Page 97 of More Than Nothing
After mopping the restroom floor, she gave the toilet cubicles and basins the most thorough clean they’d had in a long time. Stretching out weary muscles, she washed her hands, stuck her head into the kitchen to tell Delia she was leaving, and grabbed her purse from the staff area. The others would be at the hospital by now. She wondered how things were going and if Milo would make it in time.
Elenie wrapped her arms around her body. Her uniform and zipped hoodie were thin and it was a chilly afternoon. The sky had turned heavy; the promise of rain hung in the air. She would need to get hold of a coat soon. The weather in Pine Springs around fall could change in an instant.
As she passed the door of Archer and Desai Realty Management, Frank’s truck pulled up alongside her, its engine gritty.
Dean pushed open the passenger door and gave her a grin. “Hey, sis. Jump in. Dad’s gotten another job for us.”
Frank’s eyes, dull and impatient, met Elenie’s, and an uneasy shiver ran the length of her spine. As she climbed reluctantly into the Dodge, the first light raindrops splattered on the sidewalk.
Chapter 45
Roman
Roman frowned into his Old Fashioned. It felt as if he’d slipped on an obsolete and uncomfortable persona along with his tux and black tie.
The setting was stunning. The deep blue, red and gold of the Monarch Club’s interior exuded class and luxury; he couldn’t fault it. Even so, he’d give anything to be back in Pine Springs this evening. Either heading to the Rusty Barrel to meet up with his friends or—and he wanted this possibly more than he wanted to take his next breath—relaxing at home, with Elenie in his arms, in his bed. His mouth on hers. His cock deep inside her. Roman suppressed a growl and pushed away from the bar, shifting to reposition himself in his formal pants before anyone noticed.
He cursed himself for not being straight with Elenie. There was no reason at all for keeping this arrangement with Zena from her. Just the simple desire not to taint their limited time together with the manipulations of his ex-fiancée, and the less selfish wish to protect Elenie from any extra stress. She was dealing with enough.
“How are you getting on with those drinks, honey?”
He turned slowly and handed Zena her cocktail. His face was stuck in “fuck this shit” lines, which he didn’t know how towipe away. He’d never mastered the art of appearing invested or interested at functions like this. Roman wondered why everything was easier when Elenie was near him. She made him laugh and relax. Around her, he could be exactly who he felt like inside.
Instead, he was standing somewhere he didn’t want to be, with a date he didn’t respect, talking to people who didn’t interest him, drinking a cocktail he didn’t like. And he was hating every minute of it.
“I don’t think you’ve met Penelope St. John, Mark Levison, and Ryan Pullman from St. John Associates, have you? Our firm assisted them with a buyout. It completed last month.” Zena rested a proprietorial hand on his upper arm. “This is my partner and Pine Springs’ Chief of Police, Roman Martinez.”
Roman nodded, twisted his mouth into a smile, and shook hands around the small group.
“Police chief and lawyer? Not a couple to be messed with, then.” Levison’s grin was friendly, his handshake warm.
“It’s why we don’t have any friends and don’t get asked out much,” Roman replied, his face deliberately straight.
Zena gave him the stink eye. She wore an aqua blue satin evening dress held up with spaghetti straps. Her long hair was twisted and pulled neatly into a pleat at the back of her neck. She looked elegant, delicate, and unattainable, all at the same time. Which was fine with him because he felt no desire whatsoever to put his hands on her.
He’d forgotten how boring this sort of event was. Introducing yourself over and over again, playing the game of “Who has the most impressive job title?” He had no patience for it.
Roman reached into his pocket for his phone, checking for any messages from home. There was nothing new. Just the earlier text he’d had from Milo on his way to the Monarch Club.
Milo:
Cait’s in labor and I’m heading to the hospital. Sorry to leave you without a ride. Give Zena a middle finger from me and wish us luck!
He was excited for them; he really was. There was even a pang of jealousy mixed in there somewhere. But, more than anything, he wanted to be in the car with Milo, heading for Pine Springs and back to Elenie. His need to be with her was far greater than his willpower to get through this evening.
Home. He wanted to go home. And his home wasn’t in Detroit anymore.
Zena’s fingers pulled at his sleeve. “Honey, you’re being rude. Penelope asked you a question.”
Roman slipped his phone into the inside pocket of his jacket and turned to the lady in question. Trying to fix a charming smile on his face, he wondered why the hell she had drawn her eyebrows in so very dark and so very triangular. “I’m sorry. What did I miss?”
“Well, that was my question really.” Penelope gave him a flirty look. “Swapping the city for a small town—there must be a lot to miss. I know I would.”
Zena laughed. “That’s an understatement. Pine Springs is homely but a little backward. A lovely place to decompress for a while as long as you don’t mind drive-in movies being the cutting edge of sophistication.”
He clamped down on a rolling surge of irritation. “Fortunately, I have simple tastes. And it saves me having to get my tux dry-cleaned very often.”
Zena made their excuses and dragged him away. “Like you actually have a dry cleaner in the Ass End of Nowhereville,” shehissed under her breath. “For God’s sake, Roman. Do you have to make it so clear you don’t want to be here? We had a deal.”
