"You mean it was like this when you got home?"
Christ on a cracker.
"I believe that is mentioned in the Police Report. Along with pictures that were taken by Detectives that are, as I said, still actively working the case."
Ms. Morgan, the Agent, pulled out the file and began reading and reviewing whatever was in there.
I work with people all day long that have made an appointment to see me.
I schedule, or actually Caitlin or Krista schedules, the clients with fifteen minutes between each so that I can document what needs to be done and/or review the documentation for the next client.
Before
they actually walk in the door.
And, I never keep my clients waiting.
So I stood there and watched as Ms. Morgan reviewed the file, casting her gaze around the destruction of my front room and compared it to the 'crime scene' photos that were taken.
At long last, she took out a writing pad and began going through the apartment notating, going back to her briefcase for a measuring tape, one of the big kind they use in construction.
She measured the frame of the couch and the size of the bed.
She measured the chairs, the barstools and all the rest.
I had offered to give her the receipts for each of the major purchases that give you the size, etc.
But she waved me away.
That’s right.
Waved me away.
So I backed up a couple of paces and let her do her…uhm…job.
"Well, I think I've got it all. I'll have to go back to the office and write up my report. You do understand that due to age and depreciation you will not receive a reimbursement for the full purchase price."
She sniffed.
Ms. Morgan actually did the Barney Fife sniff.
The officious sniff that sets people like her from people like me.
Cool.
I'll take anything that will make me less like her.
"What, then, is the next step in the process?" I asked.
"As I explained earlier, I'm simply the Agent. My report will have to go to two more levels before any sort of reimbursement may or may not be granted."
"What does that mean?"
"Ms…ah…Gibson. This is not a matter that can be reviewed and resolved in a matter of hours. Oh, dear, no. We take our stewardship very seriously yada-yada-yada.
I tuned out.
I gave her a chance by asking a question regarding the next step in the process and got nowhere.
"So, where am I supposed to be staying Ms. Morgan? As you can see, my apartment is uninhabitable. According to what I read in my policy, there is to be some sort of compensation immediately available in the event the residence cannot be lived in."
I kept going, flipping through my copy of the renter's insurance explanation of benefits and showing her the highlighted portion as it applies to my case.
You want to dazzle me with policy and procedures ?
Bring it.
I read and understand tax codes for a freaking living.
Go ahead, talk about your policy and procedure crap.
Needless to say, we were not BFF's by the time Ms. Morgan was leaving.
And, of course, I couldn't let it lie.
I asked for her card.
And asked for the name and phone number of her immediate superior.
I let her get herself out the heavy front door while I turned away to lock up my apartment.
I heard Crys in my head
again
.
'And the horse you rode in on.'
*.*.*.*.*
I was in line at Buxby's when I felt a tap on my shoulder.
"Hey, Paul. How are you?"
"Good, good. You're dressed kind of casual for a work day," Paul said. He always seemed to notice my clothes which, in the past, was flattering.
"Took the day off so I could get some stuff done."
"I'd like to see you again. Saturday night okay for you?" He said with a smile. That killer smile.
Shit.
I needed to tell him. But I wanted to tell him without an audience and without telling him it was Ram that I was dating exclusively.
"Paul? I'm, uhm, seeing someone else. We've, ah, agreed not to date other people."
I watched as he blinked a couple of times.
Then he moved his unfocused eyes around the coffee shop before they made it back to me.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Mari."
"I know, Paul."
"I thought we had…" he stopped. "I'm glad for you."
That's not what his face said.
"Thanks, Paul," I said softly.
"But if this doesn't work out, you'll call me, right?"
I tried to smile but all I could do was grin. I hated to tell him that I didn't see him 'that' way.
"I appreciate that," was the best I could do.
He pulled me in for a one-arm hug and I let him.
"Still friends?" I asked softly.
"Always," I heard him murmur as he released me.
His phone rang at the same time I heard my name being called.
"Gotta take this, Mari."
"See you, Paul."
"Marianne! How nice to see you," the very handsome Niko said.
Aw, geez.
When it rains, it freaking pours.
Niko glanced over his shoulder at Paul who had stepped away to take his call.
"Hello, Niko. How are you?"
I glanced at Paul who was shooting eye-arrows at Niko's back.
Niko took my hand and raised it to his lips as he stared deeply into my eyes.
Oh, this kid is good! An eye stare, with those light blue eyes framed with the thick eyelashes, as he kisses your hand?
Wow.
Just, wow.
When he raised his head, I got the one-dimple, killer smile that slowly moved across his face.
A smile that should be against the law.
"How nice we have run into each other." Even his voice was killer.
I just smiled, afraid how my voice would sound if I spoke.
"I am busy this week, Marianne, but I would like to see you on Saturday night."
What was it about Saturday night? I already had plans with Ram yet I get offers from two other men, gorgeous men, in the space of five minutes.
"I'm sorry, Niko. I have plans."
He pressed the hand he was still holding against his chest. For the record? I could feel muscles, hard muscles, underneath his shirt.
"I am disappointed," he said, his voice low as he took a half-step toward me.
Oh, shit.
This kid is very, very good.
"I've told you before that I'm seeing someone."
"And I've told you that I'm very persistent."
His low voice combined with the hot eye stare could definitely be construed as foreplay.
Luckily, Paul chose exactly that moment to say goodbye which helped break the spell that Niko had woven. Or should I say, was weaving?
Okay, my brain was fried if I was standing there thinking about word choices with two hot guys in front of me.
"Niko, this is Detective Paul Adler. Paul, Niko."
"We know each other," Niko said his smile slipping from his face.
"Yeah, we know each other," Paul repeated, giving Niko a hard look. "I've got to take off, Mari."
"It was nice to see you, Paul," I said. Which got
me
a hard look before Paul did a chin lift and left.
"It was nice to see you, Niko."
"And you as well."
I turned and left the coffee shop.
And it wasn't until I was halfway to Aunt Estella's house that I realized I hadn't even got my coffee.
Chapter Twenty Three
Girl's Night at Leila's!
I had been looking forward to this all week.
We'd so much fun together shopping and I was hoping it would be even more fun without the restrictions of public behavior. Although, on second thought, Crys seemed to act the same way no matter
where
she happened to be.
I had arranged to pickup Caitlin so we could ride together and sent her a text that I was waiting for her in the car outside the house.
The front door opened with Caitlin half-turned back, saying something to Jake. But, whatever she said must've been good, because I saw two manly arms go around her waist and then the door swung almost shut.
When she made it out onto the porch, Jake followed her out and they shared a brief kiss and hug before I saw them put their foreheads together.
It occurred to me that Ram and I did something similar except we talked with our lips just touching.
I got a full body rush just remembering the feel of his lips on mine.
Jake gave a wave my way as he watched his girl get into my car. And I remembered what Sara had told me. I couldn't put the 'Jake' she spoke of together with the man standing on the porch.
Except she had been right, very right, about one thing.
Jake was gorgeous.
"Hey, you," I said with a smile. "Glad you were able to get out of the house. Thought I was going to have to go alone after seeing the front door action."
Caitlin shot me a look as she fastened her seatbelt.
"Guess we'll have to make a point telling you the time we're supposed to meet fifteen minutes
earlier
than the actual time."
"Let me know when you're done," she said her face towards her passenger window.
I couldn't help my laughter, especially when she joined in.
We talked of our week, since we never got a chance to really speak even though she worked afternoons in my office.
Caitlin talked about the small changes she was making around Jake's house to make it into their home.
I told her about the Insurance Agent's visit, which made her laugh again. And of Ram's suggestion that I order my furniture from his brother Ajit who owned AMP Furnishings. He said that Ajit would swing a discount for me.
"Does Paul know you're dating Ram?"
"Uh, no, not specifically. But I did tell him that I couldn't date him anymore. I just didn't give him the name. Luckily, he didn't ask."
Caitlin gave a sharp bark of laughter at the 'didn't ask' portion of my explanation.
We were just getting out of the car when we saw Crys and a good-looking man making their way up Leila's porch. Leila had said that we didn't need to bring anything, but I had made individual cheesecakes using Auntie's cupcake pan.
The last time I'd been at Leila's I had been too wound up to notice anything. It was an old Arts & Crafts style home with the long porch and two big picture windows flanking the front door.
There was already a lot of laughter coming from the door when Caitlin and I followed Crys and her friend in.
I glanced at Cait who, like me, already had a smile going.
"This should be fun," she whispered.
I couldn't agree more.
Leila had pulled out all the stops, her breakfast bar ladened with beautiful trays of different finger foods and a selection of white or red wine. She had lit the fire and had music playing softly in the background.
Cait and I were introduced to Frank who, for some odd reason, was called Frank-kay by Leila and Crys. He was very good-looking with his sun-kissed hair and bronzed skin.
Cait asked him if he had been on a beach recently and he laughed really hard.
"Frank-kay loves his tanning bed," Crys said bumping up against him.
"My partner, Stan, bought me a tanning bed last year," he explained with a grin. "Giving away all my secrets, baby-girl?"
Okay, that explains what a man was doing at a girl's party.
Cait caught my eye and smiled.
We all moved into the living room, where the main focus was the fireplace. We were just settling in when Cait decided to mix things up.
"We're dying to know, Marianne. Who's gonna win your heart. Ram or Paul?"
I gave her my version of the look she'd given me back in the car when I was teasing her about keeping me waiting.
"Girl, that Ram is fine!" I heard Frank say and all of us, including Crys, nodded our heads. It was true. My boyfriend is very, very fine.
"You haven't seen Paul's smile, though." Cait challenged. "His smile turns a regular hot guy into a smoking hot guy."
"You're really dating two guys?" Crys asked blinking her heavily mascaraed eyes at me.
Shit.
I didn't say anything, hoping that the subject would change and change fast.
But Leila got in on the action with her, "C'mon, Marianne, spill it."