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“I really did,” I tell him earnestly, “I was actually early this morning, so I stopped in and Ms. Smith told me that the café had asked if I could deliver breakfast to Ana… I mean, Mr. and Mrs. Cerelli.”
He chuckles again, shaking his head. “The reason you were late to work was because you were delivering breakfast to the penthouse?”
I nod. That’s exactly what happened. “I’m not in trouble, am I? I did everything Ms. Smith assigned to me…” I take a deep breath, “except I didn’t get the casino bathrooms cleaned again before she sent me home.” I admit, dropping my eyes to the tips of my scuffed white sneakers.
His wide, warm hand cupping my shoulder makes me look up at him again. Our eyes meet and hold. They really are so pretty. Like nothing I’ve ever seen on a man before, such a bright green, with the thickest, darkest lashes. I’d be jealous of them, but I know that my own eyes are fringed with pretty amazing lashes. I bet our babies would have the most beautiful eyes.
Where the heck did that thought come from? I shake my head slightly, trying to remove the idea. What is wrong with me? A good-looking man makes simple conversation with me and now I’m having his babies? The thought is ludicrous! I don’t even know his name! Which makes me wonder…
“How do you know my name?” I just keep blurting out whatever crosses my mind. This is so not my usual behavior. Where is the darn bus? I peer down the block, trying to see if it’s coming yet. I blow out a ragged breath. Thank God it is! I need to get away from this man before I say or do something even more stupid than I already have.
The rumble of the bus and the hiss of brakes stopping in front of us distracts him for a moment, and I jump to my feet.
“This is me.” I say lamely, “It was nice talking to you.” I add with a relieved smile.
“Good night, Ellie.” He says, pushing to his feet and taking a step toward me. I still didn’t get his name.
Lifting one foot up onto the step, I look back at him. I really wish I knew his name. “Good night.” I offer him another smile. This one genuine. I sigh and take another step up, swiping my bus pass through the reader.
“My name’s Blake,” He calls out, just as the doors swish shut behind me.
Blake. It’s a nice name. Taking the first available seat I look out the window. He’s still standing here, watching me. Lifting my hand, I give him a little wave with my fingers as the bus rolls forward with a lurch, but not before I see him wave back.
Dropping my head back onto my seat with a small thunk, I close my eyes. If only he wasn’t friends with the man who ultimately is my boss… or if I wasn’t just a housekeeper. That’s just the way it is I guess, but it was still nice talking to him. Even if I did act like a total dork.
Chapter Seven
Blake
That was interesting. She’s scared of something. Scared of me, I suppose. Of the influence she believes that I may have over her employment. I should have cleared that misconception up as soon as I realized what was going through her pretty head. When she made room for me to sit, I’d hoped that we would have more than just the few minutes until her bus arrived. She looked engrossed in whatever she was reading when I first noticed her sitting there, so she must have been there for a while.
The whiteboard in housekeeping indicated that her shift should have ended at three, so I can’t help but be curious about what she had been doing between then and her catching a bus at six-thirty. What she said about being sent home, even though she hadn’t finished doing everything, made it sound like she had been working the entire time.
Xavier seems to run a tight ship, even though there is room to improve on his out-of-date security system, so I’m having a hard time believing that he wants his staff being held over into other shifts. I’m going to have to ask around a bit. It’s not exactly my business, but… to hell with it. I’m going to make it my business. The idea of that perfect angel of a girl being treated like shit by one manager, and worked ragged by another, sits poorly in my stomach. I’ll be damned if I’m going to see a problem like that and not say or do something about it. For half a minute I think about heading up to the penthouse to talk to Xavier about it but decide it’s not the right time. He’s barely reunited with his wife and they deserve some alone time after being separated for so long. Blowing out a frustrated breath I look down the road in the direction the bus went. I can’t help but wonder what the chances are that I could get to the SUV and catch up to it so I can make sure that she gets home okay. I can still see the lights on the bus in the distance and impulsively flag down a stopped cab before it pulls away from the curb.
“Hey,” I say to the driver, sliding into the back seat, “Can you catch up to the bus that just left?” He meets my eyes in the mirror with a curious look on his face. I shrug a shoulder, shooting for more casual than I’m feeling. “Just want to make sure my date gets home safely.”
I’m not sure if he believes me or not, but he pulls into traffic and catches up with the bus a few blocks later when it makes a stop. When we pull up alongside, I can see her Ellie on her seat reading on her phone with a small smile quirking her full lips. I like seeing her with a real smile on her face. Yesterday her pretty face was pinched and red from crying, and tonight she just looked plain worn out. Neither look is okay in my book. I want to see her relaxed and happy and plan to do whatever is needed to see that it happens sooner, rather than later.
The cabbie follows the bus until we are just on the outskirts of the city. It sto
ps in what looks like a nice enough neighborhood. The houses are older and could use facelifts, but they are all neat and tidy with tiny front yards.
“Stop here for a minute.” I say to the driver when I see Ellie step off the bus, tucking her phone in her sweater pocket as she continues walking up the sidewalk.
He does as I request with a sigh. “You know stalking’s illegal, right man?” He laughs, but it sounds forced. I know following her home was messed up, but I couldn’t shake the compulsion to know that she made it home safely. Even though logically she makes this same bus ride home every day she works.
Ignoring him, I roll down the window and watch as she walks up a narrow concrete path toward a house with lights shining in the windows. The front door opens, silhouetting her against the yellow glow, and the sound of a crying child carries to my ears. Her slim shoulders slump slightly, as if the weight of the world is suddenly on them.
“He’s not feeling any better yet, Mama?” Her voice calls into the house just before the door closes and the porch light goes off leaving the small porch and walkway in shadows.
“She’s home safe,” the driver says sarcastically. “Back to where I picked you up, or you got somewhere else to go?”
“Back is fine.” I mumble, resting back against the seat and putting the window back up. Now I know where she lives, and that she lives with her mom and a child. Lawrence’s words about her having a baby with no father pop into my head. I never thought about kids before, but suddenly the idea is front and foremost in my mind. I like kids… at least I think so.
When the car returns to the front of the casino, I pass the driver the appropriate amount of bills, along with a tip, and step out into the cool night air. It’s pleasant. In Spokane the nights would already be much colder. Since Xavier has asked us to stay and help update security and Travis is already considering relocating permanently, we’ll have the winter to get ready for the more extreme heat that I know summer will bring. Strolling inside, I head for the bar; might as well get a drink before heading up to my room for the night.
Besides, I can’t resist checking to see if that shithead manager is there harassing the female staff again.
