Page 5 of His Forever

Marleigh sighed before taking the money and putting it in her pocket. She knew she had enough money to live on for a while, but it wouldn’t hurt to start saving and she would need to go to the grocery store once Paulie and Gray got her stuff to her.

“Thank you. I won’t say no, especially since I’m starting all over and I have no clue how much it’s going to take to fix my car. Zeus said he would call but I’ve been busy and haven’t checked my phone.”

“Ah, si, he called the shop when he couldn’t reach you. He wanted to know when your cousin would be there so he could assist.”

She pulled out her phone and saw several missed calls from Zeus and then a text asking about when Paulie would arrive so he could be there to help. She called Paulie and got his rough ETA and then texted that back to Zeus. Glancing up, she saw María-Luisa had a hint of a smile on her face but said nothing.

As they headed out of the salon, she said, “María-Luisa, do you have a room for facials? I have my license for those as well, and if you do, I can do up a promotional flyer showing different packages. I do microcurrent and microdermabrasion facials, but can also do facials for sensitive skin, as well as for folks who are prone to acne.”

“Si, there is another room that we can change over to handle facials. Are you sure? You might find yourself busier than you want to be.”

“That’s the beauty of appointments, right?”

María-Luisa laughed. “Si. Now, how about we go get some lunch? I am in the mood for tamales.”

“Sounds good to me, lead the way!”

***

Over lunch, they discussed pricing for the facials with María-Luisa saying she was undercharging. They finally agreed on a starter price for the first two treatments, which was usually all it took to hook folks into rebooking. Even though the next day was Sunday, they were going to remodel the other room and get it set up so she could start setting appointments.

“Thank you, Marleigh.”

“For what? I should be thanking you.”

“You’ve not been here a full day and already I can see how you will be beneficial to the salon. The girls all like you, the folks you worked on today think you’re wonderful, and I believe you’ll be good for Zeus.”

Good for Zeus? What the ever-loving-hell?“How will I be good for Zeus?”

“My son takes life too seriously sometimes. I think with you here, that is about to change,” the older woman said. When pressed further, she wouldn’t say more, just that her prayers were being answered.

***

Arriving back at her apartment, she changed and took care of the cats then grabbed her laptop to create a flyer based on what she and María-Luisa had discussed. Lost in the creative process, she didn’t hear the knock on her door and almost jumped out of her skin when her phone rang. Seeing it was Paulie, she swiped across and said, “Hey you, how’s the trip going?”

“Uh, chica, standing outside your door. Didn’t you hear me knocking?”

She started laughing as she saved what she was working on before she closed the laptop then got up off the floor to go open the door. Hanging up, she said to his face, “Sorry, Paulie, was working on a flyer.”

He pulled her in for a hug as he and Gray walked into the apartment. “Nice digs, chica. Especially like how the porch is more deck-sized. Have you tried out the swing yet?”

“Thank you. No, I haven’t, it was late when we got here last night and then I worked today! Truly a wild set of coincidences that caused me to end up here. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” she said as she grabbed the cats and put them in the bathroom along with their litter box and some food and water. With the door opened, she didn’t want to take any chances that they would get out.

“Okay, let’s get this show on the road,” Paulie said. “It shouldn’t take too long with the three of us.”

“Make that four,” Zeus said, coming into the apartment.

Paulie looked at the man who had just walked in, then looked at his cousin and back again to the man. “And you are?” he finally asked.

“Zeus Álvarez. I picked your cousin up last night on the side of the road.”

“Paulie! Really? Don’t be rude. He owns the auto repair shop and towing company that I called last night. This is his mom’s apartment she had for rent.”

Zeus didn’t say anything, just watched the little spitfire take her cousin to task. He admired the fact that the man was so protective, it seemed like she needed that whether she knew it or not. Finally, he said, “Mi siempre hermosa, it’s okay. He wouldn’t be any kind of man if he wasn’t looking out for you, si?”

Paulie looked again at Zeus, taking his measure.This one is going to be her forever. Knowing what he was calling her had him looking at Gray with a knowing look.

Gray finally spoke up and said, “Now that we all know who everyone is, let’s get the truck unloaded and then find something to eat, okay?”

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