same.
Sighing, Leslie walked to her desk and flopped down in her chair. There were still tons of decorations to hunt down and orders to double-check. And she still didn’t know what she was going to dress up as for the Halloween bash.
Maybe something uber-provocative to flaunt in front of Kowalskin? Like Xena, Warrior Princess or a German barmaid costume. Whatever she chose it had to be good.
Because Halloween night was the end of the bet.
The terms of the bet were through the last night of the World Series, which was scheduled to be played on All Hallows’ Eve—her favorite holiday of the year. And this year it was going to be the best one ever.
At midnight on October 31 she would win her life back. As much as she loved running Mark’s club it still felt a little like charity. Which she appreciated, really she did. Her brother had given her a fresh start, a place to hide while she licked her wounds. But now she was ready to step out of the shadows and reclaim what was taken from her.
The phone rang, startling her, and she snatched it up. “Leslie Cutter.”
“Ms. Cutter, this is Jerry Patowski.”
Her spirits lifted. The superintendent from her building was finally returning her twelve or fifteen calls. It was about time. “Hi, Jerry. I’ve been trying to call all week. Is there any word on my apartment?” She missed it and wanted to go home. Mostly she wanted to soak in her own bathtub and sleep in her own bed.
She heard papers shuffling and a file cabinet squeaking, then a muffled cough, before he said into the speaker, “Nope. Sorry ’bout that, Ms. Cutter. But, more damage than anticipated was found and it’s gonna be a while still. Plus the plumbing’s so old the brand isn’t made anymore.”
“Can’t you just use a different one?”
He sighed and then said like he was explaining something to a child, “Not unless you gut the whole thing. Old fixtures are part specific. I had to order some special parts from overseas. It could be another week or so before they arrive.”
Leslie bit down on the frustration. “Can’t you expedite the parts from wherever they’re coming from?”
“That is expedited.”
“How many shipments are you expecting?” She didn’t have the patience to wait for several boxes to trickle in from halfway around the world. Not that she really had any choice in the matter, but still.
“Just the one.”
Fine. “Well, can I at least come by and grab some more stuff?” She’d been wearing the same bra for over a week. Even though it had been washed already, she appreciated having more to choose from than one lace bra and one sports bra.
“No can do, ma’am. We can’t let you inside the construction zone. Ain’t safe, and there’s the liability. The big boss would toss me out on my ass if he knew I’d let you in.”
She’d deal with Peter. “If I can get him to agree, you’ll let me in so I can get more stuff?”
The super guffawed into the phone. “You can try, girlie. But he ain’t gonna let you in. I promise.”
She’d just see about that. “Thanks for getting back to me on this, Jerry.” Finally. “We’ll be in touch.”
Setting the phone back in its cradle, Leslie smirked. She wiggled a heel off and it fell to the floor. Then she tucked her bare foot underneath her. What she wanted was clean underwear and something to wear to work besides her skinny jeans. She’d ask Peter about it.
If she were still in Miami with her old life she would have simply run out and bought more, but this new one of hers didn’t include a hefty salary to spend frivolously. This fresh start included budgeting, cooking from scratch, and not tossing a few hundred bucks away on new clothing if it wasn’t absolutely necessary.
Leslie sighed again. Life .
Turning her mind to other things, she dug into work for the next few hours, making phone calls and checking the status of things. About six months ago she’d started preparing for the big Halloween party,
Sighing, Leslie walked to her desk and flopped down in her chair. There were still tons of decorations to hunt down and orders to double-check. And she still didn’t know what she was going to dress up as for the Halloween bash.
Maybe something uber-provocative to flaunt in front of Kowalskin? Like Xena, Warrior Princess or a German barmaid costume. Whatever she chose it had to be good.
Because Halloween night was the end of the bet.
The terms of the bet were through the last night of the World Series, which was scheduled to be played on All Hallows’ Eve—her favorite holiday of the year. And this year it was going to be the best one ever.
At midnight on October 31 she would win her life back. As much as she loved running Mark’s club it still felt a little like charity. Which she appreciated, really she did. Her brother had given her a fresh start, a place to hide while she licked her wounds. But now she was ready to step out of the shadows and reclaim what was taken from her.
The phone rang, startling her, and she snatched it up. “Leslie Cutter.”
“Ms. Cutter, this is Jerry Patowski.”
Her spirits lifted. The superintendent from her building was finally returning her twelve or fifteen calls. It was about time. “Hi, Jerry. I’ve been trying to call all week. Is there any word on my apartment?” She missed it and wanted to go home. Mostly she wanted to soak in her own bathtub and sleep in her own bed.
She heard papers shuffling and a file cabinet squeaking, then a muffled cough, before he said into the speaker, “Nope. Sorry ’bout that, Ms. Cutter. But, more damage than anticipated was found and it’s gonna be a while still. Plus the plumbing’s so old the brand isn’t made anymore.”
“Can’t you just use a different one?”
He sighed and then said like he was explaining something to a child, “Not unless you gut the whole thing. Old fixtures are part specific. I had to order some special parts from overseas. It could be another week or so before they arrive.”
Leslie bit down on the frustration. “Can’t you expedite the parts from wherever they’re coming from?”
“That is expedited.”
“How many shipments are you expecting?” She didn’t have the patience to wait for several boxes to trickle in from halfway around the world. Not that she really had any choice in the matter, but still.
“Just the one.”
Fine. “Well, can I at least come by and grab some more stuff?” She’d been wearing the same bra for over a week. Even though it had been washed already, she appreciated having more to choose from than one lace bra and one sports bra.
“No can do, ma’am. We can’t let you inside the construction zone. Ain’t safe, and there’s the liability. The big boss would toss me out on my ass if he knew I’d let you in.”
She’d deal with Peter. “If I can get him to agree, you’ll let me in so I can get more stuff?”
The super guffawed into the phone. “You can try, girlie. But he ain’t gonna let you in. I promise.”
She’d just see about that. “Thanks for getting back to me on this, Jerry.” Finally. “We’ll be in touch.”
Setting the phone back in its cradle, Leslie smirked. She wiggled a heel off and it fell to the floor. Then she tucked her bare foot underneath her. What she wanted was clean underwear and something to wear to work besides her skinny jeans. She’d ask Peter about it.
If she were still in Miami with her old life she would have simply run out and bought more, but this new one of hers didn’t include a hefty salary to spend frivolously. This fresh start included budgeting, cooking from scratch, and not tossing a few hundred bucks away on new clothing if it wasn’t absolutely necessary.
Leslie sighed again. Life .
Turning her mind to other things, she dug into work for the next few hours, making phone calls and checking the status of things. About six months ago she’d started preparing for the big Halloween party,
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