I’d go buy her a hundred more cupcakes and have them delivered to her house daily if I never had to see that expression again.
“You shouldn’t be here working.”
Not as effective as cupcake deliveries, but her sadness wiped away immediately.
“I don’t have the luxury of not. Besides, I can sit, and customers don’t care if I’m beaten.”
My lip curled before I could school my expression.
She turned away and headed back to her seat, dismissing me again.
Hours later, her shift had been surprisingly and depressingly slow with absolutely no issues except for a couple drunken middle-aged guys commenting on her face.
My stomach was unsettled from all the coffee I drank to stay awake and while I didn’t cave on the pie, I ordered an omelet at three o’clock in the morning trying to wake myself back up.
She didn’t speak to me again until I asked for a menu and after she delivered my food, she went back to her side of the counter.
I was pretty certain I was screwing everything up and making her hate me little by little.
I’d have to adjust my strategy once I had some sleep.
14
Lilly
Pain seared the left side of my body as I rolled to the edge of the bed, waking up with the sun much higher in the bright blue sky than I was used to.
“Shit.” It was two o’clock. I was always up by noon on Fridays to give myself plenty of time to study, get caught up on laundry, and prepare for the busier weekend shifts at Judith’s.
Now I was two hours behind and still had to research the job listings I took with me when I left David’s office.
As frustrated as I’d been with Hudson and his bossiness and surly attitude during the meeting yesterday, I’d come back to my apartment wearing a tentative smile.
This could actually work.
Me. The exiled daughter of an Illinois state judge turned ex-con working as an assistant to the lead designer in community improvement projects for the less fortunate.
My largest obstacle was Hudson.
My attraction to him grew every time he was near me, as if his mere presence somehow had a direct line to parts of me I had once figured would never be touched again. I hid it behind my irritation and scowls, but something told me Hudson liked those parts of me, too. They seemed to amuse him. I hadn’t genuinely amused anyone in so long I liked seeing him smile when I got pissed off.
Perhaps my jaw ached from clamping my mouth shut for so long. It was probably why my shoulders felt like they’d been squeezed in a vise for eight hours.
Being around Hudson made me tense. I didn’t have time to sit around and wax poetic about a man who was doing me a favor. Crushing on Hudson would lead to trouble and disappointment and I’d had enough of that in my life already.
My side screamed for relief and a heating pad as I pressed my hand to it and headed toward the bathroom.
In the shower, my side loosened enough that it didn’t want to make me collapse to the musty and moldy shower floor I couldn’t clean despite my overflowing heavy duty cleaners I purchased. After I showered, I tossed my hair up and out of my face and dressed in simple running clothes thanks to the Walmart clearance racks. I was sliding into my knock-off brand running shoes that were already disintegrating when a manila envelope beneath my door snagged my attention.
“The heck?”
I crouched down and grabbed it, taking in my name and address typed on the label and recognizing the name on the return label.
But it had no postage stamp.
My fingers burned. What in the hell was Hudson doing now? And worse… how long had he known where I lived?
I peeled out the thick stack of papers and that burning in my fingertips became so strong it was a wonder the paper didn’t singe to ash in my hands.
“What in the fucking hell?”
Notice of Final Eviction.
Immediate vacancy required.
The thick stack of papers shook in my hands and words blurred together. Behind the initial letter, complete with Valor Holdings contact information, was a refusal to renew the lease.
I was being kicked out of my home, such as it was, because Hudson was leveling my building and those around it to the ground.
How in the hell had I not known?
And why in the hell had they not told me?
More…. How in the fuck was I supposed to trust them now?
With fury fueling me, I shoved the papers back into the envelope and grabbed my keys and small purse. I waited at the bus stop, pacing back and forth, but every quickened step sent a bright burst of pain to my side so I stopped and impatiently tapped my foot until the bus showed.
The tapping didn’t stop once I boarded and took a seat. My feet moved in the same rhythm as the bus driver’s, as if me pushing down an imaginary pedal would get us there faster. All the while, my blood burned brighter than the sun as it rushed through my veins. I groaned when we caught a red light and every time the bus came to a stop sign, I squeezed my eyes closed.
Pedestrians? Who gave a crap?
I had an enemy who presented himself in sheep’s clothing to fry to dust.
Less than twenty-four hours ago, I entered this same building with questions and sprouting hope.
Today it was rage that spurred me through the doors without yesterday’s hesitation and prickling nerves straight to the desk where Cori, the same woman as yesterday, widened her eyes so large it didn’t register I was stretching the allowance of their Friday casual dress code to extremes. Behind her, the security guard went on alert as I slapped down the envelope stamped with my name.
“I need to see David or Hudson Valentine. Immediately.”
“Miss—”
“Lilly Huntington. I was here yesterday. There were conversations we left unfinished.”
Like the fact they were evicting me.
My pulse raced and thunder roared in my ears as she glanced at me. With uncertainty making her moves slow, she reached for the phone and dialed three buttons. “Mr. Valentine. A Miss Lilly is here to see you, but—”
Her mouth closed and her eyes stayed on me before drifting to my sweatshirt and leggings that was far from appropriate for even a casual dress code.
“Yes, sir.”
“You may go—”
I turned, causing my rubber shoes to squeak on polished tile. I didn’t bother waiting for the Visitor’s Pass. I knew my way and she didn’t waste her breath. I was going anyway but not having to take down a mammoth security guard made it easier.
Screw my parole. If I didn’t have a home, I had nowhere but prison to go anyway.
As soon as the elevator opened, I stormed out, intent on hunting down David and Hudson, and instead came to an abrupt stop. They were both standing by Stephanie’s desk, smiling and laughing.
And I was pretty certain, in that moment, my brain exploded from the heated fury of the entire situation.
“How fucking dare you?” I all but screamed.
Their smiles and laughs came to a cold stop, and Stephanie’s mouth fell open. I paid no attention to her and threw the envelope at their feet. It landed on Hudson’s shoe.
“Lilly—” Mr. Valentine said, stepping forward like I was a feral animal.
Who could blame him? I certainly felt like one.
“Did you know?”
“Know what?”