We ride the elevator to the first floor and as we're getting off, I see that girl Devin was talking about. She's signing for a package at the desk in the lobby.
As I walk by, she looks up and smiles. "Hi."
"Hi," I say, returning the smile.
She watches me leave, and when I turn back, I see her still smiling at me.
"Are you two seeing each other?" Lisa asks when we're out on the street. "Or is it just sex?"
"What?" I say, surprised she'd ask such an inappropriate question.
"The girl in there. The blonde," Lisa says, walking so fast it's hard to keep up. "There's obviously something going on between you two. Just so you know, she used to date one of the investment bankers that works on the twelfth floor."
"I'm not dating her. I just met her. That's the first time we've spoken. And why does it matter who she used to date?”
"She's used to money." Lisa weaves through the crowd, practically pushing people aside. "You don't have any, or at least I'm assuming that, given how you dress."
I glance down at my suit. It's not designer but it wasn't cheap. And I had it tailored so it fits right.
"A woman like that isn't looking for a relationship with someone like you," Lisa says. "She just wants you for sex, and I'm sure you'll oblige. After all, what man wouldn't want to sleep with a girl like that?"
Talking about this with her is making me uncomfortable so I attempt to change the subject.
"So what happened with the nanny? Did you find a new one?"
"Yes. He starts today."
"It's a guy?"
She shoots me an angry look. "Are you saying men can't take care of children? That it's only a job for females?"
"No. I was just surprised." I keep quiet as we wait at the intersection for the walk sign. There's a coffee shop straight ahead. I hope that's the one we're going to. I don't want to continue this walk with her any longer than I have to. She stresses me out. I can't seem to say anything to her without making her angry.
When we're across the street, she says, "So about the case. It came in last week. The man owns a chain of luxury boutique hotels and is being sued by a customer who claims he injured himself when a stair broke."
"What do you mean it broke?"
"It was an outdoor staircase. The man claims the stair came loose because it wasn't secured properly. It broke off and the man tripped and tumbled down the stairs." She looks at me, her brows raised. "Allegedly."
"You're saying the guy lied?"
"I'm saying it's not our client's fault. The injured party is just looking to get rich off our client."
"Was the stair really not secured?"
"It doesn't matter. What matters is making sure our client is protected financially and that the reputation of his hotel chain isn't harmed."
"What about the guy who fell? What happened to him?"
"He broke his leg and a few ribs. He claims to have a head injury as well but I'm sure it's all a ploy to get more money."
"Is he better now?"
"He should be, but he's continuing to get care in an attempt to convince a judge he's suffering and will need to be compensated for that."
"Maybe he really IS suffering."
"Not as much as our client is suffering having to deal with this frivolous lawsuit."
The more she talks, the more I regret taking this job. I thought I'd be helping people. People who actually need help, not rich guys trying to get out of having to take responsibility for their mistakes. The hotel owner should've made sure the staircase was safe, and if it wasn't, he has to pay for the damage it caused. It's as simple as that. I know that's not how it works. I know both sides fight and the richest person usually wins but I don't want to fight for wins that aren't right. If I'd known I'd be working on cases like this, I never would've taken the job.
We're in the coffee shop now and the woman in front of us orders a pumpkin latte. It reminds me of last night, and of Raine and that beautiful smile of hers and the soft sound of her laugh.
"Do you think you can get that done before you leave today?" Lisa asks, and I realize I haven't been listening.
"Could you tell me again what you want done? I want to make sure I heard you right."
She sighs. "Wait until we sit down."
Sit down? I thought we were getting coffee, then leaving.
She orders a latte with five shots of espresso. That much caffeine would kill me but she drinks it down as if it's nothing. We sit at a table and she talks nonstop for ten minutes, detailing exactly how she wants the research done, telling me I'll have to redo it if I mess it up.
As we're walking back to the office, Lisa starts in again with her comments about the homeless.
"Look at him," she says pointing to a guy sleeping on the sidewalk. "People have to go out of their way to go around him. It's a public nuisance. I'm about ready to call the police and demand they deal with this."
"What would they do? The guy's not committing a crime."
"Loitering. Begging. Disturbing the peace. I'm sure they could find a suitable cause for arrest." Lisa stops suddenly at a trash can. "EXCUSE me."
There's someone blocking the trash can. A homeless woman. She has her hand all the way in the can, probably searching for food. I can't imagine living that way. Having to find food in the trash. Then having to eat it?
"There's another trash can down there," I say to Lisa, pointing to the one a few feet away.
Lisa ignores me and goes around to the other side of the can, holding her coffee cup up. "I need to throw this away."
The homeless woman slowly stands up. "Go ahead."
Lisa tosses it in the can, then spins around on her heels, nose in the air, and walks off.
"Sorry about that," I say to the homeless woman.
She doesn't respond. As I walk away, I turn back to look at her, stopping suddenly when I see her face.
Holy shit, it's her. The girl from last night.
No. It can't be her. There's no way.
Our eyes meet and it's confirmed. I know those eyes. And I know that face. It's definitely her.
I walk back to her. "Raine?"
She stares at me a moment, then turns and runs off.
"Raine!" I run after her, but then stop. There's no way I'll catch up to her. She's zigzagging through the crowded street so fast I've already lost track of her.
Turning back, I see Lisa waiting at the stoplight, glaring at me while she talks on her phone. I start to walk back, but stop when I see a backpack next to the trash can. I pick it up. It's navy blue and looks familiar. I take a moment to think, and then I remember. The other day, when I was having lunch with Lisa, we saw a homeless girl digging through the trash and putting what she found in a blue backpack that looked exactly like this one. That girl had to have been Raine.
Raine is homeless. I can't even wrap my mind around that. How did this happen? How did she end up like this? And how does she survive?
Last night is suddenly making sense. The reason she didn't want me asking questions. Why she ran off like that?
She didn't want me to know. She hid it from me last night, then said she couldn't see me again. I didn't understand why, but now I do. She didn't want me knowing she's homeless.
When I finally reach Lisa, the walk sign turns on and we cross the street.
"What the hell is that?" Lisa asks, pointing to the backpack.
"That girl left it behind. I didn't want someone to steal it."
"What girl? That disgusting homeless girl? The one blocking the trash can?"
"Just forget it," I mutter, not wanting to argue with her.
"You could get a disease just from touching that."
We go in the building and walk to the elevator.
"You DO know that girls like her are nothing but street whores," Lisa continues as we get in the elevator. I'm trying my best to ignore her but she doesn't stop. "How else do you think she survives? I'm sure she's a beggar, and a thief as well, but selling her body is where the rea
l money's at."
"I have to go," I tell her as we get off on our floor. I go the opposite direction of our desks so I don't have to walk there with her. I seriously can't take another second of her.
I go in an empty conference room and close the door. Setting the backpack on the table, I unzip the main compartment. I probably shouldn't be looking in it but I'm hoping to find something that'll tell me where she stays so I can give this back to her. It's probably her one and only possession and she left it behind. Because of me. Because I scared her, or made her feel ashamed. I hope I didn't do either of those things but I obviously did something to make her run off like that.
The bag is stuffed to capacity and smells bad, like rotting food. The thing must be full of bacteria and yet this is where she stores her food. It's not safe. She could get sick. I'm sure she has, many times.
I pull out a slice of pizza. It's not even wrapped and only half of it is left. She was going to eat this. A half-eaten slice of pizza that was in the garbage. The same garbage people spit in and use to discard their dog poop bags. I shudder just thinking about it.
Continuing to pull stuff out, I find a partially eaten cookie, a half-empty bottle of soda, an apple with a bite taken out of it, an unopened piece of string cheese, and a couple half-empty bags of potato chips. Underneath all the food is a wadded-up rain poncho, a faded blue baseball cap, and some tampons. The outer wrappers of the tampons are covered in dirt, like maybe she found them on the ground.
Next I check the two outer pockets of the backpack. The first one has nothing in it. The other one has a knife. A pocket knife. Probably her only protection.
How does she live this way? How does she survive? Where does she sleep at night? I'm guessing it's close to the coffee shop. That first night I saw her, she came in to use the bathroom. Zoe acted like she does that all the time. And the girl working the register last night said something to Raine about using the bathroom, like she assumed that's why she was there.
It's only two but I want to get out of here and go find her. What if she moved? What if she found a new spot to live, knowing I'd be looking for her? I don't know why she'd do that. I'm not a threat. If anything, I want to help her. It kills me to know she's out there with no food, no place to sleep, no place to shower.
I hope what Lisa said earlier isn't true. I hope Raine hasn't resorted to selling her body to survive. It makes me sick to even think of some disgusting guy touching her. A guy she doesn't like and doesn't want to be with, but has to, in order to eat. That better not be happening.
The conference room door swings open and Devin walks in.
"You're in this meeting?" he asks. "I thought you weren't assigned to the Miller case."
"I'm not." I zip up the backpack and pick it up off the table. "I was just leaving."
"What's that?" He points to the backpack.
"I found it outside." I walk to the door. "See ya."
"What about tonight?" he asks as I'm leaving.
"Can't make it."
Forget about going out for beers. I have to find Raine. I have to give her the backpack and see if she'll let me help her. I'm guessing she won't. She seems like someone who doesn't like accepting help. She didn't even want me buying her that apple fritter. Shit. I ate half of it. I never would've done that if I knew she was homeless. That might've been the only thing she had to eat all day and I ate half.
I go back to my desk and hide the backpack in an empty file cabinet. Lisa's desk, which is right next to mine, is empty. She has meetings until five so I probably won't see her for the rest of the day. I could try to sneak out of here early but I have to get this research done or Lisa will do everything possible to get me fired.
Working harder and faster than I've ever worked, I do all the research she asked for and more, enough to fill three folders, and I get it all done by five. I leave the folders on her desk, then grab the backpack and get out of there.
When I get to my apartment, I change into a t-shirt and jeans then head back out, taking the backpack with me. I'm starving because I missed lunch and haven't had dinner. I usually never go this long without eating but I bet Raine does every day. The food in this backpack isn't enough for three meals. Does she go back at night to find more?
As I'm walking to the coffee shop I search the street for her, looking left and right, around corners and side lots. But I don't see her anywhere.
I go inside the coffee shop. There's a different girl working the register tonight.
"What can I get you?" the girl asks. She looks to be around twenty with black hair and a nose ring.
"Actually, I'm looking for someone." I walk up to the counter. "Do you know a girl named Raine? Dark brown hair. Brown eyes."
"I just started working here this week but the name sounds familiar. Is that the homeless girl? The one who comes in to use the bathroom?"
"Yeah. That's her. Have you seen her?"
"Not today. Why are you looking for her?"
I hold up the backpack. "She left this by my office today. I wanted to give it back to her."
The girl holds her hand out. "I'll take it. I'll give it to her next time she comes in."
"I'd really like to give it to her myself. Do you know where she lives?"
She points to the right. "I think she's out there in the alley. I could be wrong but I always see her walking that way."
"Great! Thanks!" I turn to leave but then turn back. "Do you have any food? Like real food, not just pastries?"
"No. We just have whatever the bakery delivers. It was busy here today so this is all we have left." She picks up a wrapped brownie like I had the other night.
Raine needs real food, not just sugar, but it's better than nothing. If I can get her to agree to go with me, I'll take her to the taco truck down the street. It's not much, but it's close and still open and has actual food, not just sweets.
"I'll take the brownie," I say, getting out my wallet. I pay for it, then race outside and down the street to the alley.
"Raine?" I call out, but nobody's there. The alley is empty except for a heap of stuff piled up by the building. I go over to check it out. On top are some dirty, torn blankets and below them are what looks like a tent. It's hard to tell because it's wadded up and ripped in places.
Shit. She's not here anymore. She's gone. She left because she didn't want to be found.
But I'm not giving up. I have to find her.
7
Raine
He knows. He saw me digging through the trash and now he knows. I knew it'd happen, but I didn't want him to find out that way. Seeing me with my arm in a trash can while some lady yells at me to move so she can toss her cup away? It was humiliating, and when I looked up and saw Miles there, I felt sick. And sad. My dream of going out with this guy, as far-fetched as it was, ended at that moment. I was back to reality. Back to being the homeless girl with dirty clothes and dirty hair. The girl everyone looks at with disgust, like that woman did when she told me to move so she could toss her cup out.
Miles was with her but he didn't share her disgust. Instead, he looked at me with pity, which is almost as bad. I don't need his pity. I'm surviving out here just fine, and it's only temporary. Only until I can find a job and get back on my feet.
Gladys coughs, startling me. Her cough is really bad today, to the point she can barely breathe. I need to take her to the free medical clinic but they close at seven and we have to take a bus to get there. I don't have bus fare so I went to the one person I know who always has cash.
"Levi, I'll pay you back," I say, standing in front of him as he scans the street next to his building. "It isn't that much money and I know you have it."
"Doesn't mean I'll give it to you."
Gladys coughs again as she sits on Levi's lawn chair. It's cold out so I brought a blanket to cover her.
"It's not for me," I say lowering my voice. "It's for Gladys. She's sick. She needs a doctor."
"How you doing?" he says in a flirty tone to a guy w
alking by. The guy ignores him and keeps walking. "Huh. I could've sworn he was giving me a signal when he went by earlier. He just had that look, you know?"
"No. I don't. Now would you stop trying to get a date and listen to me?" I glance at Gladys, who's still hacking away. "She needs a doctor. Her cough is getting worse. I have to get her to the free clinic before they close."
"That's why he didn't stop. It's you and the old lady. Or more like YOU." He points his finger at me.
"Me? I didn't do anything."
"He thinks we're together." He steps back from me. "You just cost me three hundred bucks, maybe more. Did you see the suit that guy was wearing?"
"If you'd just give me the bus money I'd get out of here." I hold my hand out. "Bus money or I stay and ruin your little side business."
"Money won't do you no good."
"What do you mean?"
"The free clinic ain't open. Something about a water leak. Not gonna re-open for a week or two. Your only option is the ER. But good luck getting in there without money or insurance. Leroy tried last week and they turned him away."
Leroy lives one street over. He's been homeless for years and he's always sick.
"What happened to him?"
Levi shrugs. "Nothing. He seems better now. It was probably just the flu. I'm sure the old lady will get better. Just take her back and let her sleep."
"She doesn't have the flu. Something's wrong with her lungs. And she's a lot older than Leroy. She doesn't just get over stuff. She's had this cough for months."
"And she's still alive. She's fine. Just let it go."
"Raine?" Gladys says, getting up from her chair. "Why are we here?"
She's confused. She didn't sleep much last night and when she doesn't sleep, she gets confused.
I walk over to her. "Just a few more minutes, okay? I just need to talk to Levi."
She sits back down and I return to Levi. "I'll take her to the shelter. At least she'll be warm there and hopefully get some sleep. Just give me the bus fare. I promise I'll pay you back."
"You're too late. The shelter don't take people this late. And besides, last I heard they're full and weren't taking anyone new. It's getting cold. Everyone wants in, and the ladies that got kids are gonna get in before you."
Home With You Page 6
