After her shower, she dressed in purple pajama shorts and a matching top. Then she lay in the bed, staring up at the ceiling. She didn’t have much. Beatrice had supplied the bed and five-drawer bureau where she kept the few clothes she brought with her. She’d fled Texas with very little, taking the bus and buying an older model Ford Taurus with cash when she arrived in town.
Maybe she was more tired than she realized, or maybe it was the stress of her predicament, but she soon felt drowsy.
Her eyelids lowered, her mind wandering to the situation she’d gotten herself into. She still didn’t know what to do but was pretty sure she’d made the right decision to leave Houston. She felt safer here, far away from the danger. She stayed under the radar, using only cash and no credit cards. She’d even gotten rid of her phone, and the new one was in her mother’s name. She’d done all that to avoid leaving any type of trail that would make it easy for her to be tracked down.
“Trust no one,” Dennis had told her, and the fear in his eyes and voice had frightened her. “I’m pretty sure they’ve killed before.”
“What have you gotten yourself into?” she’d asked.
“Don’t worry about that. But if I can finish what I started, I’ll be famous.”
“If.”
“Yeah. If,” he’d agreed.
Like she’d promised, Shanice hadn’t said a word, but she was very much afraid, and not being able to tell anyone her secret made her feel alone.
At some point, she’d have to tell someone what she knew. But who could she trust? Dennis had made it sound as if no one in law enforcement could be trusted. At least she’d bought herself time by moving here.
But at some point, she had to figure out what to do next.
5
“Good night!” Shanice waved at Ava as she climbed into her car.
Shortly afterward, she parked outside the supermarket and grabbed a tote bag from the back seat. This was her Saturday night ritual—leave work, pick up groceries for the next few days. She could order out, but that was a splurge reserved for rare occasions. She was way too careful with the money she spent, and eating out added up.
Besides, she wanted to move from Miami and hadn’t been completely honest with Vicente. True, she liked the beaches and the people and the weather, but she couldn’t see herself staying there indefinitely. She’d come here on a whim because she’d visited before. The familiar city seemed like the right place to temporarily escape to, but she longed to settle down somewhere quiet. She still wasn’t sure where she’d go exactly. Maybe Bradenton or one of the smaller towns in Florida, or even out of state.
Shanice browsed the produce, lifting and examining tomatoes, lettuce, and other veggies for the big salad she had planned. She’d make enough for dinner and lunch tomorrow, and any leftover vegetables could be used in a stir-fry with some chicken for tomorrow night’s dinner.
Sauntering over to the fruit, she eyed organic strawberries and smiled at a toddler who waved from a cart. She dismissed the strawberries. They spoiled too fast, and she wouldn’t eat them all in time.
She mentally went through the list of items she came to pick up, laughing at herself as she realized she almost forgot the most important ingredient—the meat.
She went over to the chicken and picked up some skinless chicken breasts. Or maybe a ribeye tonight, she thought, eyeing the options. She picked up one with nice marbling running through the lean.
“Shanice?”
She turned and quietly gasped when she saw Vicente. He still wore his glasses, but he wore basketball shorts that put his thick calves on display, and a gunmetal-gray long-sleeved cotton shirt shoved up to the elbows exposed meaty-looking forearms sprinkled with dark hair. He looked bigger and stronger. He looked like he wrestled bears for a living.
Dang. What did he do in his spare time when he wasn’t crunching numbers? He must work out a lot.
“Hiiii.” Ugh. What was she, a preteen meeting her celebrity crush? She hoped she didn’t sound too eager and cleared her throat. “Hi,” she repeated in a firmer voice. “What are you doing here?” She’d seen him earlier when he came into the store, but she’d been busy with a customer and they didn’t get a chance to chat like last night.
He flashed a gorgeous smile. “I was about to ask you the same thing. I stop here every so often because it’s near my apartment. Do you live nearby?”
“About ten minutes away. Like you, it’s conveniently near where I live, so sometimes I stop by and grab groceries that I need. Tonight I’m having a steak salad.” She held up the package of ribeye and then dropped it into her basket.
“Sounds good. So, you like to cook…?” Eyes scanning the contents of the basket in her hand, he seemed very interested in her culinary skills.
“A little. It’s certainly cheaper than eating out all the time, and convenient. How about you?” She peeked into his hand basket and saw canned goods, jars of spaghetti sauce, and boxes of pasta.
“I love to cook, actually. Plus cooking can be really relaxing.”
She nodded. “I agree. What’s for dinner tonight?” She wanted to keep him around, to continue listening to his sexy, accented voice and stare at his incredible body.
“Tonight I’m keeping it simple. I’ve had ground beef defrosting in the refrigerator since yesterday. I picked up spaghetti sauce and pasta, so I’m having Italian. Although, cooking for one means I’ll be eating spaghetti and meat sauce for the next few days. It’s cheap but plentiful.” He was more relaxed and talkative and smiled a lot.
Shanice laughed. “Well, at least you planned ahead, which makes you much smarter than me, which is why I’m standing here at the steaks.” Her mouth twisted into a rueful expression of regret, prompting a laugh from him.
It was brief, yet the sound touched a place deep in her chest, squeezing as if with an iron fist. What she’d been aching for, what was missing from her life could be standing right before her and she couldn’t make a move because she didn’t know what the future held. She might have to move again tomorrow.
She used to be confident and self-assured, but now she couldn’t trust her own judgment—couldn’t definitely say the sun was shining even when its bright rays lit up the sky. She was that unsure of herself ever since the fiasco with Dennis.
“Is something wrong?” Vicente asked.
Shanice had forgotten he was standing in front of her. His question and expression of frowning concern snapped her out of her morbid thoughts. “No, I’m fine. Got lost in thought for a minute. So, you don’t make your own spaghetti sauce?”
He chuckled. “I can cook, but I like the easy route. Of course, I buy the jarred version and end up cutting up basil, onions, and garlic to flavor it, so I should probably make it from scratch anyway.” He shrugged.
“I’m the same. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”
A pause filled the space between them.
Vicente shifted from one foot to the next. “I…I’ll let you go back to your shopping. I need to pick up a few more things before I go home, but I had to come over and say hello.”
“I’m glad you did, and it was nice to see you.”