Page 26 of Duty

Just like that, the issue was done and resolved. Maria was quick to skip off out of the kitchen with her sparkly pony backpack on her back, and her pretty white shoes clicking against hardwood the whole way.

Haven gave her friend a smile. “Kids?”

It was their way of explaining things that sometimes didn’t need much more of an explanation other than a single word to say it all. A lot of the time, that’s how it was with Maria and any issue that came up.

Kids were kids.

And kids did kid-like things.

Valeria nodded. “Yeah, chica, kids.”

Haven laughed. “You hungry?”

She gestured at the spread of food she had made for supper—porkchops, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables with gravy. It wasn’t much, but it was the best she could pull off after a run, and little time.

“I could eat,” Valeria said. “But you’re not dressed for home—more like the club.”

Haven glanced down at her skin-tight black leather pants, the flimsy crop top that showcased the tattoos on her stomach, and shrugged.

“Got a call earlier. Rita had an emergency. I need to go in and handle the bar since she won’t be in, and no one else can take it … unless you want to, of course?”

Haven put that offer to her friend as though she were dangling something sweet and juicy. It was the look on Valeria’s face that told her the answer.

“I would, but …” Tipping her head toward the door, Valeria said, “I have to take my days off for her when I can get them.”

“Yeah, I know.”

And it wasn’t like Haven would ask for anything different, either. Not from her friend. Valeria was a good mom that way.

Valeria made a face. “Sorry.”

“It is what it is, right? Hazard of being the owner and manager. I need to step up where others fall short, or plan for this.”

“Chica, you don’t even take days off,” Valeria replied, grabbing plates from the cupboard, and setting them on the counter. “Like … ever.”

“I try to take days off. It just rarely ever works out that way for me.”

“You should let Jackson hire another manager so you can step back a little from everything. Or even a temp one, Haven. Anything.”

The thought of that actually turned her stomach. It made her sick, and anxious, and nothing fucking good. What if they screwed up? What if her lack of attention and care for the business her father had struggled for years to maintain crumbled because she needed a break?

No way.

Not going to happen.

Haven decided to change the topic, and fast, because this just wasn’t something she even wanted to discuss. No one would truly understand how important it was to her that she keep Safe Haven successful, even if that meant she worked herself into a grave to do it.

She was fine with that, too.

“So, I forgot to mention something, by the way,” Haven said.

Valeria was busy piling the two plates with food, but still asked, “Oh, what’s that?”

“A few days ago—I ran into Mr. Three-Piece again.”

Her friend all but dropped the plate onto the counter, and her gaze cut to Haven fast. Curiosity and a sly grin stared back from Valeria. She’d told her friend about Andino—although at the time, she hadn’t known his name—shortly after their first meet. Valeria thought she was crazy to keep looking for the guy on every run.

Apparently, Valeria had been right.