by Unknown
“Isn’t he eating?”
“Don’t know. Don’t care.”
Mary Ellen regarded her quizzically. “Why do you stay with him?”
“I’m not with him.” Liza grabbed the used wrappers and crumpled them as she got to her feet. She’d seen the curious looks Mary Ellen had given her on the unfortunate occasions when Rick was drunk and he’d yelled from the door of his apartment as Liza was trying to slip quietly down the stairs. But she didn’t intend to discuss her problems with Mary Ellen. Or anyone else.
“Why do you live next door to him then?” the other woman asked.
Liza disposed of the wrappers, using the time to compose herself. Anyone else and she would have told them it was none of their damn business. But having to look into Mary Ellen’s perpetually sad eyes, Liza just couldn’t do it.
“It’s complicated,” she said finally.
“That means you don’t want to talk about it, huh?” the little girl mumbled, her mouth full.
“Freedom,” Mary Ellen admonished her. “This is grown-up talk. You be quiet.”
Liza hid a smile. Poor kid was going to grow up to be like her. Smart-mouthed and always in trouble.
“You went to college, didn’t you?” Mary Ellen asked.
Liza slowly nodded, not liking the conversation.
“You’re so pretty and smart, and I don’t understand why you’d be living in a dump like this.”
Right. Real smart. So smart that she’d put herself in a position to be blackmailed. “Look,” Liza said in a tight voice, casting a brief glance at Freedom, who’d turned to licking her fingers instead of listening to the conversation, “I don’t think you want to start a question-and-answer session.”
Mary Ellen looked grimly down at her weather-roughened hands. “No,” she said quietly, and then cleared her throat and rose from the table. “Freedom, come on. We need to be going. Thanks for dinner, Liza.” Mary Ellen pulled her daughter along with her, keeping her face toward the door.
“See you later.” Liza stayed in the small open kitchen and watched them go. She probably should’ve made nice. Mary Ellen hadn’t meant anything by what she’d said. The woman seemed to have such a lonely life, she probably only wanted to talk.
But Liza just couldn’t do it. Not today. Everything had gone wrong. After being decisive all of her life, she’d become as stable as a palm tree in a hurricane. She should never have allowed the blackmail to get this far, but she’d panicked, and everything had spiraled out of control before she knew what had happened. Winning the lawsuit would save her ass, if she could only keep her act together.
She walked to the love seat and sank down, careful to avoid the bad spring in the center. God, was this headache ever going away? She leaned forward, rested her elbows on her knees and cradled her head in her hands. She needed a couple of aspirin. But that meant going out to get them. No way. She was staying right where she was to enjoy the peace and quiet while Rick was passed out.
Going to the station had been a bad idea. She’d known it before she’d gotten in the car. But that was the sort of stupid, irrational behavior she couldn’t seem to control. Even though she’d never made it out of her car. Thanks to Evan Gann. People didn’t know how to mind their own damn business.
If she’d gotten into the studio, she might have learned whether another settlement was being considered. The last offer the group had made, Rick had flatly refused. Although since she’d pumped Zach Hass, the new guy, for information, everyone named in the lawsuit had probably been warned not to talk to her. For all she knew, security wouldn’t even have let her inside. Unless…
She abruptly brought her head up.
Evan Gann. He could get her inside. No one could stop her if she was going to see him. Dammit. Why hadn’t she taken his number? Grudgingly, she pushed to her feet and got her cell phone. She hoped like hell his number was listed.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-0807-4
TALL, DARK AND FILTHY RICH
Copyright © 2007 by Jill Floyd.
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