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I pulled up to the parking lot. I'd left my Ferrari and taken the jeep I bought myself. Driving the Ferrari was impractical, and I'd started to hate the attention. I scanned the lot and was thoroughly disappointed not to see Shay's car. At the same time, I was relieved. I wasn't sure I was ready to see her or even talk to her. Then there was the distinct possibility that she'd run or tell me to go away when she saw me.
She had visited her grandmother every other day, so there was a fifty-fifty chance I'd shown up on the wrong day. I wondered if there was a visitor's log in the reception area. It seemed likely. I climbed out of the car. Dark clouds had been hovering all morning, and it seemed they'd be dropping rain soon enough. It would be the first storm of the season.
The pathway to the entrance was lined with hanging pots of flowers and a small fountain gurgled just right of the sliding doors. It was a nice facility. I had no doubt it cost Shay a lot of money to keep her grandmother in the home.
A small table with a large ledger sat off to the side of the front lobby. The woman behind the counter height desk lifted her face from her computer. "Can I help you?" she asked.
"I was going to sign the guest book."
"That's fine. Who are you here to see?" she asked, catching me fully off guard.
I walked to the counter. "Well, that's where you could help me out. This is my first visit here."
"Yes, I figured that." The woman took off her glasses, apparently to get a better look at me. "I've never seen you before."
"Right. I'm here for a friend, actually. Her grandmother lives here. My friend's name is Shay Starling."
Her brows arched up at the name. "Right. What did you say your name was?" She stood quickly from her chair.
"Nash Archer. Is something wrong?"
"No, not at all. Just a moment." She scurried into the back office. Seconds later another woman appeared in a gray pencil skirt and a starched white blouse.
"Mr. Archer?" she asked.
"Yes. As I told the other woman, I'm just here looking for a friend—"
"Yes, Shay Starling. Margaret's granddaughter."
"Right. Has she been here recently?"
"Actually, we haven't seen her in two weeks, and we're hoping you might know how we could contact her. I'm afraid she's got an overdue bill. If I don't hear from her by next week, I'll have to call social services to move her grandmother to a state facility."
This was my fault. I'd screwed up Shay's entire life. She'd quit her job and now she was behind on her bills. She'd left my house without a cent, but at least I would be able to pay her some of what I owed. I pulled out my wallet.
"How much is she behind?"
The woman's eyes lit up when she saw my wallet. "Eight thousand. That includes nurse visits, food,—"
"Work up an invoice for a year." I pulled my card out.
My request had silenced both women. "I don't think you understand, Mr. Archer. Eight thousand is the cost for one month. It's a highly regarded facility, and we offer premium care."
"I'm not questioning that. I just need you to write up an invoice. I'd like to pay for a year in advance."
"I see." She cleared her throat, and cast a secretive look at her coworker that was anything but secretive. Minutes later, the woman returned with a bill for a hundred and three thousand dollars. I paid it and had her make me a copy, giving her the original to hand to Shay when she returned. If nothing else, at least I was able to repay her for part of the contract.
32
"I'm at the back table," Jack texted as I walked into the restaurant. It was one of those cheesy restaurants decorated with colorful pots and fake plants. The furniture in the dining room was mismatched and the glasses were plastic, but they served excellent food. It had been a month since the funeral, a month since Shay had walked out of my life.
Jack already had three empty beers in front of him, and it seemed he'd plowed through a basket of tortilla chips. "I thought I'd been stood up. I just asked for some more chips."
I sat down and motioned to the server for a beer. "I was on a phone conference with Maxine and Sheryl. They've got the prototype lab set up and ready to go. So keep those slick, ass hugging bike shorts on hand. We might be taking that ride down the Alta Dena trail soon."
"Sounds good to me. I need a break. Been working too hard these days. Speaking of Alta Dena—have you heard from her?"
It was strange having a her in a conversation, a woman who he didn't even need to call by name. Jack and I had been friends a long time, and there had never been a her. "No word."
"I should have guessed by those droopy jowls of yours."
