A Case of Extreme Mistaken Identity - Victorine E. Lieske Page 0,17
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?”