“All right, well, what cause are we playing for tonight?” Chase asked as he finished dealing out the cards. None of the guys were hurting for money, so after the first game, it was decided that any money won during the game would be donated to a charity of the group’s choice that evening.
They always picked a new one, wanting to make a small difference to each one. “How about Safe Horizon?” Seth asked, pulling up the charity’s website to show us. It felt fitting to pick that one since the last couple of missions the group had all included survivors of domestic abuse. Agreeing with Seth’s recommendation, I settled in, ready to kick my soldiers’ asses.
It was midnight,and all of my men had finally gone home. Locking the door and grabbing up the rest of the chip bowls, I finished cleaning up the house before making my way toward the bedroom. After stripping out of my clothes, I turned the shower on and stepped inside to wash away the day.
Today had been a great day, playing poker with the guys was exactly what I needed to finish off a rough work week. Matt, being tonight's winner, would be making a hefty donation on Monday to Safe Horizon. Hopefully, the five-thousand-dollar donation would make a difference to those survivors who needed their services.
I crawled into bed, scrolling through my notifications one last time before I closed my eyes for the night. Just as I was about to go to sleep. I noticed an email from Rebekah sitting in my inbox.
Mr. Sinclair,
I would love to come in for an interview and discuss the position. I can be there on Monday at nine a.m. I look forward to working with you in the future.
Rebekah Simpson
After scheduling the interview in my calendar, I shut the lights off and went to sleep.
CHAPTER 4
REBEKAH
With a little dance,I made my way out of the library. I had been going there daily to check to see if anybody had reached out about the applications I’d turned in. So far, only two had responded: Gene’s Diner and Shadow Force Tactical. I was excited about the opportunity to interview with each business.
It was interesting that I’d heard back from the PI company, considering the guys with whom I left my information said they weren’t currently hiring. I wondered why the change of heart, but that was something I could ask at the interview on Monday.
I had the weekend to pick out the perfect outfit and figure out how I wanted to tame my hair into submission. Deciding to grab a small pumpkin spice latte on my way home as a reward for landing the interviews, I stopped at Beans and Things.
“Hi Rebekah!” the barista greeted me as I walked into the coffee shop.
“Hey, Victor! How’s the day been?”
Victor and I had quickly become friends, bonding over our joint love of books and pumpkin spice lattes. I’d spent quite a lot of time in here, just sitting and chatting with him. Victor had lived in Shadow Heights his whole life, staying in the same house that he grew up in.
I didn’t always buy a coffee when I came in, but that didn’t stop him from dropping a cup at my table every time I was here before he clocked out for his fifteen-minute break. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but Victor was becoming my best friend, and I could use that right now since I didn’t know many other people in town.
“Today has been hectic, but survivable.”
“Did a certain hottie come in today for his coffee?” I asked with a wink. Victor had told me about the man he had the hots for during one of our many chats.
“He did! And, get this, he ordered something different from his normal cup of black coffee.”
“No way! Well, don’t hold out on me, spill the beans!”
“Go find our table. I’ll grab your latte and bring it over.”
Nodding, I headed toward the back of the shop and dropped into the bean bags. There was no better spot to sit in the coffee shop, and my Little squealed each time I sat down. I was determined to one day get a bean bag just as big for my house!
“My lady, your pumpkin spice.”
“Thank you, kind sir. Now spill! I want all the details, so don’t even think about leaving anything out.”
Victor took a deep breath before starting to fill me in on his morning run-in with McHottie. “I was scheduled to work the late shift today, so I was worried I wouldn’t get to see him. The universe must have been on my side because not long after my shift started, I heard the bell go off.” I nodded along as he continued his story.
“I turned around, ready to greet whoever came in, and all the words died on my lips as McHottie walked up to the counter. I looked like an idiot, just standing there staring at the man, but who could blame me? That man is a fine piece of pie.”
“Okay, so we gazed at him like normal. Got it.” I giggled at Victor, dodging the napkin ball he threw my way.
“Anyway, finally getting over myself, I told him I would ring up his normal order. Then get this,” he said, leaning in close. “McHottie goes, ‘Can you recommend something for me?’” Victor’s eyes went huge as he whispered that like it was the secret Krabby Patty recipe. “I swear, Bekah, I was flabbergasted. This man has been coming in here for weeks, and he has never once ordered something besides black coffee!”
