Maggie. “Hi there,” she said, and smiled.
Angel didn’t get these two. Both of them seemed like broken souls to her, but for different reasons. Zoey lived under the rule of her tyrant of a father, although she had sworn multiple times that he’d never hit her. And Maggie lived the life of a recluse yet had this look in her eyes at times that made Angel think she wasn’t as concerned about being around people as she let on.
Although neither would probably ever confide in her, Angel suspected both were battered women. Some men thought a black eye on a woman marked her as his property and kept other men from looking at her. Other equally sadistic bastards kept the pain more personal, making sure bruises were left where no one would see. Zoey and Maggie both needed mending. Maybe Angel couldn’t replace a broken zipper, but she ached to fix these two women. As her mom would say when someone brought in a piece of clothing for alteration, Oh, there is a lot of life still left in them.
There was so much life inside Maggie and Zoey, which was why Angel liked both of them.
“Hi there, Zoey,” Maggie greeted with a smile, and flipped the page of the large hardback book she had in her hands. “Oh my, look at this room. Isn’t this gorgeous? Angel, I’m buying this book. And this one,” she added.
Angel hurried over to the romance section and grabbed the next book in the series that Maggie had originally asked about and brought it to the counter. The Pointers met her, each one of them shoving books at her. After checking them out and watching all of them traipse out her door, Angel turned and smiled at Zoey, who had come to the counter. Maggie was right behind her. Angel rang both of them up.
“Busy day?” Zoey asked. She looked after the Pointers and continued staring out the large windows facing the street and courtyard outside the store.
“It’s been steady. I’m getting some work done.” Angel nodded toward her back room.
Zoey snapped her attention back to Angel. “You got more books in? Any of them biographies?”
“I haven’t unloaded that far,” Angel told her.
Zoey bit her lip. Angel knew damn good and well what she’d ordered. She’d learned a long time ago to make her customers wait until she was able to shelve new stock.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Zoey reached into her purse and pulled out a thick envelope. “I’m supposed to give this to you,” she mumbled, and held the envelope for Angel to take as she glanced back toward the street, not making eye contact. Her fingers trembled when she dropped it on the counter.
Angel looked at the envelope as if it might reach out and bite her. Even Maggie paused before leaving and stared at the thick envelope. Zoey looked as if she wanted to fade into the woodwork.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I don’t know what it is. My father asked me to give it to you when I told him where I was going.”
“Next time don’t tell him where you’re going,” Maggie said, and smiled when Zoey looked at her, terrified. “It was a joke,” Maggie said, her pretty blue eyes glowing with laughter.
“No use prolonging the pain,” Angel said, and ripped open the envelope.
“Wow, would you look out there? He’s gorgeous,” Zoey whispered, apparently aching to change the subject off her tyrant of a father and whatever was in the envelope.
Angel didn’t blame her. One glance at the legal-looking form in the envelope and she knew it wasn’t good news. She looked outside just as a silver Escalade with black windows circled the courtyard slowly. The driver’s side window was rolled down. Dark curls and well-defined arm muscles grabbed her attention before she took in the barrel chest and profile of the face of the man driving the SUV.
“I’ll say,” Angel humphed. “New blood in town.”
“I saw him first,” Zoey teased, but then shrugged her shoulders. It wasn’t as if she’d ever pursue a man, no matter how gorgeous. Her father would never
Angel didn’t get these two. Both of them seemed like broken souls to her, but for different reasons. Zoey lived under the rule of her tyrant of a father, although she had sworn multiple times that he’d never hit her. And Maggie lived the life of a recluse yet had this look in her eyes at times that made Angel think she wasn’t as concerned about being around people as she let on.
Although neither would probably ever confide in her, Angel suspected both were battered women. Some men thought a black eye on a woman marked her as his property and kept other men from looking at her. Other equally sadistic bastards kept the pain more personal, making sure bruises were left where no one would see. Zoey and Maggie both needed mending. Maybe Angel couldn’t replace a broken zipper, but she ached to fix these two women. As her mom would say when someone brought in a piece of clothing for alteration, Oh, there is a lot of life still left in them.
There was so much life inside Maggie and Zoey, which was why Angel liked both of them.
“Hi there, Zoey,” Maggie greeted with a smile, and flipped the page of the large hardback book she had in her hands. “Oh my, look at this room. Isn’t this gorgeous? Angel, I’m buying this book. And this one,” she added.
Angel hurried over to the romance section and grabbed the next book in the series that Maggie had originally asked about and brought it to the counter. The Pointers met her, each one of them shoving books at her. After checking them out and watching all of them traipse out her door, Angel turned and smiled at Zoey, who had come to the counter. Maggie was right behind her. Angel rang both of them up.
“Busy day?” Zoey asked. She looked after the Pointers and continued staring out the large windows facing the street and courtyard outside the store.
“It’s been steady. I’m getting some work done.” Angel nodded toward her back room.
Zoey snapped her attention back to Angel. “You got more books in? Any of them biographies?”
“I haven’t unloaded that far,” Angel told her.
Zoey bit her lip. Angel knew damn good and well what she’d ordered. She’d learned a long time ago to make her customers wait until she was able to shelve new stock.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Zoey reached into her purse and pulled out a thick envelope. “I’m supposed to give this to you,” she mumbled, and held the envelope for Angel to take as she glanced back toward the street, not making eye contact. Her fingers trembled when she dropped it on the counter.
Angel looked at the envelope as if it might reach out and bite her. Even Maggie paused before leaving and stared at the thick envelope. Zoey looked as if she wanted to fade into the woodwork.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I don’t know what it is. My father asked me to give it to you when I told him where I was going.”
“Next time don’t tell him where you’re going,” Maggie said, and smiled when Zoey looked at her, terrified. “It was a joke,” Maggie said, her pretty blue eyes glowing with laughter.
“No use prolonging the pain,” Angel said, and ripped open the envelope.
“Wow, would you look out there? He’s gorgeous,” Zoey whispered, apparently aching to change the subject off her tyrant of a father and whatever was in the envelope.
Angel didn’t blame her. One glance at the legal-looking form in the envelope and she knew it wasn’t good news. She looked outside just as a silver Escalade with black windows circled the courtyard slowly. The driver’s side window was rolled down. Dark curls and well-defined arm muscles grabbed her attention before she took in the barrel chest and profile of the face of the man driving the SUV.
“I’ll say,” Angel humphed. “New blood in town.”
“I saw him first,” Zoey teased, but then shrugged her shoulders. It wasn’t as if she’d ever pursue a man, no matter how gorgeous. Her father would never
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