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The boys? Did she mean their husbands?
“But there’s no food.”
“Baker told us where your recipes were. Miss Nece and I cooked,” Muriella said.
My eyes burned. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
“You’re not on your own anymore,” she said softly.
“Really, you should be scared,” Vivian said. “None of them have a lick of experience in retail. And if my husband’s at the window, I can’t promise any friendly customer service reviews.”
I snorted.
“Drew isnotmanning the register.” Muriella’s eyes widened at Sonya. She shrugged. “It’s no secret he’s a thief.”
What? A thief?
I was aware he’d been in trouble but had no idea what he’d done. He had always been kind to me and worked hard at the shelter.
“I trust him.” All eyes went to me. “Nobody’s perfect. His track record at Paths speaks for itself.” Sonya’s husband volunteered every day. No matter the reason, he did right by the women and kids at the shelter. I knew deep down . . . he was trustworthy.
Sonya popped another chip in her mouth. “Since you’ve got the day off, you can bake us a chocolate cake.”
“Sonya,” Muriella chided.
“She doesn’t mind. Do you?” Sonya looked at me for confirmation.
“Actually, it might help take my mind off things,” I admitted.
“See.” Sonya stuck out her tongue at all of us.
Baker held out her hands for Ella. “Eat.”
Reluctantly, I passed her to my friend and picked at the food in front of me. I tried to eat, but my stomach churned. I set my fork down with disgust.
“What happened last night?” I asked, addressing the elephant in the room.
Vivian propped her elbows on the granite countertop and leaned forward. “Daniel and I traced your cell number. We found you on the sidewalk.”
“Huxley’s out.” My voice was barely above a whisper.
“Daniel’s taken care of it.” I warred with hoping that she meant permanently and berating myself for wishing someone dead.
“Do I want to know how?”
“He’s got people watching his every move.” Steel infused Vivian’s tone. “He didn’t come to the city.”
“He didn’t?”
“We think he’s headed to your old house.”
“If that’s where he’s going, he’s had plenty of time to get there,” I said. Too much time.
“According to Daniel, he’s winding like a snake. Seems to be in no hurry.” Vivian made a noise of frustration.
“He’s a patient man.” I might have never truly known my husband, but there were some things that I did know. He waited until the time was right to get whatever he wanted.
“Daniel wants to talk to you. The more he knows about your ex, the better.” Something about Vivian referring to Huxley as my ex loosened a knot in my chest. She didn’t ask if I was up for that questioning with words, but her expression told me I had an option.
