Page 13 of Minor Trouble
Marlena cut me off. “Then I’d better get the gin rather than the tea.”
I laughed. “Thank you, but tea would be fine. I’ve got a lot of work to do this evening if I want a bed to sleep in.”
The landlord tapped me on the arm. “Don’t you worry, dear, I might have had a word with the maintenance guy to get a few things sorted for you. Let’s go and see.”
An unexpected rush of gratitude flooded through me. After the day I’d had, to hear there was one less job to do made all the difference. Perhaps I would take her up on the gin after all. The two of us went upstairs to my apartment. Marlena unlocked the front door, and we went inside.
I gasped. “When you said you’d sorted a few things…”
Boxes had been stacked neatly around the edge of the room, leaving space for the sofa to be unobstructed in the center of the open-plan living room and kitchen area. It faced a TV screen set into the wall, with a small coffee table in front. A vase of fresh flowers sat on the kitchen counter, next to a basket of food, and I swear I could smell freshly baked bread.
Marlena smiled. “You were up against it. I knew you’d struggle today with everything being so last minute. All I did was help.”
I resisted the urge to throw my arms around her, after all I’d only properly met her about three minutes ago. Curious, I went into the larger of the two bedrooms. The bed had been made with my favorite vintage-style flowered set. Boxes had again been lined up against the walls, making it easy for me to sort through them. I turned to Marlena.
“You are an angel.”
She shrugged, a sheepish smile creeping across her lips. “I promised your Mamma I’d take good care of you.”
My brows knotted together. “Mom? When did you talk to her?”
“She called me last night, and we had a good long chat.”
I shook my head, a lump forming in my throat and tears pooling in my eyes, almost not believing what I was hearing. When I’d told Mom I was leaving, she’d been devastated. Since it had been the two of us for such a long time—my Dad had passed when I was only a baby—and me leaving had left a massive hole in her life. But I knew I couldn’t stay there and still carve out an enjoyable life. Moving to Cali Cross was what I needed, and she wouldn’t deny me that.
“Looks like I’ve gained another Mom then.”
“You bet you have. If you need anything, anything at all, then I’m only downstairs. Tea, gin, advice about boys.” Marlena winked. “I’ll leave you alone to get yourself sorted.” And with another grin, she disappeared.
I stood in the center of the bedroom, surveying my new surroundings. If I’d thought that moving to Cali Cross would be hard, I already had a support network around me to make sure I didn’t fail. And for me, failure wasn’t an option.
The following morning, shortly before 7:30, I stood outside my apartment block waiting for Lyla. After Marlena’s intervention the previous evening, I’d only had to spend about an hour sorting out the essentials I needed—the rest could wait until the weekend. By the time I’d finished, my delivery from Gino’s Pizza had arrived, and I discovered my most favorite thing about Cali Cross so far: their vegetarian supreme pizza. I was glad I’d ordered a large, so I had some leftover for my lunch today.
While I waited, I thought I spotted a Riley’s Garage truck go by. That reminded me: I should check whether my car was ready. Seth Hudson hadn’t called me back yesterday afternoon with an update like he’d promised. I huffed out a breath. Things like that bugged me. How difficult is it to make one quick call to say how long the work on the car would take? Then I remembered him and Noah coming in. He’d probably been preoccupied with other tasks, so I should give him the benefit of the doubt. My mind so focused on all things Seth, I didn’t notice the car pull up beside me until someone tooted the horn.
“Come on, Ainsley, get a move on! I promised Principal Collins I’d be on time this morning,” Lyla yelled from the window.
“Sorry, I was miles away.” I jumped into the passenger seat and dumped my bag at my feet. Before I’d had a chance to fasten the seat belt, Lyla was already speeding off.
“How was your first night in Cali Cross?” she asked, not taking her eyes from the road. “Did you get much unpacking done?”
Given moving and starting a new job ranked high in the activities which elicited the most stress, I’d slept surprisingly well and felt rested by the time I’d gotten out of bed. How much of that was to do with Marlena’s organization, I couldn’t be sure.
“Yeah, some. But my new landlord is awesome. She’d already sorted out some stuff for me, and I had the best night’s sleep.”
“Sweet dreams of a certain mechanic?” Lyla gave me the side eye, her mouth twitching. “After all, you spent a lot of time with him yesterday.”
“Even if I did, I’ve only just arrived in town. I’m not looking for a boyfriend.”
“But someone who needs some help with his son who’s easy on the eye wouldn’t be so bad…”
I shook Lyla’s insinuation away. Of course I would help with Noah—it was my job after all. And she was right about Seth being attractive. But one day in a new town wasn’t about to make me drop my panties for anyone—no matter how hot he was.
Noah waited outside my office, slouched against the wall, his long, dirty blond fringe falling across his forehead. I wondered if Seth had looked similar at the same age.
Shit, what had I promised myself?
“Morning, Noah, how are you?” I gave him a broad smile and unlocked my office door. “Are you here to collect your schedule?”
