“How long have you been in the city? Is it just you?” she asks, pressing the button labeled with the number six.
“Just landed today actually, and yeah.” Anxiety unexpectedly pulses through my chest, and I swallow hard.
You’re fine. You’re fine. Take a deep breath. The chance that she’s gathering that information to feed to bad people is incredibly low.
I inhale slowly through my nose, trying not to draw any attention to my discomfort. After a few controlled breaths, I feel a tiny bit of weight lift away.
“Lainey?” Hannah’s voice is timid and soft as I realize I must have zoned out for a moment.
Shit. So much for not drawing attention.
I force a laugh. “Sorry. I’m just beat from the flight and early morning.”As if I don’t have a hard time staying asleep most nights. “What were you saying?”
“Oh, you’re fine. I was just welcoming you to New York and telling you that there’s a cute coffee shop next door if you need a place withrealcoffee.”
I haven’t thought about that, to be honest. But I will need a new coffee shop to call home like I had back in Vegas. Maybe I’ll check it out after getting settled.
“What did you say it was called?” I ask as we reach my floor and the doors open.
We step off the elevator and turn right down the hallway. “The Little Dove. It’s super cute, and they have the most delicious baked goods. We order from them for our breakfast bar every week.”
“Cool. I’ll have to check it out sometime. Thank you,” I murmur as we approach my new apartment.
“Yes, they’re so great. I know you’ll love it!” She pushes the suitcases against the wall and fidgets with the keys in her hand. “There’s a key fob that works for entrance into the building and garage. Your door pin is currently one-one-one-one-one. Don’t worry; we’ll set your new one right now.”
She rapidly types into the pin pad before stepping out of the way. “Go ahead and enter a five-digit pin.”
I hesitate for a second, and a thousand variations run through my mind until I land on one date—Carly’s birth month and date with a zero at the beginning. I enter the five-digit pin.
It beeps happily, and a green light blinks.
“Perfect. You are all set. Here are your keys and your welcome packet.”
I open the door and push my suitcases inside. “Thank you so much, Hannah.”
“Of course. If you ever need anything at all, let me know!” she offers genuinely, and I flash her a smile.
“Have a good day,” I mutter as I step inside my new place, the door automatically swinging shut behind me. “Home sweet home.”
As if Cole can somehow sense that I’m finally alone, my phone rings, and I answer.
“Hello?”
“Hey, I saw you’re at the new apartment. Settling in okay?” There’s an edge to his tone and a slur to his words.
I check the time. It’s only four thirty in the afternoon, and he’s wasted. At least he was sweet enough to track my location and check in.
“Yeah. Cole, are you okay?” I fidget with my necklace.
I wonder if he’s out drinking because of me. This day was probably really hard on him.
He sniffs. “Yeah. I’m fine. I’m glad you got there safely.”
“Me too,” I whisper, unsure of what to say, a frog growing in my throat.
The background is loud, like he’s at a bar. “Yes, please.”
“What?”
