“Aren’t you supposed to be back at work by now, Marisol?” Rosalind snapped. “You don’t want to keep the clients waiting. Marisol can be extremely forgetful. A bit flighty.”
Marisol ground her teeth together.
“Really? She doesn’t seem flighty to me at all. The fact that she worked late last night then came in to work so early today tells me that she is quite a hard worker.”
Her aunt’s gaze narrowed. Uh-oh. “Yes. Quite. I have to get inside. I have things to do. Marisol, don’t linger. And for goodness sake, straighten your shoulders, you’re slumping.”
Shame filled her but she forced herself to turn to Linc. “Sorry about that.”
He raised his eyebrows. “She seems like a fun person.”
“Yeah. You could say that. Good luck with the wedding gift shopping.”
He grimaced. “Thanks, I’m going to need it. I’ll text you later. Oh, what days do you have off?”
“Sundays. The spa is shut.”
He frowned. “Only Sundays?”
“Yes. But it’s fine. I like work,” she said quickly.
“Okay. If you’re free Sunday would you like to do something?”
She sucked in a breath. She should say no. She wasn’t planning on sticking around. But God, she really wanted to say yes. When had she ever done anything for herself?
“As friends, of course,” he added.
Oh. Of course he just meant as friends. And she shouldn’t feel a stab of disappointment, because being a friend was all she could offer. She wasn’t sure she’d make a good friend, but she’d try.
“All right. I’d like that. As friends.”
As she walked away, she was aware of his gaze burning into her back. She tried to straighten her posture not wanting to slump as Rosalind had accused her of doing. When she got inside, she quickly moved into the bathroom and washed her hands before checking her blood sugar levels.
They were good. Maybe hanging around Linc was good for her.
If only she’d met him in a different time. A different place. With a sigh, she moved into the employee backroom and stashed her handbag in her locker. Then she headed down the passage towards the front of the spa.
The sound of a news report made her stop and she poked her head into her aunt’s office. Her aunt was staring at the television mounted on the wall with a frown. Marisol turned to see what she was staring at. Surprise filled her to see a news report. There were images of a burning building.
“The police can’t say for certain what happened here. But it looks to have been some sort of gang war. The building behind me was the reported headquarters of a gang trying to get a foothold in the city. The Devil’s Sinners have connections to the Devil’s Kings, a gang based in Texas and Arizona. Police are currently searching for anyone who saw anything. They’d also like to hear from anyone who saw or had contact with these two men that night.”
Mugshots of two men popped up on screen.
Jeremy ‘Falcon’ James and Matthew ‘Jackal’ James. What had Saber said last night to Tiger? That Falcon and Jackal were dead. Holy shit.
At least this meant they were likely to be tied up for longer, right? It could give her some breathing room.
“What are you doing just staring at that TV?” her aunt snapped. “Shouldn’t you be working? Do I pay you to stand around gawking?”
She didn’t pay her at all. At least, not enough.
Marisol turned around.
“Oh, and Marisol, stay away from that cowboy. I didn’t like him.”
She meant that she didn’t like that Linc hadn’t fawned all over her. Marisol didn’t say that though. And her aunt’s demand only made her more determined to see Linc again. Right now, he was the only bright spot in her life.
She strode quickly into the main reception area and smiled at her two o’clock appointment. Mrs. Long was usually Eileen’s client. The older woman was a terrible gossip. And a bit mean too.