But now I was pregnant, and while I had inherited the Lucazzone estate with all its dark secrets, that only added to the problems I couldn’t run away from. With Nate free and on the loose, I still had to fear for my life. I had to give up on my dreams about a future with Jett.
Come to think of it, there was no sense in believing in an us anymore.
All that mattered now was keeping myself and my child safe, and the only way I could accomplish that was by getting far away from Jett and his family. But to accomplish that, I needed money. Even with my faith in men and in ever finding true love ripped to shreds, I could feel that my discovery was a blessing in disguise. The pain would be temporary, but in the end, the entire situation would serve a greater purpose because I finally knew which path to take.
I opened my handbag in search of the piece of the paper that was my beacon of hope. I had to give Thalia’s job a try, because any job, as long as it paid the bills, was better than none. If only a tenth of Thalia’s claims were true, then I had found a way to get away from here, from him, from everyone—a fresh start. Once everything calmed down, I’d focus on healing my heart and move on from a past that wasn’t worth remembering.
By the time she came, it was dark, and I had been waiting impatiently for almost an hour, my hands frozen in the pockets of my coat as I watched the late afternoon sun disappear. The beautiful Victorian-style lampposts were already switched on, their dull flicker casting an eerie yellow glow on the asphalted street. Central Park was magically beautiful, both during the day and at night. I usually avoided parks after dark, but today I was making an exception. To kill time as I waited for Thalia, I had walked around the southern half of the park. I had assumed it would be devoid of life at that hour, but to my surprise, clusters of people had gathered here and there, walking or jogging, immersed in their lives, probably struggling with their own demons.
After what seemed like an eternity, a car finally pulled over. From a distance, I spied Thalia getting out, right where we had arranged to meet. I waved to get her attention, then walked over.
Even under the weak illumination from the lampposts, I could see that the car was a scrambled mess with clutter all over the passenger and back seat. Never in my life had I met anyone so chaotic—except for Sylvie, when she was about to pack her suitcase and couldn’t decide on what to take with her. It was as if Thalia had practically been living in her car; for all I knew, she had been.
“Jesus. What happened to you?” Thalia slammed the car door and turned to regard me. Her voice betrayed a worrying edge as she eyed me up and down. “Your lips are all blue, and you’re freezing.” She pulled my hands into hers and shivered as if to prove her point.
My tongue flicked over my numb lips. I hadn’t realized my physical appearance would so easily give away the way I felt. Granted, I didn’t have a mirror, so I had no clue how I looked. But surely it couldn’t be that bad, apart from a bit of smudged mascara. I absent-mindedly smoothed my hair and smiled.
“It’s not as bad as you think.”
Deep worry lines creased her forehead, signaling that she didn’t believe me. “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked quietly, after a pause.
Great. Just great.
I figured I must really look like crap, which wasn’t ideal, given the fact that I was supposed to go on a job interview. I should have changed at Sylvie’s place. Or maybe not as, I thought, remembering why I’d decided against it in the first place: I couldn’t deal with her questions, nor did I have the energy to recall all that had happened or, worse yet, acknowledge my mistakes and whatever hard facts I needed to accept.
“I’d rather not.” Swallowing hard, I shot her a shy look. “I just had a crappy day, that’s all.”
“I don’t mean to be pushy,” Thalia said. “I’ve been told I’m a good listener, and I just want you to know I’m here to talk whenever you feel like it.”
I shot her warm smile. “I appreciate that, but I’m not ready. Sorry. Maybe another time?”
“All right.” She eyed me one last time before she sighed. “I brought coffee. Figured you might want one.” She inclined her head toward the car, signaling that she was about to change the subject. “Sorry I kept you waiting. I had to clean the floor after my shift.”
“No problem. I’m just really grateful you’re offering to take me along.”
“You really need this job, huh?” Thalia pointed around the car impatiently, a sign that she wanted to leave. I walked around and slid into the passenger seat.