Chapter 8
Austin hung up the phone after ordering a pizza. He didn’t know when Dani’s break was, but he knew she didn’t get breakfast again, and had looked a bit gaunt this morning after the dog fiasco. Maybe some food would help her blood sugar. Even if he just handed her a slice as she worked, it might brighten her day.
He sat on his couch and flicked on the television. He was tired of sitting on his deck, staring at the beach. He wanted to run in the sand, and swim in the ocean. It was depressing him, rather than lifting his spirits. He needed a distraction. If he could find some reruns of an old sitcom, that would at least make him laugh.
He flipped through the channels, and then stopped when he saw a large image of Dani on the screen. He almost swallowed his tongue when he saw the headline underneath her face.
Danica Jordan hides away in rehab center. He turned up the volume to hear what the woman was saying.
“After Danica’s embarrassing drunk video leaked, sources say she hasn’t been back to her multi-million-dollar home in Los Angeles. We have reliable information about her sudden disappearance, with several sightings at a local rehabilitation center.”
A photo of a blonde woman wearing large sunglasses entering a building flashed on the screen. It could have been literally any blonde woman. Heck, it could have been a man in a blonde wig. Austin snorted and folded his arms. “That’s your reliable information?”
The woman continued. “We all remember the striking image of young Danica after her mother was brutally murdered.” And, in case anyone didn’t remember, the image of a three-year-old popped onto the screen, her mouth open, tears streaming down her cheeks. You could practically hear the little child’s wail.
“The nation has watched with fascination as Danica grew up. But that tragic past has created even more tragedy as Danica has grown out of control. And now we are left to wonder, will she ever pull her life together?”
Austin grew disgusted and turned the channel. From what he saw, Dani wasn’t an alcoholic. Granted, he’d only met her yesterday, but he’d spent quite a bit of time with her, and she hadn’t been drunk. When offered something to drink yesterday, she stuck with water. If she had a problem, he would have seen evidence of it, he was sure. The gossip stations were way off.
A knock came on his door and he stood, his knee complaining with the sudden movement. “Just a second,” he called as he grabbed his wallet. He paid for the pizza and tipped the delivery boy before he closed the door. The smell of melted cheese and pepperoni filled the room. Dani would be happy.
He slipped his room key in his pocket and left, heading toward the section that Dani was working. The day had warmed, and he was glad he’d left his jacket back in the room. As he walked by the garden area, something prickled at the back of his neck. The intense feeling that someone was watching him came over him and he looked around, but didn’t see anyone.
Laughing at himself, he shook his head. He must be paranoid. He headed toward the area where Dani should be cleaning. A moment later, he found her cart at room 309. The sound of the vacuum came from inside, and he called out to her. “Dani?”
She didn’t answer, so he poked his head in. She had her earphones in, and she was dancing to some unheard music as she ran the vacuum back and forth across the floor. A smile spread across his face as he watched her. She was seriously rocking out, even singing a few lyrics as she danced.
He started to feel guilty for watching her, knowing she didn’t think anyone was able to see her. He reached out and touched her shoulder. She squealed and jumped about a foot off the floor. “You scared me!” she shouted as she pulled her earbuds out and turned off the vacuum.
“Sorry,” he said, trying hard not to chuckle. “I just thought you might be hungry.” He held up the pizza. “Want some?”
She pulled her phone out of her pocket to check the time and grinned. “It’s like you read my mind. How did you know I needed a pizza?”
He rocked back on his heels. “Lucky guess.”
“I can take a break.”
“Perfect.”
“Let’s go sit by the water.”
He was kind of sick of looking at the water, but he didn’t mind it so much if Dani was going to be there. At least he wasn’t by himself. “Sure.”
Dani pocketed her earbuds and he followed her down the path toward the tables and chairs set out on the public patio area. Dani chose a table and sat down. He set the pizza box down and took a seat beside her. “Ladies first.”
She opened the box and pulled out a slice. “Yum.” She took a large bite and then smiled at him. “This is delicious.”
It pleased him to hear those words. “Good. I wasn’t sure if you were the kind of girl who just liked to eat salad, but I took a guess based on what you ate last night.”
She shook her head. “I’d much rather eat pizza than salad. It drives me crazy when girls don’t actually eat. I’ve never understood it.”
“How has your morning gone, besides the great dog escape?”
She laughed. “Much better since then. I’ve managed to avoid filling the rooms with bubbles, and all pets are safe. But I did break another fingernail.” She looked down at her hands. “I’m beginning to think my nails are not going to survive this.”
“It might be hard to keep them long in this line of work.”
She frowned. “I might go get a manicure with my first paycheck. Is that stupid?”
“I don’t know. How much is a manicure?”
“A hundred and fifty.”
He almost choked on his bite. “How much?”
“Well, that’s with the works. I could see how much it is with the cheaper options.”
“Might be a good idea. How much will your paycheck be?”
She made a face. “I don’t know. Kay is paying me eight dollars an hour. How much will that be a week?”
Austin did a quick calculation in his head. “Three hundred and twenty dollars for the week.”
Dani’s eyes widened and she lowered the slice of pizza she’d half-eaten. “That’s all?”
“Yeah. And there are probably withholdings for taxes and stuff.”
“Oh. Then it won’t even be that much.”
He hated to be the bearer of bad news, but he had to nod. “Yeah.”
Staring down at the table, she said, “Then I guess I can’t get a manicure. I need other stuff more.”
“Like what?”
“Clothes. But if I’m only getting three hundred and twenty dollars, that won’t even pay for one outfit.” Her eyes filled with tears. “And how will I eat?”
“Wait, how much do you spend on one outfit?”
“I don’t know. Five or six hundred, if I’m watching how much I’m spending.”
Austin looked for any signs that she was joking with him, but she didn’t give him any indication. He balked. Growing up poor, he’d never spent more than twenty bucks on a pair of jeans. Most of his T-shirts were around that price as well. How could she even get up to five hundred dollars? “You’ll have to shop at a discount store for clothes.”