Page 9 of Skin Deep

Chapter3

Harrison

Home Run was a small store that sold baseball memorabilia and coffee. It was set up almost like a little coffee shop, with tables in the middle of the room, a few televisions lining the walls, and a caffeine bar behind the counter. It was old school with average machines and condiments that had recognizable labels on them. It was the hangout for over-50s who still liked to read newspapers and enjoy conversation with like-minded individuals.

Kee had gotten Mari the job, and I liked that she worked there. Most of the men were regulars, and they looked out for the staff, especially at night. Caspar had decided to try out a new schedule—open twenty-four seven.

Mari was working late. She had told me she requested to work all the nightshifts. I think it had to do with the rat problem in her building. They mostly came out at night. She had to be afraid to fall asleep hard, in case one of them tried to climb into bed with her. She kept a fly swatter under her pillow.

I shivered, and Newman seemed to mimic my movement.

When I walked in, her back was turned, making a cup of coffee. There were about ten guys, men I’d seen before, sitting around, playing cards.

Newman let out a loud screech. The men stopped what they were doing, all eyes turning to us. I lifted a hand and they lifted back. They didn’t go back to the game, though. They waited for Mari to turn around and smile at me first.

I’d been in love with Mariposa Flores for years. My entire world revolved around her, loving her in secret, in hopes that one day the reward would be worth all the sacrifices. She’d love me, too. But like the butterfly, I knew if I moved too fast, she’d fly away. She was skittish in the worst way, and it made doing nice things for her difficult.

I lowered the hood of the jacket. Newman screeched again and took off, going straight for Mari. He landed on her shoulder and started messing with her hair, trying to pull it out of the bun.

She started laughing. “Newman!”

“Beautiful.” He whistled. “Queen.”

“You flirt,” she said, setting down the coffee at the table.

The guy looked in it. “Feather free,” he said.

She smiled. “Newman is more man than bird. You’re good.” She looked at me. “What are you doing here?”

I stuck my hands in my pockets and shrugged. “Kee told me you were working later than usual. I was taking Newman for a walk and thought I’d walk you home.”

She looked up at the clock on the wall, like she’d forgotten the time. Her face fell, but then she hardened her features. “Yeah,” she said. “Sounds good. I’m just waiting for Manny to take over my shift.”

When Manny walked in five minutes later, Newman called him an asshole as Mari slipped on her old sweatshirt, and we left.

Mari stuck her hands in her pockets and nodded to my shoulder, where Newman was perched again under the hoodie. “Where’s Lach?”

“Lach,” Newman parroted.

“In Boston,” I said. “He found some work there for a while.”

“Maybe a change of scenery will do him some good,” she said, blowing out a breath of cold smoke.

“We’ll see.” I cleared my throat. “You hungry?”

She shrugged. “A little.”

She was lying, but it didn’t matter. “I’m starving,” I said. “Let’s grab a piece of pizza from Mamma’s before we go home.”

I held my breath, never knowing if she’d agree or not. If she didn’t have the money, I couldn’t offer to pay, because there was no way she’d accept it. She’d go home and eat a bowl of cereal to hold her over. She’d probably only use a little milk so she wouldn’t run out. There were times I’d fill her milk with another so she’d think she had more than she did. I tried to do it before it got too low, so it wasn’t all that noticeable.

She was quiet for a minute or two. “Yeah,” she said finally. “Okay. That sounds good.”

Mamma’s was cheap, but they had the best pizza in all of New York. It was run by an Italian family, and they prided themselves on cleanliness as much as they did their homemade sauce. In my opinion, it deserved a Michelin star rating. It was the best of both worlds.

I held the door open for Mari when we got there. She went in ahead of me, and after she breathed in, a look of pure bliss fell over her features. She licked her lips when her eyes fell on a couple in the corner, sharing a huge pizza.

“I love the way it smells in here,” she said, inhaling again. Then she took a seat at a table close to the window.

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