Page 18 of Find Me in California

She’s using his mom to goad him to California.

Of course she’d stoop that low. Of course he can’t turn his back now.

He takes a breath.

He puts the phone back to his ear.

“Give me a sec.” He puts Lenore on speaker and searches for flights. He can get a nonstop to Burbank, the only one today, departing in less than three hours. He books the flight as he speaks. “Tell her I’ll be there this afternoon.” He’ll fly in, reserve the first affordable place he can find for her, arrange for someone to move her, and fly home. In and out within twenty-four hours, forty-eight hours tops.

“I’m pleased to hear that. It’s good to know someone is looking out for her interests; otherwise I’d have to get the state involved to find her a guardian.”

He grunts and goes to end the call when her next words stop him. “One more thing. Since it looks like you’re taking over her affairs, you should know that she’s been on suicide watch.”

“Excuse me?”

“A month ago, she walked into traffic. She swears it was an accident, that she was distracted, but we’ve taken precautions. Witnesses report she was quite distraught before it happened.”

Matt digests this news, seeing flashes of his mom.

“Can I let her know you’re coming?” Lenore asks.

Matt blinks away the images. “Yeah ... okay.”

Lenore terminates the call before he can say goodbye.

CHAPTER 9

JULIA

Julia lugs her portable massage table through the halls at Rosemont, rushing to her first appointment. On Saturdays, she’s on-site the entire day, and aside from the half-hour lunch break she allows herself, she’s booked solid through this evening. Her wrists already ache thinking about the eighty-minute deep tissue ahead with Mr. Garrido, a wily curmudgeon of a man with a propensity for dropping his towel with a dramatic “Oopsies.” She’s not looking forward to him flashing his shriveled bits.

As much as her wrists need a day off along with a good Epsom salt soak, she doesn’t see when she’ll have the time today to figure out Mama Rose’s living situation. At least not until late tonight. She needs to find an extra income stream fast or her grandmother will run out of funds within the next six months.

She shouldn’t have gotten sucked into Mama Rose’s diary last night. She was so exhausted she fell asleep on the lumpy couch in the middle of reading an entry when she should have been crunching numbers. Had she not let herself get sidetracked, she might have a better idea this morning on what to do. And she might not feel so stressed about it.

A hand grasps her arm. “Julia.”

She swerves around with an annoyed snap. “What?” The table bangs into the wall, and her eyes bug when she sees Lenore. “Yikes. Sorry.”

“I was calling for you.” Lenore’s startled brows dip below her glasses as she takes in Julia’s load: folded massage table, overflowing canvas bag, the weight of her worries. Everything hangs on her shoulders.

“Sorry,” Julia apologizes again. “My mind was elsewhere.”

“I have something to show you. Come with me,” she says gently instead and takes the canvas bag from Julia’s shoulder.

“I’m late for an appointment.” Mentally, physically, and emotionally drained from working twenty-one days straight without even a half day off, Julia doesn’t want to tarry. Every minute is a minute where money can be earned. She isn’t paid for her time here, but some clients tip her well.

“Who’s your first?” Lenore asks.

“Mr. Garrido.” She rubs the ache the strap left in her shoulder.

“He won’t mind if you miss today. I’ll slip him an extra drink ticket for tonight’s happy hour,” Lenore says with a wink. She turns toward her office, fully expecting Julia to follow, which she does reluctantly.

“Lean your table over there.” Lenore points at the far wall and deposits Julia’s bag on a chair.

Julia hesitates, wondering how long this will take, then unloads the table with a relieved sigh when Lenore presents her with a cup from Avid Coffee. “Is that a black rose latte?”

“Would I get you anything else?”

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