Page 117 of Hale Damage
“Oh, would you like me to start from the beginning?” she asks, and without waiting for my answer, she launches into it. “First of all, when I asked for a divorce, he got me fired from the bank where we both worked. Claimed I was making it ahostile work environment.”A sneer forms on her lower face at those last three words.
“I barely even saw Roger at work, so that’s complete bullshit. And when I got home from being fucking fired, he was out back, burning all my clothes and my favorite purse in the burn barrel. Then…” she says, raising one finger in the air, “I grabbed a few things I could salvage from my drawers and went to stay at my friend’s house for the night. When I came back the next day to get the rest of my stuff, Twatface had changed all the locks.”
“So Twatface has all your things, and you want them back,” I surmise. “You know you can get the police to escort you to the house to get them, right?”
“Oh, I’ve tried multiple times, but he won’t agree to a time because he’s too busy spending my money. I’ve driven down to Galveston unannounced a few times, but somehow he’s conveniently not there when I arrive, even after work.”
My mind mulls that over. “Do you think maybe he’s tracking your phone and just leaves when he sees you’re heading that way?”
Mindy’s eyes almost pop out of her head. “Shit, we did have location sharing. I didn’t even think of that.” She grabs her phone, and a second later says, “Fixed it.”
Something else she said niggles at me. “What was that about him spending your money?”
Her pretty face turns murderous. “I had money in a savings account, which I’d been saving for years to open my own bakery one day. He drained that account and our checking.”
Yeah, Twatface Roger needs his ass kicked. I rub the vein in my temple that is attempting to burst through the skin. “What does your lawyer say about all this?”
Mindy averts her gaze and picks up a cookie, sinking her teeth into the softness of vanilla, butter, and lemon. “I was just able to rehire her recently because my check bounced the first time. That’s how I found out my accounts were empty.”
Jesus fucking hell. She’s been dealing with all this shit, as well as a fucking grumpy boss—who happens to be me, by the way—and doing it with her head held high? I’m a bit in awe of this woman.
“And does she think you’ll get your money back?”
A small smile crests her lips. “Yes, she’s pretty sure I will. She was able to trace all the deposits and can prove they were all made by me. We’re also going after half the house since I paid half the mortgage payments. I talked to her early this morning, and she’s hoping everything will be finalized by the end of December.”
I can’t say that doesn’t give me a little thrill. “Well, that sounds like everything is on track. You’ll be done with Twatface in a couple of weeks.”
That’s when her chin wobbles and a tear finally makes an escape over one lower eyelid. And I swear, this woman can shatter my soul with one tiny droplet of salty fluid.
“He… he…” Her voice is a trembling leaf in a hurricane, and I take her coffee and cookie, setting them aside before reaching for her hand.
“Take your time, Mindy.”
She clutches my hand like a lifeline. “I don’t know if you remember, but I have a salt and pepper shaker collection.”
My brain takes me back to the memories of that night in the Waffle Ho when her face lit up at the mention of her collection.
“I remember. A lot of them belonged to your grandmother.” She nods, and something hard and hot lands in my stomach. “Did that asshole destroy them?”
Mindy shakes her head and swallows hard, obviously trying to control her emotions. “No, thank god, but my lawyer just received information from Roger’s attorney. He sold them.”
And that’s when she breaks. She’s been so fucking strong through all this shit she’s been enduring, but the loss of her legacy is too much for her to bear, and her face crumples.
“Come here,” I say softly, pulling her into my chest. Her arms wrap around me, and she sobs as I murmur into her hair that it will be okay, though I know it won’t.
Rubbing my hand up and down her back, I selfishly inhale the scent of her, letting it invade my veins with its sweetness.
After a few minutes, she pulls away, swiping at the makeup left on my suit jacket. “I’m so sorry. I made a mess of you.”
If that isn’t the truest fucking statement I’ve ever heard, though not in the way she thinks. “It’s fine. I’m just worried about you.” I remove my handkerchief from my pocket and dab at her gorgeous, reddened face.
“Thank you, and I’m sorry I unloaded all that on you.”
“Stop apologizing,” I growl, swiping away some makeup from beneath her eye. “Why don’t you go home for the rest of the day?”
Mindy looks horrified at the thought. “God no. Then I would just sit there and stew.” Her nose crinkles. “It’s best to stay busy or else I might cook up a plan that would inevitably get me arrested.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, let’s try to avoid any incarceration. Do you have any idea who Twatface sold your collection to?”
