Vivian shivered, suddenly feeling every soaking inch of the dress thatwas plastered to her body, though the rain had never managed to grow beyond a heavy drizzle. “Yeah, thanks. That’d be grand.”
As soon as they were inside Sadie’s home, she handed Vivian a blanket and pointed toward the bedroom. Vivian obeyed gratefully.
A few minutes later she was stripped down to her step-in and stockings, wrapped in the blanket, and curled in a kitchen chair, clutching a mug of bitter coffee whose warmth was almost painful against her cold hands. Vivian’s dress, along with the two for Hattie Wilson, were draped over the drying rack that hung above the stove, steam rising off them in eager curls.
The apartment was cold everywhere except in front of the stove. In spite of the colorful hooked rug on the floor and several cheerful, cheap prints hanging on the wall, there was a heavy feeling in the room. Sadie herself seemed weighed down, staring at nothing as she dropped into the chair next to Vivian with a quiet sigh, her own mug of coffee in one hand while the other rubbed briefly at the small of her back. A box of matches and a package of cheap cigarettes were already sitting on the table; Vivian shook her head when they were held out to her. The two of them sat, sipping their coffee in silence, for more than five minutes before Vivian cleared her throat.
“Guess I was lucky you were passing by.”
Sadie nodded, brows drawn together as she stared at the cigarette between her fingers. “I hope I’d do the same for any girl I saw being grabbed like that. But especially when it’s George doing the grabbing.”
“George—that’s the chatty, weaselly one?” Vivian asked. “You know him?”
“Chatty.” Sadie snorted. “That’s Bruiser George, all right. Loves to hear himself talk. He and that giant of his have worked around here before. They aren’t nice fellas.”
“Seemed like you scared them off all right.”
“More like they didn’t want to cause a scene. They’re supposed to keep a low profile in their line of work.”
“What line of work is that?” Vivian asked, leaning forward. “They came at me out of nowhere, I don’t even know why.”
Sadie eyed her, brows raised. “Making folks scared, of course. Whoever they’re working for wants you fearful.” She dragged a tin plate across the table toward her and stubbed out the cigarette with a sharp gesture.
The sudden movement made Vivian flinch, her mind too stuck back in that alley for her to relax. Feeling on edge, she started to stand.
“Your dresses aren’t dry yet,” Sadie pointed out.
“Thanks, but I should probably head off anyway. I’d hate for anyone to come home and find me sitting here in nothing but my drawers.”
Sadie shrugged, not looking at Vivian as she pulled another cheap cigarette out of the package. Her fingers trembled a little as she lit it and said, “No one else to come home. It’s just me here.”
Vivian frowned. Even from where she stood, she could clearly see a full set of dishes balanced on the shelf above the stove, women’s shoes in two different sizes by the front door, and a large, ratty pair of men’s slippers by a rocking chair. In the center of the table, a chipped trinket dish held a woman’s brooch and a man’s watch—old, pretty things, the sort that were passed down through families.
Vivian hesitated. “There isn’t… you live alone?”
Sadie nodded. “These days, it’s just me,” she said, looking up in time to catch Vivian’s puzzled glance at the watch. Sadie picked it up, her fingers tightening around it briefly, fiddling with the chain. “My father died a couple months ago.”
The bottom dropped out of Vivian’s stomach. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize…”
“It’s okay,” Sadie said quickly. “I just haven’t quite been able to change things around here. It used to be him and me and my sister. Now…” She dropped the watch back onto the plate with a clatter. “Now it’s just me.”
“I’m so sorry,” Vivian said again. The words felt painfully inadequate, but she couldn’t think of anything else that wouldn’t sound worse. “I didn’t mean…”
“I know,” Sadie said quietly. “It’s why I started going out, nights. It’s too strange being here alone. Too quiet.”
“How’d you find your way to the Nightingale, then?” Vivian asked, taking another sip of coffee to cover her embarrassment. “Danny—he’s the bartender there, I don’t know if you—anyway, he said that was your first time there.”
Sadie shrugged. “People talk.”
“Rough night for your first one out,” Vivian said, blowing out a slow breath, her eyes fastened on her hands as she turned her coffee cup in slow circles. It could have been just a coincidence that Sadie’s first time visiting the Nightingale was also the night Willard Wilson was killed. But after finding Roy getting cozy with Wilson’s widow, she was starting to agree with Honor: coincidences made her uncomfortable. Especially when two bruisers cornered her so soon after running into the handsome Mr. Carlton again, mentioning a boss at Hattie Wilson’s who had recognized her. She watched Sadie out of the corner of her eyes as she continued, “I don’t know if you heard, but that was the night that a guy got shot out back.”
“Yeah, I heard about that,” Sadie said. “And then the cops showed up…” She stubbed out her second cigarette before it was more than halfway gone. “Haven’t been back since, to be honest. Place is a little too hot for me right now.”
“I get that,” Vivian said, nodding even as she continued to watch the other woman. “You got snagged in that police raid, didn’t you? Me too. It was no picnic, though it looked like you got out of there faster than me.”
“I had a friend to help me out,” Sadie said quietly, lighting a third cigarette, though she didn’t even bother to smoke this one, just watched as it slowly burned down, chunks of ash dropping sadly into the dented tin plate. “Shame, really. Nightingale seemed like a nice place.”
“It is,” Vivian said, ducking her chin with embarrassment when she realized how earnest she sounded. She fiddled with the handle of her coffee mug, the crumbs on the table. Anything to keep her restless hands busy. “Feels more like home to me than anyplace I’ve actually lived, even with all the rough stuff going on right now. You should find your way back there someday.”
