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“Yep.”
“What’s her story?”
“Sad and tragic and unknown to me,” Maria replied almost disinterestedly.
Chris offered her a lazy grin. “Well, if you don’t know it, how do you know it’s sad and tragic?”
“Aren’t they all?” Maria said, somewhat sarcastically, but with a slight sympathetic edge. “It’s her first day. Can’t vouch for her one way or the other. Just come in from Denver on the bus line. Spent the night over at the Rainbow Motel.”
Chris grunted. “Shit hole.”
“But cheap,” Maria added. “I figure you having that rental house right next door to your own, could keep an eye on her in case she’s trouble. She’s got trouble. Don’t mean she is trouble. No way for me to know just yet.”
Chris frowned. “What kind of trouble?”
“Man trouble. Of the physical variety.”
Chris’ jaw flexed. Maria knew that he had a low tolerance for bullshit and an even lower tolerance for men who put their hands on women. Especially tiny wisps of females like that.
“Says her name’s Hayley,” Maria declared, racking some bottles.
“Guess that means that’s not her name.”
“Doubtful. But she’ll answer to it, nonetheless, and I’m paying her cash so that’s all I can call her.”
Chris’ frowned deepened. “Jesus, Maria. This girl could be anyone.”
Maria shrugged and headed off to the office with Chris close on her heels. “Girls come and go. Especially round here. She starts trouble, she’s gone. But I’m hard up for someone who’ll work days for shit money. If I pull Miranda or Denise off nights, they’re likely to set the place on fire in protest and I just have too many headaches right this minute. I have a job, she needs a job. Simple as that.
“Speaking of shit money,” Maria continued. “I don’t know how much she’d be able to pay you. If she works out, I’ll put her on nights in a few weeks, but if she’s staying at the Rainbow, I’d say she’s not got much.” Maria nodded to the duffel on the floor in the corner. “That’s hers. Reckon it’s all she owns, seeing as how she came in on the bus. Didn’t want to leave it at the motel in case it got swiped.”
Chris eyed the bag.
“Your place is furnished, which she’s gonna need,” Maria reminded him. “Up to you to work out whether or not you’ll take her on and how much you want for rent if you do. None of my business. She doesn’t have any I.D. though, least ways none that she’ll produce.”
“You want to end up dead in your office, Maria?” Chris chastised.
Maria snorted. “I could pound that little twig into the ground if I had a mind to. And I’ll remind you that somebody already did. She didn’t flinch when I mentioned a drug test and for what it’s worth I believe her that she could pass it. I’ve hired enough users over the years to spot one right off. I did call her boss in Denver. Knows her as Crystal.” Chris shook his head and rolled his eyes at Maria. “Says that’s her middle name,” Maria countered, grinning.
“Damn it, Maria.”
“Don’t look at me like that,” Maria snapped. “You hired that skinny kid a while back.”
Chris scowled. He had hired a lanky kid who’d had to walk a dirtbike to Burnout for some parts. He’d gotten the bike in trade and whatever the kid had traded for it, he’d gotten the worse end of the deal. The bike was a piece of crap and worse yet, the kid could barely afford a spark plug. Chris put the plug in one hand and a broom in the other. Emilio had turned out to be his name and a good investment, to boot. He was a fast learner, didn’t mind working for shit pay plus dirtbike parts, and one day he’d make halfway decent mechanic. But just because Chris had gotten lucky didn’t mean Maria would. In fact she’d gotten screwed hiring lowlifes more often than it ever worked out for her.
“Anyway,” Maria continued. “Her boss vouches for her. She worked for him for almost five months. Never late, no drama, kept her head down. He never mentioned a boyfriend and therefore I didn’t ask.”
“In case it was him.”
Maria shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. It’s not like he’s gonna admit to beating on her if he did. But he didn’t seem overly interested in her or her whereabouts so my guess is, he was just her boss. I’m not running some kind of halfway house here, Shooter. Amanda took off, left me high and dry. The girl wants to work and if she’s laying low from her old man it’s none of my nevermind. She’s not your responsibility other than as your tenant. If you take her on. Her job here’s got nothing to do with you. But I don’t know too many people that have a place for rent within walking distance. She doesn’t work out, we both get burned. But I need a waitress and you need a renter.”
