Page 9 of The Finder

Emma rolled her eyes and moved to get her apron and get back to work. When she came back out, her eyes widened in surprise. The man from yesterday was there, looking no less handsome than he had yesterday. She heard the shop door open, and she glanced that way. She saw the other man from yesterday stand by the door again. She only glanced at him for a second, but it was enough. He was terrifying. Emma looked back at Liam and the man in front of her. Liam was talking, but she hadn’t heard a word he said. She looked at him.

“Right?” he said.

Emma just looked at him blankly. He scowled at her. “Never mind. Emma, this is my boss, Garrett. Garrett, this is Emma.” Emma stared at the huge man in front of her. He had to be the biggest man she had ever seen. He stepped forward and put out his hand, and Emma totally panicked. Her breathing came shallowly but she forced herself to reach out her hand and place it in his large one.

“Nice to meet you,” she said. She slipped her hand in his. She felt the oddest sensation flood her body. She jerked her hand away and looked up at him. His dark eyes were trained on her.What is it with these guys?

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Emma,” he said in a deep voice.

Emma nearly melted on the spot. It wasn’t fair that he looked so goodandhad such an incredible voice. She felt so out of place in front of these men in her stupid cat shirt, leggings, and sneakers. At least the apron was covering the ridiculous shirt. Emma was saved from the awkward situation when Helen came over.

“Garrett, it’s so nice to see you. I rarely see you anymore. You need to show up more often,” she said with fondness.

“Helen, it’s good to see you. I plan on doing just that,” he said and glanced down at Emma. Emma felt her cheeks flush and looked away. Why did she feel that comment was directed at her? That was stupid. He was just being polite to Helen. When she looked up, he was watching her intently.

“What can I get for you?” she asked, forcing a smile to her face.

“Large coffee, black,” he said.

“What kind?” Emma asked. He looked up at the board and then back at her.

“The darker the better,” he said. Emma nodded and rang him up. He handed her a fifty, and Emma went to make change. “Keep the change,” he said. Emma looked up at him in surprise. Then her brain kicked in.He must not want the coins. He just wants the dollars.Some guys were like that. She counted out the forty-six dollars and put it out to him. He looked down at her and frowned. “Keep the change,” he said again. Emma dropped her hand.

“Oh, I thought you meant just the coins,” she said; then felt stupid when he just looked at her. She held the money in her hand, unsure what to do with it. “Helen,” she said, turning to Helen. “Do we have a tip jar or anything?”

Helen turned in surprise to look at her and shook her head. “We’ve never needed one.”

“Now we do,” Emma said with a smile as she lifted up the cash. Emma’s heart was racing. Forty-six dollars split two ways was twenty-three dollars. She could maybe try to find a thrift store on the way home and buy a few shirts and maybe something she could take to work for lunch each day. She tried to keep the excitement off her face but knew she had failed when she turned back around. She felt Garrett’s intense eyes boring into hers, like he was reading her soul. She turned away and held out the money to Helen.

Helen smiled. “That’s great. I know just what we can use that money for. You’ll love it,” she said as she walked away.

Emma’s disappointment hit her hard. She blinked back sudden tears and turned to grab a rag from the sink and wipe down a back counter so no one would see.Stop it,she told herself sternly.It’s fine. I’ll just wait until I get paid. It won’t be much longer.Feeling more composed, Emma put the rag back and turned back to the counter. She was surprised to see Garrett still standing there. When her eyes met his, she was shocked at the anger she saw there. Had she angered him somehow? Knowing she needed to keep him happy as a customer, she walked over to the register. “Can I get something else for you?” she asked.

He leaned in closer, towering over her. “Next time I say keep the change, keep the change,” he said in a low voice. Then he spun around and left the store. Emma stared at the door after him, wondering yet again,What just happened?

The rest of the afternoon sped past. Then it was time for her trip back to the library and her walk to Hope House. She had another lesson with Olivia and enjoyed her time with both Olivia and her mom. After dinner, she went to her room. Her roommate sat on her bed with headphones in as usual. Emma didn’t even bother trying to say anything to her. She decided to throw on her other shirt so she could wash the cat shirt from today. She walked over to her dresser and pulled open the drawer. When she saw it was empty, she just stared into it. After a moment, she slowly closed the drawer. Not wanting her roommate to see her crying, she turned and left the room. She made her way to the shower area and moved inside one of the shower areas, pulling the curtain closed behind her. She sat down on the bench against the wall and allowed herself a moment of weakness. She let the tears fall for just a moment or two before she made herself stop. She would be fine. She would get paid, and then she would get what she needed. She just had to wait it out. And she would have to come up with a plan to hide her stuff. Maybe she would just get a backpack to take back and forth with her to the coffee shop each day. That way her roommate couldn’t steal her stuff.

Emma stood up and walked out of the shower area. She grabbed a towel and took it with her and made her way to the laundry room. She really hoped nobody was in here right now. When she saw it was empty, she quickly started the wash, threw in some of the provided liquid and ducked into a corner to take off everything she was wearing. She was now down to only one pair of underwear, her bra, a pair of socks, black leggings, and the world’s ugliest cat shirt. She toed off her shoes and pulled off her socks. Quickly wrapping herself in a towel, she dropped her clothes into the wash and set it for the smallest fastest cycle. Then she sat down to wait, feeling all kinds of awkward. Thankfully, nobody came in during the washing cycle. However, she wasn’t so lucky during the drying cycle. Several women came in together and did their wash. She heard them laughing and didn’t bother glancing over at them. She knew what she looked like, sitting there only in a towel. She was mortified, but she had no other choice. The second her clothes were finished, she grabbed them from the dryer and fled back to the showers.

She changed back into her clothes and made her way to her room. She climbed into bed silently, set the alarm for four, and lay down. Sleep didn’t come easily for her, even though she knew she had an early morning. She was frustrated, embarrassed, and discouraged. What would Helen think when she saw her wearing the cat shirt for the third time in only a few days? And what would Emma do without any toiletries? No hairbrush, no shampoo, no deodorant, no toothbrush.

Worry kept Emma up most of the night. When her alarm woke her up, Emma felt as if she had never gone to sleep. She rolled out of bed and headed for the showers. She got all the way there when she remembered she had nothing to take a shower with. She stopped behind the counter of sinks for a moment, feeling tired, cranky, and dejected. She noticed the hand soap. Grabbing it, she headed for the shower. After a hot shower and being washed up with hand soap, she felt better than she had before she had taken a shower. She walked over to the counter and looked at herself in the mirror. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to get the tangles out, then piled it in a high bun on top of her head. She looked at herself in the mirror. It was as good as it was going to get.

She dropped her towel in the dirty bin and left for work. Between the shower and the cold walk, she was more than awake when she got to Sip and Drip. If Helen noticed the shirt, she didn’t say anything to her about it. Emma quickly donned an apron and got to work. The morning went fairly quickly, and soon it was time for Emma’s break. She used her time at the library to look up more business ideas.

When she got back to the shop, she was surprised to see Garrett leaning against the wall outside the shop. She took a deep breath and forced herself not to be intimidated. Easier said than done.

Chapter 8

She was surprised to not see Liam with him. When she got closer, she saw that Garrett wasn’t alone actually. The scary-looking guy was leaning against the wall a few shops down. Emma slowed her steps when she got closer to the shop.

Garrett straightened from the wall and turned towards her. She noticed absently that he had something draped over his arm, but her eyes were drawn to his. He stepped into her path before she could reach the door to the shop. “It’s too cold to be walking around without a coat,” he said. He held out a coat to her. Emma just stared at it in silence. She looked back up at Garrett in confusion. “It’s for you,” he said. Emma glanced back at the coat. It was incredibly stylish. It was a plaid print of browns and blacks with a little cream and dark burgundy mixed in with a belt that tied around the waist. The whole thing looked incredibly posh and really expensive.

Emma blinked, still confused. “I can’t...” She took a step back from him. He moved forward with her.

“Take the coat and wear it,” he ordered.

Emma put her chin in the air. She wasn’t sure what his game was, but she wasn’t going to be bossed around. “No,” she said.

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