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He was in full business mode now, and I answered. “Not very high. I chose this place because I visited it once as a kid. He doesn’t know about it, and I doubt he’ll think to look for me here.”
A nod. “Good, write down the property's address in Louisiana, and I’ll get someone on that.” I did, listening as he continued talking.
“In the meantime, you need to keep your head down and focus on staying safe. I don’t know what kind of bee hive we’ll be kicking here, but it isn’t going to be pretty. Go to the court house in the next town over and see about taking on a different name. That should help in the long run, even if it’s just switching to your mother’s maiden name.”
I didn’t have an attachment to my father’s name, so that was fine. Making a note to do that soon, I asked.
“What do I do until that goes through? I’ll need to get a job here, and that means giving them my current ID. They might run a background check and then…”
He nodded, rubbing his chin in thought. “I can give you a personal recommendation for the local café. It won’t be a glamorous job, but with my backing they probably won’t run a background check. If they have any questions, send them my way, and I’ll field them until your new ID arrives.”
The feeling of having help in this mess lifted a weight off my chest, and I nodded. “Thank you. Is there anything else I should do?”
He shook his head. “No, I’ll take it from here. There are some new apartments that were just built on the far side of town. You should schedule an appointment and snag one.”
I’d already planned on apartment hunting so I hummed a yes, throwing a final goodbye over my shoulder as I walked out. Thoughts filled me to the brim, colliding with one another as I walked back to my truck.
Okay, so first things first, apartments. After that, I would drive to the courthouse and handle the ID. It’d probably take a while to get the paperwork through, so until then I’d just…not show my ID for anything.
Taking a deep breath, I drove toward the new apartments he’d mentioned, the feeling of getting somewhere in this mess soothing.
Thankfully the owner of them was already there, living in one of them, and when I asked to be shown around, he agreed with ease. He was an elderly gentleman with grey hair and kind eyes, his smile genuine as he dug out a key and led me to one of the first-floor apartments.
“These here are two bedrooms and one bathroom. Everything in them is new, and I’d appreciate your help in keeping them looking nice if you do decide to move in. Pets are allowed, but I want to meet them beforehand to be sure they’re friendly.”
Here he paused to give me a stern look. “I won’t have any aggressive animals on my property, you hear? There’ll probably be families in the other apartments, and I don’t want any injuries.”
I nodded. “That’s fine.”
And it was. For one, I was too busy to even think of adopting an animal right now, and for two, I wouldn’t want one that was aggressive.
His face softened again and he smiled. “Good. Now then, here it is.” He gestured outward, and I took in the front area.
It was decently big, with plenty of room for a couch and a television if I wanted one later down the line. The windows let in natural sunlight and the carpet was a light beige color, complimenting the white walls. I could just see the kitchen from here and while it wasn’t as big as I’d like, I could make it work.
When he led me into the bedrooms though, I stopped in surprise. The master room was perfectly sized, and the closet wasgorgeous. There was plenty of room for anything I bought later down the line, and when I peaked into the second bedroom, I knew this was it.
Turning back to him, I smiled. “How much is the rent and deposit?”
He rattled off numbers and I nodded, reaching into my wallet and taking out a check. “I’d like this one.” Writing out the amount, I gave it to him, and he nodded, gesturing toward the front.
“Perfect. Let’s go and get the paperwork handled so you can start moving in.”
I followed, giddy with the relief of having somewhere to call home again. I wasn’t sure if I’d stay after the entire mess with Harvey blew over, but at least now I had somewhere safe to be.
I’d take my blessings where I could get them.
Chapter 3
Lying in my newly bought bed, I sank into the sheets and let the day’s stress roll off me.
Thankfully, the café the sheriff pointed me to hadn’t asked about my ID, and I was due to start next week. It felt weird, starting over like this, but at least it was safer than where I was before.
Rolling onto my side, I stared out the window as the tree branches scraped along the pane. The noise set my nerves on edge, and I rolled to face away again.
I was no stranger to living alone, but this felt different; a new town where I knew no one. I hadn’t had many friends in my previous town, but at least then it’d been familiar.
A thunderous crash nearly sent me out of my skin, and I watched as a lightning bolt split the sky, lighting up the room for a second.
