Chapter 2 Corinne

Corinne

“Why aren’t you dating anyone yet?” Mauve asked, adjusting the oxygen tubes that rested just below her nostrils.

We’d had this conversation too many times, and it always ended the same way—with me feeling angry at her for prying, and then later guilty about getting mad at a sick old woman who meant well. It was a ridiculous cycle I hoped to one day break.

“You know I can’t do that.”

She scoffed at me. “The hell you can’t.”

I rolled my eyes and stood to help her adjust the knob on the side of her oxygen tank. Mauve was the closest thing I had to a mother, and while I loved her to pieces, when she pried into my personal life, part of me wanted to strangle her with those oxygen tubes.

Mauve pursed her lips, waiting for me to continue the same conversation we’d had a thousand times. But nothing would ever change my mind, could ever, so I flipped open her book to the dog-eared page and took a deep breath.

“Where were we? Gideon was just about to propose, right?” I would never experience the kind of romantic love I read about in these pages, and that was fine by me. It was best left for fiction, and I did love a good romance.

“Wait.” Mauve motioned for me to stop. “Aren’t you going to give me anything at all?”

Since I couldn’t deny an old lady her only source of weekly gossip, I lowered the book to my lap. “I started a new job this week.”

Mauve smiled, her blue eyes crinkling in the corners. “Thank goodness. Tell me all about it.”

Ever since the state lost funding for the inner-city orphanage where I was working, I’d spent the last two months unemployed and barely scraping by. This new job had been a huge blessing. But there was no way in hell I could tell Mauve that I now worked at an escort agency, even if I was just hired to coordinate schedules and maintain the website.

“I’m a coordinator and sit behind a computer all day, nothing too exciting, but it will pay the bills nicely. And better yet, it came with excellent benefits and health insurance.” That last part was critical to me, and why I’d been so picky when job-hunting.

“I’m proud of you, kiddo.”

I smiled at her and the silly nickname she’d given me when I came to live under her care at the age of thirteen. Even if she was a pain in my rear end sometimes, she was one of the few people I cared about on this earth.

“Thanks, Mauve. This week was just getting acquainted and overviews. Monday, I’ll start shadowing one of the women who’s worked there a while, but my new boss will be back in town, so I’m sure things will get more exciting then.”

I had no idea how very true that statement was about to become.

My life was simple, and simple was good. But Mauve was right—it wasn’t great. And sometimes, even I had to admit there was something missing.