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Whiskey
Iwoke with a start and sat up, looking around wildly. Suddenly, the night's events came back to me, and I stared at the blanket covering me. I reached for my cell phone to see it was dead, and dug around in my bag to find the charging cable. After plugging it in, I powered it up and used the bathroom.
When I rushed back to my phone, I found it was almost eight o’clock. “Oh, damnit! I’m going to be late!” Just as I said that, a text message arrived on my phone from Lydia.
Hi Lilly. Zack told me what happened last night. Take your time coming in today. I am sure you have things to deal with.
I replied to her that I would be in soon, then I dug around inside my bag for clothes to wear to work. They were going to be a little wrinkled, but I didn’t have time to find out where Zack kept his ironing board.
After a quick shower, I pulled my hair back and applied a small amount of makeup. Then I hustled out of the room with my purse and paused at the end of the hallway, scanning the living room area. Man, this place was beautiful. Very masculine with the dark colors, but I liked it. There were photographs on one wall with people and other artwork of oceanscapes in a few other places.
In the kitchen, I found the note on the counter and felt my heart flutter slightly as I read it and collected the keys and a key fob for the elevator. I glanced around, noting how nice it looked, and then I was out the door. I found my way to the garage and was heading toward his car when a man stepped out of a door off to the side.
“Good morning, Lillian,” he said brightly.
I slowed my steps, suspicious of the tall man carrying a large cooler. “Hello.”
“I’m Ted. I’m one of the night security guards. I’m just getting off work. Zack told me that you’d be staying with him. If you need anything, you let one of us know. You can reach us anytime by dialing six on the house phone or the keypad by the door.”
I immediately felt relief as he spoke. “Oh, that’s wonderful to know. Thank you so much, Ted.”
“You are quite welcome.” He continued past me, and I hurried to Zack’s car and slipped behind the wheel. It took me a minute to adjust things, but I was quickly on my way and hoped the gate worked the same way going out as it did going in.
I was a little confused about how to get to work, but eventually, I figured it out from this direction. The hard part was going to be finding his building again after work. I’d have to ask Lydia what his address was so I could use the GPS in the car.
At the office, I stored my purse and hustled to Lydia’s office to find her just hanging up the phone. “I didn’t expect you so soon. Don’t you need to deal with your insurance company?”
I winced. “No, actually, I hadn’t gotten insurance yet. I was waiting until I had a paycheck first.”
“Ah, yeah, I guess that would make sense. It’s too bad whoever did this didn’t wait until you had that.”
“I know.” I sighed and took a seat across from her. “I’m so sorry that I’m late.”
“Don’t worry about it, Lilly. When Zack told me what happened, I was glad he was there to help.”
“Yes, me too.”
She cocked her head. “How did he get there, by the way? Did you call him?”
“Um,” I had briefly wondered that, but hadn’t had time to dwell much on it. “I’m not sure. He sent me a text message to ask me something, and I was distracted because the police were there. A few minutes later, he walked in the door. I was still reeling from what had happened and didn’t think much about it.”
“Well, however he did it, I’m glad he was there.”
“Yes, me too.”
She paused. “Be careful with him, okay?”
“I’m not sure what you mean, Lydia.”
“I am not blind, Lilly. I can see the way he looks at you and you, him. You both try to hide it, but not very well. I have known Zack for a long time and know when he is interested in someone.”
“And I have told him that we need to remain friends.”
“He might try to change your mind.”
“He can try, but I know better than to get involved with someone I work with, especially the owner. I’m not stupid. I like this job, and I want to stay here.”
“You’re a smart person, Lilly. I trust you to make the best decision, but I want you to know something about Zack.”
