“I did buy a bed,” she assured her, deciding to save her the trouble of reading her. “But it won’t be delivered until nextweek. The sleeping bag is just a temporary solution until it arrives.”
“Or you could stay here until it arrives,” Marguerite suggested at once. “We are more than happy to have you stay, Ildaria.In fact, I have enjoyed your company and will be sorry to see you go.”
Ildaria had spent her life on the run, keeping barriers between herself and others by necessity. Both to keep herself safe, and to keep others safe as well. But her situation had changed, and at those sweet words from Marguerite, a woman she liked and respected, Ildaria felt some of those shields collapse and her heart go a little mushy. It made her smile, and she instinctively hugged the woman as she said, “And I’ve enjoyed being here. You and Julius and furry Julius are wonderful.” Releasing Marguerite, she stepped back and added, “But I’ll feel better in my own place. I—I’m not used to leaning on others.”
“I understand.” Marguerite patted her shoulder gently. “But that is what family is for, Ildaria, and I now consider you family.Please remember that in the future, especially if you need anything. Anything at all,” she added firmly.
Ildaria swallowed a sudden lump in her throat, and nodded before managing to get out a husky “I will.”
“Good.” Marguerite nodded. “Then I shall go search for the sleeping bag and—”
“You don’t have to do that,” Ildaria interrupted, not wanting to put her out. “Just tell me where to look and I’ll—”
“You,” Marguerite interrupted firmly, “will go ahead and drive over to the Night Club. You have a lot of stuff to unpack andput away before work. I’ll find the sleeping bag and follow. I should like to see this apartment anyway. We can have tea.”
“Oh. Si, of course.” Ildaria smiled crookedly and nodded, but she was thinking she would have to stop at the grocery store on the way. Food was something she’d neglected during her shopping spree. Fortunately, she still had a little money left, certainly enough to buy tea, sugar, and milk. Maybe some cookies too. Maybe, she’d even have enough left over for bread and peanut butter to eat until her first paycheck, Ildaria thought as she gave Marguerite a distracted parting wave and headed out to her car.
Thinking of her first paycheck from the Night Club had her recalling that it was almost Friday, which was payday at the part-timewaitressing job she’d managed to get and the only reason she had the money she’d just spent. Which, in turn, made her realizethat she hadn’t yet given her notice there and she was scheduled for an afternoon shift the next day.
That wasn’t so bad, Ildaria decided. She could manage the shift and still make it to her job at the Night Club on time. Butshe’d have to give them notice . . . and spend her break switching any evening shifts they’d scheduled her for with someonewho had day shifts so that she could finish out the standard two weeks. The manager there was a good person, she didn’t wantto just leave her high and dry with no time to hire a replacement. Unfortunately, that would mean a lot of hours working betweenthe two places for the next two weeks, but she could handle it. Besides, it would give her more money for food. Somethingshe was much more interested in now that she’d met G.G. Her flagging appetite had returned. If she was lucky, she might evenmake enough in tips to buy a chair or something to sit on besides the bed.
That had her smiling faintly as she got in her old silver Ford Fusion. It had belonged to Jess’s deceased parents. Jess had let her use it to get to school and her job and such when she’d first moved in with her, and then had sold it to her cheap when Ildaria had scraped enough money together to buy it.
Ildaria loved her car.
It was old, at least ten years, but it was in great shape, and worked well. Judging by the mileage on it, Jess’s parents hadn’thad it long before they’d died. She suspected it had been left to sit in the garage between then and when Jess had given itto her to use. Whatever the case, it hadn’t given her a lick of trouble since she’d bought it, and it gave her the freedomto go where she needed to go.
Right now her car was stuffed with her television and the shopping bags holding all the things she’d bought today. The frontpassenger seat was the only available space for the groceries she planned to get on the way to her new apartment.
Her new apartment.
Just thinking the words made Ildaria smile. She knew she was rushing it moving in this quickly and with absolutely no furniture.Certainly, continuing to stay with Marguerite and Julius would have been more comfortable.
But she was desperate for a home of her own. A place where she wasn’t beholden to others. Ildaria hated that feeling. It wasprobably her worst flaw. She’d rather go hungry and sleep on a cold, hard floor than accept charity, and kind and sweet asMarguerite and Julius had been to her, she was still very conscious of the fact that she was residing in their home, a charitycase. At least to her mind.
Pulling on her seat belt, Ildaria started the engine, and headed off, mentally working out how much money she had left and what she could afford to buy with it. In the end, she was able to buy tea, cream, sugar, bread, peanut butter, and even some bakery cookies to serve with the tea. She still had no idea where she and Marguerite would sit while they had it, but was hoping G.G. would let her borrow a
