Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 49968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
I couldn’t resist teasing her. “What makes you think I had anything to do with it?”
She rolled her eyes and tossed her head. It was sexy the way her hair clung to her head, and the black eyeliner she wore emphasized the movement of her eyes. “As if anyone else would. You got me in there. It only makes sense, but I told you I don’t take charity.”
Luckily, I was prepared.
“Yes, I paid first and last.” I held up my hand before she could rain hellfire on me. “On behalf of the casino. There will be withdrawals coming off your check to repay the loan. Small enough it won’t put you in a bad position financially.”
She didn’t believe me. She pursed her lips, and her foot began swinging again. I imagined she was mentally picturing kicking my balls.
I picked up the phone and pressed an extension.
“Accounting. Eleanor here,” a female voice answered.
“Eleanor, it’s Mr. Ricci. The matter I spoke to you about the other day. Has it been set in place?”
“The wage adjustment to repay the loan for”—there was some shuffling of papers—“Violet Nelson? Yes, sir. Taken care of.”
“Thank you.”
I hung up and met her eyes. They were lovely—even angry and frustrated. Her emotions brought a rosy hue to her cheeks, which suited her.
“This seems unorthodox.”
I shrugged, secretly loving her spirit but determined to win this. “We are not your usual employers, I agree. We take care of our people.” Then, just to anger her further, I added more fuel to the fire. “Your furniture will be there when you get home from work this evening. I added a chair.”
She blew out a breath, and I was sure she wanted to say something, but she stood. “Thank you, Mr. Ricci. I appreciate the kindness. You are very generous.”
She paused at the door. “And you aren’t the only one watching…Aldo. I have eyes too.” She smiled. “Enjoy your sandwich.”
And she left.
I sat back, once again amused by her lack of filter and feistiness.
I wondered what would happen if she found out there was no loan to be repaid. I had arranged with Eleanor to take extra tax off her checks but list it as a separate line with an odd code. Violet would actually get that money back when she did her taxes. I assumed by the time that happened, she would have left the deli and gone on to a better, more long-term job and wouldn’t think twice about it.
No doubt forgotten about me as well.
I dropped my sandwich, no longer hungry.
VI
It was well past two when I got back to my apartment. I was tired. It had been a busy night. I stopped for a moment, confused, then recalled that Aldo said he’d had furniture delivered here.
I ran my hand over the tall dresser, checked out the light and was pleased with the chair he had sent. It was a wingback and, as everything in the hotel was, the colors of the Falls. White, gray, blue, turquoise—everywhere you looked, you saw the ever-changing water. The chair was gray and blue, in almost new condition, and the perfect spot to read or watch TV. Not that I had one.
Exhausted, I got ready and lay on the sofa, falling asleep quickly. In the morning, I made coffee and spent some time moving things around until I was satisfied. I had been to the salvage place a few times and had the essentials now. A coffeemaker, a couple of pans, a cookie sheet, and my own bedding. The dollar store provided lots of the little things. Plates, cups, glasses, utensils, and other sundries. I only bought two of most things, since I highly doubted I would be throwing dinner parties, but it was nice to have a spare plate. I had taken some rolled posters from advertisements they changed all the time at the deli that Wanda said I could have. I hung them on the walls so the place didn’t seem so bare. The pictures were views of the Falls, and they looked bright and pretty. I didn’t want to do much since I had no idea how long I would be staying, but as I looked around, I felt good. It was small, but it was mine.
I pried up the loose floorboard and pulled out the flat box I had brought home from the casino. I counted my tip money, shocked. Some nights, I pulled in over three hundred dollars in cash. Most nights, it was at least two hundred. And I saw the total of tip money that would be added to my next check from credit card sales. My first priority had been to pay the first and last month’s rent, but it seemed that had happened already.
I stared at the money, bundling it back into the box and hiding it back under the loose floorboard. The new wingback chair sat over it, so you didn’t notice it.