Read Online The Hardest Fall (Roadmap to Your Heart Book 3) by Christina Lee - Free Book Online
Authors: Christina Lee
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seemed heavy in my hand. I ignored the gleam in her eye along with the clenched muscles in my stomach. What in the hell was she thinking?
“He is, I guess,” I said, clearing my throat. “I don’t know him that well.”
“We were thinking of heading up to Ruby Redd’s to see his show,” she said. “Do you know what nights he performs?”
My answer would implicate me either way. “I think he said Fridays and Saturdays. You could probably find it on the website.”
I looked down at my phone and typed.
Sebastian here. Your shoes are all set.
My palms grew sweaty as I waited for his response and I could feel Annie watching me as I grabbed the next pink ticket and searched for the tall brown boots along the wall that needed a new zipper.
“How was your anniversary night, by the way?” I asked in an effort to keep the scrutiny away from me. But also because I told myself I would try to get to know Annie better.
Her head snapped up, as if stunned. I was such a dick. I could talk to homeless people until I was blue in the face, but I couldn’t even make a connection with my own employee. My father used to say it was because I had to be guarded as a kid living on the streets, and then again in foster care. I didn’t know whom to trust. He was right in a way, but that had been years ago. I should have gotten better at it by now.
“It was great,” she said with a genuine smile, as if fondly remembering the evening. “We ate steaks off the grill on our back patio with an expensive bottle of wine.”
I was sincerely glad that Annie was so happy in her relationship. She had been such a loyal and trusted friend to my dad and though I didn’t know her in the same way, it was obvious that she was good people. “Perfect. You don’t hear that very much in the city.”
It was rare to have any kind of outdoor space around here. Annie lived in a first floor apartment on St. Marks in the East Village, which happened to boast a courtyard out her back door.
She smiled as my phone buzzed in my hand. I handed the boots to Annie and paced back to my office as nonchalantly as I could so she wouldn’t see how eager I was over a message from Tate.
Tate: Cool. I can’t swing by right now. I’m in the middle of filming a video.
What the what?
A video? Like a porno? Sorry couldn’t resist.
Tate: Wouldn’t you like to know? LOL. No, a makeup tutorial on YouTube, something my roommate, Tori, talked me into.
I tried to thrust the idea of Tate filming porn out of my head. So he had a roommate. I wondered if she was a longtime friend. Did she know about Alan? More pieces of Tate’s life that I was curious about.
Not a bad idea. Bet you’ll get a ton of followers.
Tate: Now you sound like Tori. ;-) Thanks! I guess we’ll see.
Walking to the front of the store, I reached for the next pink-ticket order. A leather bag that needed a handle repair. Easy enough. Annie was already at the sewing machine working on the boot zipper. I sat down at the empty workspace across the room and got started on the bag. I smoothed it out on the table and looked down at my phone again, an idea taking center stage. I typed the message before I chickened out.
Listen, how about I just drop the shoes off at your place after closing? I’ll be volunteering at Safe Harbor again tonight.
I wiped my sweaty palms on my trousers.
Tate: Is that an every night thing?
Nah, two times a week unless I’m swamped at the shop.
Tate: Okay, sounds good. The address is 34 Carmine. Buzz number 6. See you later.
My pulse skyrocketed at the idea of seeing Tate again. I should bring the envelope with me. I could tell him everything and then walk away. It would be best to do it at his apartment—a place he felt safe. The idea sat like a heavy stone in my gut the rest of the afternoon.
At the end of my very distractible day, I begin packing up when I noticed Annie doing the same. We had an established routine where I took care of the clean-up at the back of
“He is, I guess,” I said, clearing my throat. “I don’t know him that well.”
“We were thinking of heading up to Ruby Redd’s to see his show,” she said. “Do you know what nights he performs?”
My answer would implicate me either way. “I think he said Fridays and Saturdays. You could probably find it on the website.”
I looked down at my phone and typed.
Sebastian here. Your shoes are all set.
My palms grew sweaty as I waited for his response and I could feel Annie watching me as I grabbed the next pink ticket and searched for the tall brown boots along the wall that needed a new zipper.
“How was your anniversary night, by the way?” I asked in an effort to keep the scrutiny away from me. But also because I told myself I would try to get to know Annie better.
Her head snapped up, as if stunned. I was such a dick. I could talk to homeless people until I was blue in the face, but I couldn’t even make a connection with my own employee. My father used to say it was because I had to be guarded as a kid living on the streets, and then again in foster care. I didn’t know whom to trust. He was right in a way, but that had been years ago. I should have gotten better at it by now.
“It was great,” she said with a genuine smile, as if fondly remembering the evening. “We ate steaks off the grill on our back patio with an expensive bottle of wine.”
I was sincerely glad that Annie was so happy in her relationship. She had been such a loyal and trusted friend to my dad and though I didn’t know her in the same way, it was obvious that she was good people. “Perfect. You don’t hear that very much in the city.”
It was rare to have any kind of outdoor space around here. Annie lived in a first floor apartment on St. Marks in the East Village, which happened to boast a courtyard out her back door.
She smiled as my phone buzzed in my hand. I handed the boots to Annie and paced back to my office as nonchalantly as I could so she wouldn’t see how eager I was over a message from Tate.
Tate: Cool. I can’t swing by right now. I’m in the middle of filming a video.
What the what?
A video? Like a porno? Sorry couldn’t resist.
Tate: Wouldn’t you like to know? LOL. No, a makeup tutorial on YouTube, something my roommate, Tori, talked me into.
I tried to thrust the idea of Tate filming porn out of my head. So he had a roommate. I wondered if she was a longtime friend. Did she know about Alan? More pieces of Tate’s life that I was curious about.
Not a bad idea. Bet you’ll get a ton of followers.
Tate: Now you sound like Tori. ;-) Thanks! I guess we’ll see.
Walking to the front of the store, I reached for the next pink-ticket order. A leather bag that needed a handle repair. Easy enough. Annie was already at the sewing machine working on the boot zipper. I sat down at the empty workspace across the room and got started on the bag. I smoothed it out on the table and looked down at my phone again, an idea taking center stage. I typed the message before I chickened out.
Listen, how about I just drop the shoes off at your place after closing? I’ll be volunteering at Safe Harbor again tonight.
I wiped my sweaty palms on my trousers.
Tate: Is that an every night thing?
Nah, two times a week unless I’m swamped at the shop.
Tate: Okay, sounds good. The address is 34 Carmine. Buzz number 6. See you later.
My pulse skyrocketed at the idea of seeing Tate again. I should bring the envelope with me. I could tell him everything and then walk away. It would be best to do it at his apartment—a place he felt safe. The idea sat like a heavy stone in my gut the rest of the afternoon.
At the end of my very distractible day, I begin packing up when I noticed Annie doing the same. We had an established routine where I took care of the clean-up at the back of
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