“Eat up. I need to check on a few things.”
Picking up the sandwich, she went to take a bite, then paused. “Thank you for the sandwich.”
“Anytime. I don’t want anything left on your plate.” Although he smiled, Hyacinth had a feeling he was very serious.
“Mr. Mannetti?”
“Yes, Bennie.”
“A message just came through from Pearl. She won’t be in tonight. Her son fell and broke his arm, so they’re on the way to the hospital.”
“Okay, do we have anyone who can fill in?”
“Sue was going to call the back-up to see if she could make it in on such short notice.”
Hyacinth was listening to the entire conversation and while she knew it was unexpected, she spoke up. “Um, Rhys?” He glanced at her with a questioning look. “If you need a bit of extra help tonight, I can step in and lend a hand. It’s the least I can do after you saved me today.”
Little did she know, her offer to help would turn her world upside down.
Chapter 3
Talk about going from the frying pan into the fire. Well, Hyacinth wanted to find a second job. Not only did Rhys take her up on the offer, but she was going to start that night. The pay was excellent, and he agreed to work around her day job hours. They would only need her in the evenings, which was perfect for her. Calculating the money she could make, a smile lit up her face. Not only would she be able to pay down more student debt, but moving into her own place was a real possibility.
Since her car was parked just up the road, she finished her roast beef au jus sandwich, which made her stomach super happy, and went home to rest, shower, and change before returning to the restaurant for her five o’clock start.
Thank goodness her roommate and her new guy weren’t around, because Hyacinth wasn’t sure she was ready to speak with Brie.
Just as she was about to lie down for a nap, her phone chirped with a message.
Unknown: Hey, baby.
Unknown: I’ve been missing you.
Unknown: Did you get my flowers last month?
Unknown: It was our anniversary.
Unknown: But I know you wouldn’t forget.
Unknown: I still love you. Those other women never meant anything to me.
Unknown: One day, you’re going to forgive me.
Hyacinth sucked her teeth at his text messages. No the fuck she would not forgive him—ever—nor would she respond to his lame ass text messages. The entire reason she had to move in with Brie was because her ex-boyfriend, Kenny, had cheated on her with the woman who lived across the hall from them.
She and Kenny had been together for over two years. Had lived together for more than a year. He had met her parents. They had built a life together, or at least she thought they had. Until the day she came home from work early because of a severe headache. It was the middle of the day and Kenny shouldn’t have been home, but his car was parked in front of their place. At first, she was happy to see that he was home. Her man could take care of her for a day while she rested in the dark, trying to recover. But that thought went out the fucking window when she walked through the door. The scent of sex was in the air and she heard loud moans coming from her bedroom. Naïve fool that she was, the first thought in her head was that he was having alone time. But those moans and weren’t from a male. Only a female could make a sound like that.
Stones formed in her stomach and bile rushed up to her throat. But she needed to see it. Needed Kenny to know that she’d seen him. When she opened the door to her bedroom, it was in her face like a sledgehammer. Her boyfriend of two years, the man she thought would be her husband, was sliding his slimy, no-good dick inside another woman.
She must have made a sound because the woman looked toward the door and saw Hyacinth standing there. Kenny caught on quickly because he glanced over his shoulder and saw her as well. Then he slid out of the woman and stood in front of her looking all kinds of stupid. Bare assed and his wet dick hanging free. Wait…
Anger and rage were all she could feel. Hyacinth wanted to hurt the woman scrambling to put on her clothes. Then she recognized her. It was their neighbor. A woman with a whole damn husband and two kids.
“How long?” the question felt as if it were torn from her throat, but she needed to know. When he paused and looked at the woman, Hyacinth asked again. “How long have you been fucking another woman in my bed?”
“Baby, it’s not what it looks like. It was just a one-time thing. She doesn’t mean anything to me.”
“What the fuck, Kenny? You’re a fucking liar,” the other woman screamed at him. “You told me you were leaving her because she couldn’t give you what you needed.”