4. Vivi

four

vivi

The moment I stepped out of the call center Friday night, I felt it again.

A sensation I couldn't seem to shake, no matter what I tried. Like someone was watching me.

I looked around but didn't see anyone or anything out of place. Everyone was hurrying to their cars to get home. There was a group of women who I'd overheard in the break room liked to hang out after work. They hit up different happy hours.

I'm being ridiculous. Who would watch me?

I wasn't particularly interesting, and in the looks department, I wasn't some kind of drop-dead gorgeous bombshell. I was no one in the big scheme of things.

But the day before, I'd stepped onto the bus and felt it. I looked around, but nothing had seemed off, so I'd brushed it off. But then it happened again on the way home, and then in the morning.

A part of me had wanted to mention it to Nix when we talked on the phone, but what was I going to say? I think someone is following me? It would have sounded like I was being dramatic. But all too quickly, our conversation changed direction, and I had forgotten all about it. And by the time we hung up, it had vanished from my mind.

I had all of five minutes between the moment I got out of work to the bus if I didn't want to get stuck waiting an hour for the next one.

No. Tired was putting it mildly.

I was exhausted and looking forward to the weekend off more than I had looked forward to anything in a long time. That's not true either , a voice perked up in the back of my head, making me smile the moment I reached the front door to my apartment.

Nix. Nix was what I looked forward to the most since he'd sent that text by accident.

Nix and his deep voice that felt like a touch through the line and made me feel safer and sexier than I could have ever imagined anyone making someone else feel. I loved romance novels, but I never thought anyone could ever coax certain feelings from me.

But he did.

Nix was sweet and caring. Attentive and funny. Sexy and dominating and bossy in the best of ways.

And a total and complete stranger.

I rolled my eyes as I opened my door and stepped into my apartment. Then something made me stop. I hadn't had time to return after my shift cleaning the firehouse since I was the only one there instead of the two or three people my cousin usually scheduled as a team. I didn't mind it because she had messaged I would be getting paid double time.

Thankfully, I always carried an emergency outfit in my purse.

A simple wrap dress that rolled up easily and didn't wrinkle, along with black flats that had seen better days but worked in a pinch. After getting ready, I'd taken the bus directly to the call center and had arrived almost two hours early.

I needed a car.

The bus got me where I needed to go, but it was hard with schedules and making sure I made it to places on time. But I didn't want a car note. That meant saving and working for my cousin at night to buy a used car cash and pray my insurance wasn't an arm and a leg. Soon.

I looked around my apartment and frowned.

Something felt off.

Different.

I breathed in, about to shrug it off to me being paranoid, when something hit my nose and my eyes fluttered shut. There was a spicy, almost woodsy scent in the air. Something I didn't recognize but somehow felt familiar. But as quickly as it drifted into my nose it was gone, and I was almost positive I was being weird. I shut and locked the door behind me and kicked off my flats, ignoring the ache in my feet. I needed to look into insoles for them. The ones that had come with them were worn out. If I were just wearing them in the office, it wouldn' t be so bad. But I had to walk half a mile to the bus stop and another to my place.

I unclipped my bow and set it on the counter then moved through the kitchen to make something to eat. After I'd cooked up a bowl of soup, I settled in front of the TV, grateful I didn't have a cleaning shift. The Golden Girls played while I ate and giggled at their snarky remarks as if I didn't know them by heart, when my phone pinged. Butterflies started to wake up in my belly.

I set my almost empty bowl on the coffee table and picked up my cell.

Jenna: Thank you so much for cleaning the firehouse today! I know it couldn't have been easy! Any chance you could do the police station tomorrow? Precinct Twenty-two?

Precinct Twenty-two. I blinked and chewed on my bottom lip. That was where I'd seen that detective who popped up in my head more than I wanted to admit. The one I felt guilty for picturing when I thought about what Nix might look like.

"You're lame," I muttered to myself as my fingers started to work over the keyboard. Who cared what I imagined Nix to look like. I was almost certain that was soon coming to an end. I needed to put some space between us. It was clear the guy wasn't interested. He hadn't even suggested we meet in real life, even after we talked dirty and listened to one another come.

Me: I can do that! By myself, or will there be a team?

I pressed Send and hoped there would at least be one other person to work with because even though I preferred working on my own, I had the weekend off, so I wanted to be finished with the shift as quickly as possible.

Jenna: On your own. I promise I am trying to hire new people. If you know of anyone, let me know. I lost three to Mister Tidy last month.

Mister Tidy was her competition and, from what I had understood, a major pain in my cousin's butt.

Me: No worries. I can do it. Same rate as today?

I sent and crossed my fingers. Double time helped a lot. If I got it, I was going to splurge and eat out twice this weekend. Sometimes a girl just needed to treat herself.

Jenna: Yes! Double time and a $100 stipend. Sound good? I'll try to swing by and help, but I have two banks to clean, so I might not make it till about three.

Me: Don't worry about it. I got it! I'll text you when it's finished, and you can Zelle me.

Jenna: Thank you so much! You're a lifesaver! I don't know what I'd do without you.

Me: Anytime. You know it! And try to rest.

I knew my cousin; she was working herself ragged. I worked two jobs, but Jenna never stopped.

She had hustled and worked hard to make her small cleaning company what it was. My aunt had cleaned homes for a living but had always struggled to make ends meet. Before she passed away, Jenna started her company and was determined to make it a success. Slowly but surely, word of mouth spread like a California wildfire, and she had landed one big account after another.

Until Mister Tidy showed up and started problems I wasn't sure I totally understood. But Jenna was annoyed by the owner. Some billionaire tech guy's son who liked to surf.

Or at least that's how she liked to describe him.

Whatever the case, he rubbed my cousin the wrong way, and I could only imagine how much worse it was now if she had lost three of her employees to him.

I got up and stretched, groaning at the pull of the muscles in my lower back. Everything hurt. I was sore from head to toe. Cleaning at the firehouse and then sitting at the call center had screwed with my back. As much as I wanted to stay up and wait to see if Nix called, I needed a long, hot shower to help loosen my muscles, or I would definitely pay for it tomorrow.

I put my bowl in the sink and grabbed a glass of water before heading to my bedroom. Setting my glass on my dresser, I moved through my space as I pulled my dress off and grabbed a towel and a set of pajamas from my dresser, when that scent I smelled earlier drifted into my nose again.

And again, I closed my eyes and breathed it in as I tried to force all my other senses to quiet down as I inhaled and exhaled slowly. The scent felt like it clung heavier in my bedroom. Like it was more potent somehow. Woodsy and spicy. Deliciously masculine.

Was I losing it? Smelling things that weren't there?

Or… or had someone been in my home?

The thought sent a shiver down my spine. An ugly one that made me wrap the towel I'd grabbed around my body even though I was alone. When I breathed in again, the masculine scent was gone, and I frowned. Suddenly, my phone rang. The sound made me jump.

"Shit." I grabbed it and answered before I could see who it was.

"Hello?" I whispered, trying to shake off the sliver of fear that still clung to me.

"Hey, bad time?" Lana's raspy voice made my shoulders slump forward.

"No, never."

"You sure? You sound… out of breath? Winded?" she guessed. I was shaking my head even though she couldn't see me.

"I was about to head to take a shower and had to run to my phone," I explained, trying to shake off the paranoid feelings.

"Gotcha! Well, I won't keep you long. I was just wondering…" There was a pause, and I blinked.

Lana never paused.

Lana lived boldly and never stopped to think about the consequences. I glanced at the screen to make sure I hadn't lost her.

"Lana Banana? You still there?"

"I'm here." she muttered. "I was wondering if maybe you know if Jen was hiring?"

"Hiring?" I repeated and frowned. "Wait, for who?"

"For me," she huffed. My eyes widened. Lana was more than okay financially. She managed her own graphic design company and worked from home. "Okay, so don't freak out… but I kinda got in a fender bender."

"Lana!" I gasped.

"I'm fine! I promise you I'm fine! Everything is okay."

"You sure?"

"I promise. You know I would never lie about that."

"Okay, but wait, what about the other guy?"

"He's more than fine," she said under her breath. My lips twitched.

"What?" I asked with a half chuckle.

"Nothing," she huffed. "I just… I have a high deductible and was wondering if you knew if she was hiring before I called her tomorrow morning."

"She's looking. But if it's just for the deductible, you know I could always let you borrow?—"

"Nope. I don't think so, Viv," she cut me off. I rolled my eyes even though her answer didn't surprise me. Lana was fiercely independent.

"Lana—"

"Viv, I'm serious. That money you're saving is for a car. I'm not letting you spend it."

"But what if?—"

"No."

"Fine," I huffed. I'd figure out a way to help her out later. "Just make sure you let her know you have an end goal, so she knows you're not a permanent hire."

Not that I thought Jenna would.

Lana and Jen knew each other. They were both small business owners, and I looked up to them.

"Thanks," she whispered, almost like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "I'll call her tomorrow."

"Okay, sounds good. Everything else okay?"

"Other than Mom freaking out because my car's a wreck? Yeah." Even though it wasn't the best of news, I could still hear Lana's smile in her voice. "Everything will be okay," she reassured me, but I could hear the worry in her voice.

"It will be," I promised. "I know you said no, but you ever change your mind, the money is there, Lan."

"Viv—" she started to say, but I quickly cut her off.

"I know. And I get it. But it's there. I know how busy you get with your business, and I don't want you to get behind when I can help you."

"Viv—"

"How many times have you helped me?"

"That's not the point."

"But it is. We've been friends forever, Lana Banana," I whispered. "If I can help, I'm here. Not hesitations or ifs or buts."

"Vivian Delacruz, you are too sweet for your own good."

"You helped me with the deposit for this place and didn't blink an eye when it took me three months to pay you back."

"We're family," she pointed out, and I smiled because Lana had just made my point for me.

"Exactly. We're family. And family helps each other out. Plus, it's just money." And I meant it. I knew Lana would pay me back eventually if she took the loan, and it wasn't like I needed it right in that moment anyhow. I still hadn't really decided what kind of car I wanted or if I should actually do it. I liked the idea of owning my own vehicle, but it came with a lot of expenses I wasn't sure I wanted to take on.

"Do you mind if I think about it?"

"Nope. Either way, it's just sitting there."

"Okay. Thank you. You know I love you, Viv."

"I love you, too. Talk soon?"

"Yeah, sounds good. Maybe we can get together next weekend for dinner at Mom's?" she suggested, and I agreed because I loved having dinner with Lana and her mom.

We hung up, and just as I was about to head to the bathroom, my phone rang again. I answered immediately thinking it was Lana.

"Make up your mind about the money?" I laughed, assuming Lana had dialed me back.

"What money?" a deep voice asked, and just like that, my heart skipped a beat.

"Oh, umm…" My face felt hot, and other parts of me felt hotter. "Sorry, I thought you were Lana."

"Your best friend?" he asked, and everything inside me turned to mush. All because he remembered my best friend's name. I am that easy.

"Yeah," I confirmed, and he grunted.

"How was your day?" he asked, and I shrugged even though he couldn't see me.

"It was…" I didn't want to complain. He probably had a rough day, too. "A day." I smiled, suddenly feeling a little more energized. The exhaustion of the last twenty-four hours started to slowly fade away.

"You work too much," he muttered. I sat on the edge of my bed, the towel still wrapped around me.

"Maybe, but I have the weekend off," I reminded him, hoping he'd maybe get the hint and ask about meeting. When he didn't, it felt like a kick to the gut.

And it was the reality check I needed.

"Yeah, I still don't like it. When do you get to rest, kitten?" Even though I could hear the concern in his voice, I knew what I had to do. I didn't want to, but I needed to put some distance between us.

"Here and there." I sighed as I stood up .

This whole thing was crazy.

Ridiculous.

It was all getting too be too much and yet not enough. I wanted things from a man I had never actually met. A man I could walk right past on the street and not recognize. "Listen, I have to work both jobs tomorrow?—"

"I thought you were off this weekend?" Even though my poor stupid heart wished it meant he wanted to meet, I couldn't let myself believe it.

"I do, but my cousin called and asked if I could do a shift tomorrow at the police precinct."

"Precinct?" he repeated as I walked to my bathroom. The closer I got to it, the better my chances were to find the guts to hang up and shower instead of lying in bed and talking to him all night long.

"Yeah, Twenty- two. The one downtown. I've been there once, before you texted me, actually."

"Really."

"Yeah. It's not a bad place to clean. It's kinda big, but at night it's a little…"

"What?"

"Creepy?" I shook my head. "No, that's not the right word." My nose squished up. "It's …" It's where that hot cop was. "It's just empty during the late night. Last time I was there…" I saw the most beautiful man I'd ever met?

No, I couldn't say that to Nix.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's not important. Anyhow, I have to clean it tomorrow, and it's more than likely I'll be doing it on my own."

"Your cousin needs to hire more employees. "

"She's trying. But it's okay. I get a nice little stipend and extra hourly."

"Right," he muttered.

"Anyhow, I should go," I quickly said, trying to rip the bad news off like a Band-Aid.

"Go?" he repeated. My mouth was suddenly dry.

"Yeah," I answered softly. "I really need a shower and?—"

"Want me to call you after?"

"Umm…" I licked my lips.

I wanted him to call me.

I loved talking to him.

The sound of his voice soothed me and made me feel so many beautiful things, things I wasn't used to. But I knew if I talked to him tonight, it was just going to be harder for me this weekend when I tried to ignore his calls. I needed some space from my velvet-voiced stranger. The whole thing was messing with my head, though if I thought it had a chance of going somewhere, I'd see it through .

Coward, a voice whispered in my head. Nix scared me. I didn't know a lot about him, but in a weird way I felt like I did. Like maybe I knew him better than people in his real life did.

Real life. The cynical, jaded part of me spoke up. Real life is what mattered, and he hadn't tried to meet or get to know me on a different level.

"I think I need to get some sleep." The words tasted bitter on my tongue the moment I said them out loud.

"Sleep?" he repeated gravely.

"Yeah, I'm tired and… "

"You trying to shake me off, kitten?" I frowned.

"I don't know what you?—"

"Don't play with me, baby."

"Nix, it's just… what is this?" I blurted out and immediately wished a big black hole would suck me up and take me away. "I just mean, is this something you do?"

"I do?"

"You know, the whole try out texting random phone numbers to get to know someone?"

"Vivi, breathe for me."

"No. I thought this was… but you know what, forget it. Don't answer the whole what is this question because I'm being ridiculous." I am such a dork!

"Viv—"

"I gotta go. Maybe we can talk next week or something."

And without overthinking, I ended the call.

I stared at the screen while my heart raced. I'd done it. I'd put distance between me and the most interesting thing I'd had in my life.

I could go back to my routine.

It might be boring, but I knew what to expect from it. Not boring, stable, I corrected, yet it didn't help my mood as I dragged myself to the shower.