her watch, the small gold hoops in her ears, and the bra and panties she’d arrived in.
From the porch, she surveyed the house where the guys who’d stolen her car might live. She had the urge to march over there, bang on the door and demand info, but thatwouldn’t be wise. She would call the detective in charge of her case later today to see if he had any news.
Besides, maybe it was a good thing that she was nearly naked in her new world. This would be a test of her resolve to make it on her own in the city.
Throwing back her shoulders, she took a deep breath and started down the stairs, determined to make the best of the situation. This was an adventure, a new experience. Sure, the thrill she’d felt when she pulled up on Saturday was gone, but at least she’d gotten past the horror of running up and down the sidewalk looking for her stolen car. She set off at a strong march, but the stiltlike shoes turned it into a clump-clump. Oh, well. It was the thought that counted.
The first morning of the rest of her life looked to be a warm one. Already heat burned her scalp and blasted her from the sidewalk and it was barely eight o’clock. Still, with her hopes high, the sun felt warmly encouraging, not hotly brutal, and she clumped downhill to the bus stop and her second fresh start.
Three hours later, Heidi descended from the bus and limped toward the town house, painfully aware that the return trip was an uphill climb. She paused to remove the shoe with the worst blisters on her big toe and heel. Getting off the bus, she’d twisted an ankle, which hurt, too. Damn those platforms.
The sun that had seemed warmly hopeful at eight was cruelly hot at eleven. Not to mention the fact that munching a corn nut proffered by Blythe, she’d snapped off a piece of her tender molar and now every inhalation made it twinge. She’d have to get it looked at.
But pounding sun, stinging blisters, a throbbing ankle and aching tooth weren’t the worst. Not even the fact that the detective had no news for her.
The worst thing was that she hadn’t even been able to work. Construction on the rest of the Mirror, Mirror Beauty Center where Shear Ecstasy was located required they turn off the water. Blythe was only doing water-free emergency dos. Even worse than that, a slow start to the business meant Blythe didn’t have much for her yet. Blythe had offered her shampoo work—once the plumbing was back—but if Heidi decided to go with a bigger salon, Blythe understood completely. Ya gotta eat, hon. Do what ya gotta do .
Heidi’s pale-faced response had alarmed Blythe, so she’d forced her into a salon chair and demanded to know whether she was pregnant, sick, broke or terrified. Heidi told the car robbery story and Blythe offered her foldout couch. The woman was already hosting her nephew and his two kids, though. We can squeeze you in, she’d said, waving nails made fancy by Esmeralda the nail tech, whom Heidi hadn’t yet met. What’s one more mug of jo in the a.m.?
Then she’d offered the corn nuts and Heidi had broken a tooth.
She couldn’t impose on the woman. She’d stay with Jackson until she figured something else out. And got another job. Maybe at a temp agency. Her typing was decent.
She was almost home when a whistle made her turn to see two guys in backward baseball caps leaning out the window of a car loaded with buddies. “Hey, baby, how much?” one said in a tone that teased, but also meant it.
Good Lord. She couldn’t give it away to Jackson and these guys thought she was selling it? “Too much for you boys’ allowance,” she said and kept moving with as much dignity as she could manage clip-clopping from a platform to a bare foot in the grass beside the sidewalk. How did hookers parade their stuff without breaking a leg?
The frat boys zoomed off, thank God, since she didn’t have another comeback in her.
It occurred to her that maybe she should give up and go home. Maybe this was the universe
From the porch, she surveyed the house where the guys who’d stolen her car might live. She had the urge to march over there, bang on the door and demand info, but thatwouldn’t be wise. She would call the detective in charge of her case later today to see if he had any news.
Besides, maybe it was a good thing that she was nearly naked in her new world. This would be a test of her resolve to make it on her own in the city.
Throwing back her shoulders, she took a deep breath and started down the stairs, determined to make the best of the situation. This was an adventure, a new experience. Sure, the thrill she’d felt when she pulled up on Saturday was gone, but at least she’d gotten past the horror of running up and down the sidewalk looking for her stolen car. She set off at a strong march, but the stiltlike shoes turned it into a clump-clump. Oh, well. It was the thought that counted.
The first morning of the rest of her life looked to be a warm one. Already heat burned her scalp and blasted her from the sidewalk and it was barely eight o’clock. Still, with her hopes high, the sun felt warmly encouraging, not hotly brutal, and she clumped downhill to the bus stop and her second fresh start.
Three hours later, Heidi descended from the bus and limped toward the town house, painfully aware that the return trip was an uphill climb. She paused to remove the shoe with the worst blisters on her big toe and heel. Getting off the bus, she’d twisted an ankle, which hurt, too. Damn those platforms.
The sun that had seemed warmly hopeful at eight was cruelly hot at eleven. Not to mention the fact that munching a corn nut proffered by Blythe, she’d snapped off a piece of her tender molar and now every inhalation made it twinge. She’d have to get it looked at.
But pounding sun, stinging blisters, a throbbing ankle and aching tooth weren’t the worst. Not even the fact that the detective had no news for her.
The worst thing was that she hadn’t even been able to work. Construction on the rest of the Mirror, Mirror Beauty Center where Shear Ecstasy was located required they turn off the water. Blythe was only doing water-free emergency dos. Even worse than that, a slow start to the business meant Blythe didn’t have much for her yet. Blythe had offered her shampoo work—once the plumbing was back—but if Heidi decided to go with a bigger salon, Blythe understood completely. Ya gotta eat, hon. Do what ya gotta do .
Heidi’s pale-faced response had alarmed Blythe, so she’d forced her into a salon chair and demanded to know whether she was pregnant, sick, broke or terrified. Heidi told the car robbery story and Blythe offered her foldout couch. The woman was already hosting her nephew and his two kids, though. We can squeeze you in, she’d said, waving nails made fancy by Esmeralda the nail tech, whom Heidi hadn’t yet met. What’s one more mug of jo in the a.m.?
Then she’d offered the corn nuts and Heidi had broken a tooth.
She couldn’t impose on the woman. She’d stay with Jackson until she figured something else out. And got another job. Maybe at a temp agency. Her typing was decent.
She was almost home when a whistle made her turn to see two guys in backward baseball caps leaning out the window of a car loaded with buddies. “Hey, baby, how much?” one said in a tone that teased, but also meant it.
Good Lord. She couldn’t give it away to Jackson and these guys thought she was selling it? “Too much for you boys’ allowance,” she said and kept moving with as much dignity as she could manage clip-clopping from a platform to a bare foot in the grass beside the sidewalk. How did hookers parade their stuff without breaking a leg?
The frat boys zoomed off, thank God, since she didn’t have another comeback in her.
It occurred to her that maybe she should give up and go home. Maybe this was the universe
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