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I grinned a little, encouraging him to lighten up.
He leaned forward, crooking his finger to tell me to go toward him. "There are no dead bodies in the fridge, Jordan, but there is a good reason for you to mind your own business about the room that Micah Lacey stayed in. Don't ask questions about it. Don't try to talk to my grandma about it. It doesn't matter. Just leave it alone."
"Fine," I said, pulling back a little and giving him an offended stare. He smelled amazing, and I shouldn’t have been close enough to tell. "But, just so you know, your attitude about it makes me even more curious."
"It's not even that big of a deal, and you're putting people's safety in danger. So, please."
"Fine," I said. "I wasn't even going to do anything. I'm staying with a lady in this building, and I didn't even ask her one thing about it."
"Who are you staying with in this building?"
"Mrs. Blankenship."
"How do you know her?" His expression seemed concerned. I wasn't sure if it was for me or for her.
"Your grandma introduced us. I got scammed on a room for rent, and I was having a hard time finding a place to stay."
"What'd you get scammed out of?"
"The price of the room."
"How much?"
"First and last month's rent."
"How much?"
"Seventeen-hundred."
"Just go over there and get your money back."
I scoffed. "I can't. No one knows him. He was just over at their house. I have no idea where he is."
"You shouldn't have let that happen. You shouldn’t leave yourself vulnerable to losing that much money to a scam. Where are your parents, or husband, or someone to take care of you?"
I made a face at him again.Who was he to be so bold?I pulled back and stared straight into his eyes with an expression that said I was disappointed with him for being so unlikeable. He was the only person who had been rude to me in Seattle.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Because you're not a very nice person," I said quietly and through a fake smile. "Can I get you a to-go bag?" I asked the question from over my shoulder, but he was already standing.
"No," he said.
Chapter 8
Roughly a week later
I loved Seattle. I loved Jimmy's on 2nd, and I, like Micah Lacey, loved Rita Alexander. I was quite fond of all of her offspring as well. Even the brutish, surly JD Alexander had grown on me. He and I were on good terms now and had engaged in several lengthy conversations which were all cordial and had nothing to do with Micah's room. JD was totally tolerable in the grand scheme of things. Isaac, on the other hand, was amazing, and so was Claire. Big Jim in the kitchen had quickly become like a dad to me. I went straight in there and hugged him every time I came to work, and now he expected it.
I hadn't met Papa Jim. yet. Rita had been in the restaurant a few times since I started work, but her husband stayed at their home in the woods where he tended to their dogs, chickens, koi pond, and massive garden. I had heard all about it in spite of me not asking any questions about Rita or her family.
I knew she owned the building, and I figured JD was valid when he said it was none of my business whether her apartments were secret or not. But the family was open and friendly. I heard their conversations with customers and with me and each other, and there was nothing that seemed secretive. They were sweet and down-to-earth, and that was why people kept coming back to Jimmy's. The food was good as well. The roast beef was amazing. I had eaten half of a sandwich for lunch every day since I had been working there. I was only in my second week at Jimmy's and it already felt like home.
It was Valentine's Day, which happened to fall on a Saturday this year. I was working, and I dressed for the holiday. I wore a pink and red striped shirt, a red scarf tied around my high ponytail. I even lined my eyes with eyeliner and shadow, giving them a darker smoky look, and wore pink lipstick.
I had nothing against Valentine's day, but I wasn't especially fond of it since I didn't have a significant other. I was mainly excited because last night was my first night in my new apartment and I absolutely loved it.
I got up at the crack of dawn because I was so pumped. I spent extra time getting dressed, and I left for work early because I wasn't sure how long it would take me to walk there. I was in such a good mood that I had a spring in my step and I got to Jimmy's quickly. I was supposed to clock in at 11am, but I got to work fifteen minutes early.
