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“I don’t fuckin' know,” I groaned. “She won’t talk to me, no matter how much I try—”
“Good,” Jord interrupted. “Concentrate on the case. Forget about her.”
Forget about her. It was easier said than done.
Chapter Five
LOLA
“Knock, knock!” Jan’s voice vibrated through the door, followed by the actual knocking, and I laughed. Only she would announce herself first and then physically knock.
“Coming!”
I placed my paintbrush into the makeshift tray I’d been using and headed over to the door. Sal had given me two days off with pay to get my new place up to standard—his words, not mine. And he’d been coming over before or after his shifts to help me. So far, we had the bedroom painted and carpet cleaned. Sal hung the blinds while I placed the new sheets and the comforter on the bed. I hadn’t been able to afford much, but the light-gray matching set had been on sale, and I just couldn’t walk away from it.
I’d cleaned the kitchen—you don’t even want to know the things I found in the drawers and cupboards—and Sal cleaned the bathroom. Now all that was left was the living room.
I pulled the door open and flashed a smile at Jan. “Hey.”
Jan waltzed inside, her arms full of bags and fabric. “Good morning to you, too.” She glanced around, frowning at the paint I’d been using to paint one wall. It wasn’t out of fashion that I was only doing one wall a light-gray to match my bedding in the other room, but a lack of funds. I could only afford one can, and I figured it’d work.
“You’re painting already?” she asked.
I closed the door and moved over to her, staring at the wall I’d nearly finished painting the edges of. “Yeah, I had to get up to pee at five and couldn’t get back to sleep after.”
She chuckled, placing all the bags down on the sofa. “You can’t hold your pee in anymore? What are you, seventy?”
I laughed along with her but answered honestly. “I actually can’t. It’s ridiculous. I’m nineteen and have to get up to pee several times in the night. And don’t even get me started on my feet. They’ve been hurting so bad after my shifts.” I ambled back over to the wall and picked up the brush, finishing the last bit of painting.
“Maybe you’re like a backward Benjamin Button? You’re aging far before your time.” Jan sat down on the sofa, pulling things out of the bags. “I’m sure I saw a wrinkle next to your eye just now.”
“What?” My hand automatically moved to my eye, my fingers feeling around. “Oh, hardy har. You’re in the wrong profession, Jan. You should be a comedian, not a waitress.”
“If only.” She sighed. “I was meant to be rich, the world just didn’t get the memo.”
I wiped my hands over the shorts I’d worn to bed last night. “What do you think?”
Jan waved her hand at the empty space of wall inside the rectangle I’d created. “You missed a spot.”
I rolled my eyes and picked up the small roller, dipping it in the paint and pressing it against the off-white wall. “You know you didn’t need to bring anything, right?”
Jan scoffed. “Hon, you’re doing me a favor. All this stuff is just sitting around my apartment gathering dust. If you don’t take it, then it’s going in the trash.”
“Are you sure?” I hated to admit I could use a few things to brighten the place up, but it was the truth, and there was nothing I could do about it—not yet anyway.
“Yep.” I heard Jan move around the room, clanking following in her wake. “Besides, this gets me out of my daughter’s hair.”
I raised a brow. “Your daughter kicked you out of your apartment?”
“In not so many words.” She shook her head and continued to pull things out of the bag. “Apparently I’m too loud, and she can’t concentrate on her homework.” She threw her hands up in the air. “The girl is nine going on ninety.”
I’d met Aria once very briefly, but honestly, I wouldn't have even noticed her had Jan not announced her when they came in for a birthday breakfast to celebrate her turning thirty-two. She was quiet and had her nose stuck in a book, and I couldn’t help wonder if I ha
d been like that at that age.
I chuckled and turned to concentrate on finishing the wall, going as high as I could. Sal would have to get the top bit for me. Once I’d finished, I stood back and stared. It looked good, but I wasn’t sure how it would dry. Only time would tell.
I gathered up my supplies, moving a couple of feet into the kitchen and stumbling. “What the…” Jan had hung a couple of prints on the wall with some generic quotes written on them, and some twinkle lights over the top.
