“Where do you live?” she asks.
I’m surprised this is the first time she’s brought it up. I mentally retrace my steps, trying to make sure I haven’t already given myself away completely.
As much as I want to be honest with her and the people of Penrose Beach, I don’t need anyone drawing attention to the fact that I’m here. At least not yet.
I want freedom for a little longer.
And I want to keep helping the town. It’s the first time in my life that I’ve felt real purpose instead of just duty toward my family.
“New York. I’m from Munich originally, but I work for a company in the city.” I consider saying more but stop myself there.
“Is this the company that sent you out here?” she asks curiously.
I nod. “The very one.”
“What happened? How did they not know things weren’t getting done here?”
I let out a long breath. “The owner thought everything was handled. He’d been given assurances by several people that things were going well and that he wouldn’t have to worry about any of it. Then he got alerted to some issues, and now I’m here.”
The part about the alert didn’t happen until I got here, but it’s a matter of timeline.
“Did you eat already?” she asks, changing the subject.
“I did, thank you. At that Mexican place down the road.”
“Oh, was it Juan’s?” she asks.
“Yeah. It was really good.”
She brightens immediately. “It’s one of the best places I’ve ever been, and I’ve had some really good Mexican food in my life.”
We stand there awkwardly for a few seconds before she gestures vaguely around the room. “Oh, sorry. I should probably let you settle down and relax as much as you can in a place like this.” She spreads her hands and looks up at the unfinished ceiling with a frown.
“I appreciate that,” I say with a grin. “It’s not the most convenient setup, but it’ll do for now.”
Then, as if she suddenly remembers something, her eyes widen. “Wait. Do you have a working toilet?”
I laugh. “Talia took care of that for me this morning. I even grabbed toilet paper and a few snacks from the store.”
She blushes immediately. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know why I brought up bathrooms.”
“Well, that’s pretty much all I need. A place to sleep and somewhere to go to the bathroom.”
“But what about entertainment?”
“I’ll just see what I can find on my phone.”
“Come on,” she says, waving me toward the door. “You can come hang out with us for a little while before bed.”
“You want me to invade your personal space—I mean, your flat? Lila might not come out of her room.” I try to cover up the first part by grinning so she’ll only think about her niece’s opinion of me.
“She’s actually come around to the idea that you might not be a criminal.”
“That’s comforting.” I look around and then back at her, trying to gather my thoughts.
She shrugs. “I’m going to head over, but come if you want to. I mean, it’s not like it’s a date or anything. I just didn’t want you to be completely bored in here.”
She looks a bit flustered before giving me a small smile, then steps backward into the hallway. “Just knock if you want to come over.”
