When We Fall (Take the Fall, #2)(26)

“This is amazing. Thank you so much, Ms. Davidson-Prattley.”

“Ginger, darling. First names only at the center.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“There’s one catch—you have to start today. In an hour actually. I know it’s last-minute but—”

“I’ll be there.”

“Really? I’d hoped you’d say yes, but I knew this was last-minute and you might already be committed to another place.”

“My schedule’s pretty flexible.” I did not want to admit to my mother’s friend that I most likely will be forced to cancel my classes.

“Wonderful. Thank you so much, Piper. When I spoke to your mother about this, she thought it would be perfect for you.”

“She did?”

“Yes, Whitley was practically giddy when I told her that one of my employees decided to become a stay-at-home mother.”

My mother has never been giddy over anything in her life, but people see what they want. More likely, Mother is giddy that I’ll be working with Ginger, who has just the right kind of reputation and standing in the community to further whatever agenda my family has in mind.

Ginger gives me the address of the safe house, and I commit it to memory. It’s on a different street than the Queen Anne Avenue offices. “See you in a bit.”

After I hang up the phone, I do a little dance around the room. Two jobs in less than two weeks. That has to be a record. Finally, I can make some headway, and if I’m very careful with my money, I can pay for one or two classes next semester.

Unless my parents agree to pay for all my classes.

Our dinner next Friday night will hopefully go well. I hadn’t lied to Jase about that. I really do have dinner plans with my parents at The Oaks Country Club.

Maybe my luck will hold out.

—

After I leave Jase a voicemail about where I’ll be for the afternoon—without giving him the address—and secure an appointment for next Thursday with my doctor, I gather my things from the passenger-side seat and hurry across the parking lot.

The building is rather nondescript but kept up with extensive landscaping and a freshly paved parking lot. If I hadn’t known to look for it, I would not have noticed it at all while driving, which is probably what they want.

Ginger greets me at the door, dressed similarly in a simple sheath dress and blue cardigan. Her brown eyes are warm as she smiles. She punches in a number sequence into an inconspicuous keypad.

The door swings open. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“I’m really happy to be here.”

“We have a code to get in, and we prefer that employees use the front door while guests use the rear entrance,” she explains as we walk inside. “We’re not ashamed to have them here, but we’d rather not draw unnecessary attention. Police cars, when they are involved, tend to do that.”

The door shuts behind us. There is an armed guard stationed in the hallway. She’s wearing a bulletproof vest and has a 9mm holstered on her hip. I give her a small smile and she nods in return.

“Officer Ramirez is here for our safety and our guests’. We haven’t had an incident, yet, but I’d rather be prepared.”

“I think that it’s good to plan ahead.” Not that she needs my approval.

“Wonderful.” She punches in another set of numbers into a keypad, then opens the door. “Let me give you the grand tour.”

This part of the building looks exactly like a house, with a living room, eat-in kitchen, and big windows that let in sunlight. Privacy glass ensures that no one can see inside. To my right is a hallway with multiple doors and to my left is a stairway that leads to the second floor.

Every so often I hear the squeal of a child or catch a bit of music coming from what I presume to be bedrooms.

“Women who come in with children are assigned rooms on the first floor. They’re larger. The second floor is for women who come alone. Our guests are allowed to stay as long as they like. While we do offer counseling services, we can’t force them to stay or even not to return to the spouse who’s been abusing them. In the case of children, the most we can do is report to DSS, so that they can do home visits and keep an eye on the kids…at least.”

I whip my phone out of my purse and open the notes app so that I won’t forget anything.

“Cellphones are not allowed in this part of the building,” she says, and I blush.

“Sorry. I wanted to take notes.”

“You can, but be sure to add that to your notes.” She winks at me.

Grateful for her easygoing attitude, I smile. “How many rooms total?”

“Fifteen. We have three that are vacant at the moment—two on the first floor and one on the second.”

I take another look around the room. “So today, we only have room for three people, or one single and two families.” Omigosh, I sound like such a newbie and this is not the place or time.

“Exactly.” Ginger pats me on the arm. “Don’t be so nervous. If you have any questions, please ask me. No matter how big or small.”

“I will. I probably will have a ton of them.”

“Let’s go back to the main building so I can give you security information and you can read over the paperwork. There’s also an entire series on language we would like for our employees to use when checking in guests.”