”
“I was thinking about it,” I said, leaning into the broom handle, “but I don’t know.”
“What?” Ava argued. “There should be something you can do. You paid a deposit and first month’s rent, right?”
I nodded. I had a sinking feeling that I was not the first person to get screwed over by this particular landlord. He probably had an army of lawyers that fought off lawsuits by unhappy tenants. And where was I going to find the money to pay a lawyer? What I really needed was a roof over my head, or by the end of the week, I was going to be homeless.
“I’m going to get lunch,” I said. “Do you want anything?”
“Where are you going?” Ava debated.
“Maybe the taco shop.” There were three lunch choices within walking distance: a diner, a taco shop, and a bagel place. Most of the time I packed my own lunch, but today felt like a treat-yourself day, plus I had been too preoccupied to pack a lunch this morning.
“No, thanks,” Ava said cheerfully. “I’m not feeling tacos today.”
I clocked out and walked down the street to the restaurant. Mundane things kept my mind off my problems, and I waited patiently for the cashier to finish up with her last customer.
“Can I get a soft taco with the works?” I asked. I paid for the goods and accepted the bag, thinking I would sit on the library steps and eat it.
I crossed the street and stopped. There was a jewelry and watch store just a block away from my salon. In the space of time, it had taken me to order my lunch, two police cars had parked outside with their lights flashing. I wondered what was happening. I could see the owner of the store standing out on the sidewalk talking to someone. My heart sank straight into my stomach when I realized that the person who he was talking to was none other than the handsome detective from Nashville.
I seethed. What was he doing here? Of course, he was a cop, and this was a crime scene, but shouldn’t he have the decency to crawl back under whatever rock he had come from? I backed up a few steps and looked around. There was a car parked right beside me, so I leaned against it to get comfortable.
Another officer came out of the jewelry shop, holding a metal briefcase. I decided that he was a fingerprint expert and that there had been a robbery. There was hardly ever any crime on this street, so the whole drama was fascinating. I took out my taco and took a bite, watching as the second policeman got into the driver’s seat of one of the patrol cars.
Jason finished talking to the shop owner and looked directly at me. Our eyes locked. Neither one of us betrayed any emotion. I continued eating my lunch as he began walking toward me.
“Hello,” he said. “I take it you got home alright last night?”
“Yes, like you care.” I was dying to know what was going on.
“Did you see anything this morning around ten?”
“I didn’t get into work until eleven,” I said.
“Did you notice anything out of the ordinary at that time?” he tried again.
“No.”
“Okay.” He inhaled, pulling a business card out of his wallet. “If you think of anything, give me a call.”
I took the card, not even glancing at it. “Are we in danger?” I asked.
“No,” he said quickly. “It was a robbery, but no one was hurt.”
“What was stolen?” I couldn’t help myself.
He grinned, and for a moment I remembered why I had been drawn to him in the first place. “I can’t discuss an open case,” he said.