Chapter 2
Chapter Two
By the end of the day, Tatiana was exhausted. She looked at the blank space on her desk with a sense of accomplishment. It wasn’t half-emptied, but now, she didn’t have to balance her computer on top of piles at least. Captain Murphy had left the office a couple of hours earlier for a meeting and Tatiana had slogged through as much as she could.
“You won’t get overtime, you know.”
Tatiana didn’t even need to look up to know who had paid her a visit. She closed the top of her computer and looked up, forcing herself to smile. “Hi. Just finishing up for the day. You know how it is. I don’t want to lose track of something in the middle.”
“Sure. Work for free if you want to,” the spiteful brunette sneered.
Standing up, Tatiana hoped she maintained a pleasant look on her face. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Tatiana.”
“I know who you are. I’m the admin who was supposed to get your job.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. What’s your name?”
“So you can go report me to HR for being confrontational?”
That was an interesting word to use. Why did the thought zing into Tatiana’s brain that others had already discussed her antagonistic approach with HR? “No. Simply so I could say goodnight.”
Reaching down at her feet for her purse, Tatiana hoped to avoid any additional unpleasantness. A speedy exit sounded like an excellent idea.
“You’re going to fail, you know. There’s no way to make Captain Murphy happy. He’s a total dick.”
“Thank you, Mercedes,” Captain Murphy said from just outside the office. “If you’ll excuse me.”
Mercedes bolted a few feet forward into the room to allow him to pass.
Tatiana’s eyes widened as she watched Captain Murphy walk into his inner office sanctum. He didn’t seem bothered in the least by the rude woman’s evaluation. She watched him pause at the last moment as he turned to look at Mercedes.
“Of course, I’ll document this unpleasantness, Mercedes. I will urge them to make this your final misstep. I will not allow you to harass my staff. From now on, I’m banning you from this office. Please leave.”
Mercedes turned to glare at her as if all that was Tatiana’s fault, and the sour-faced brunette flounced from the room with a dramatic toss of her cascading hair.
You’ve got an enemy now, Tatiana thought to herself then realized nothing she could have done would have changed that woman’s mind for the positive.
Captain Murphy turned to Tatiana standing frozen behind her desk and complimented her. “Tatiana, you’ve done a great job today. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Sir. Is there anything else you’d like me to do before leaving?”
“I’m headed for dinner at The Harbor. It’s a bar and grill right off base. Would you like to join me?”
“Go to dinner with you?” Tatiana said as her mind whirled inside her skull. Was he asking her out on a date?
“Yes, little girl. No pressure. I’d like to get to know you better. If you’re busy, I understand,” the captain reassured her.
“I… I don’t have any plans. My fridge is empty, so I need to pick something up,” Tatiana confessed.
“Did you have lunch today?” His dark eyes narrowed in on her face.
Are they black like his hair or dark blue?
“Tatiana? Did you eat?”
“Oh, no. I don’t usually have lunch. Give me some coffee for breakfast and I’m good,” she lied. Her stomach growled to tattle on her.
“That’s not healthy. Let me set down my computer and we’ll go.”
In seconds, Captain Murphy ushered her out of the room and down the hall. When they got outside, he asked, “Do you have a car here?”
“I do.” Tatiana didn’t glance toward her beaten-up sedan. It had been the best thing on the used-car lot.
“Then I’m sure you’d rather follow me.” He grabbed his phone from his pocket. “What’s your number? I’ll ring you and then you’ll have mine if we get separated.”
“I’m sorry. I’m out of minutes,” she confessed, feeling her face heat. No one didn’t have a phone these days. She’d used a virtual number from her computer as her home phone number on her application. “If we get separated, I’ll just head home.”
“That won’t happen. This is my gray car here.” He pointed to a front parking space with his name on the sign in front of it. “Captain Jack Murphy.”
Jack. That was the first time she’d heard his name. It suited him.
When she realized he was waiting for her to share the information about her vehicle, Tatiana said, “I’m in the back of the lot. I didn’t know where to park so I chose a spot in the last row.”
“Jump in. I’ll take you back there. You can park anywhere past the first row.” He opened the passenger door and waved her in.
“Maybe I should just go home,” Tatiana said. She didn’t have money to splurge. How had she forgotten that? Hopefully, he would understand.
“Whatever you feel is best, of course. But The Hangout has amazing burgers and fries, and your fridge is empty.”
Her stomach roared that time. Tatiana pressed a hand to her empty stomach. “I’ll be sure to check it out in the future. See you tomorrow.”
Before he could try to sway her, Tatiana race walked through the parked cars to her junker. Jumping inside, she peered through the windshield, checking to see if his sedan had already left. She didn’t see it moving or at the exits. He must have already headed for the restaurant.
Sagging back in the seat, she started the motor and headed home. Her great feelings about how well the day had gone evaporated. What was he going to think of her? She tried to tell herself not going out to dinner wouldn’t change his opinion. Hopefully, he didn’t think it was because of him.
Pulling into her apartment complex, Tatiana parked and ran up to her unit. The neighborhood wasn’t the best at night, but she didn’t have anything to steal anyway, and she’d never be out late. Locking her door, she ran to change clothes and hung her outfit up in the doorway to air out so she could wear it again.
“Hi, Hugo. I’m home!” She grabbed the well-loved stuffie from her bed on the floor and hugged him close. “I had a great day. Well, other than one bitchy employee.”
She chattered as she changed into sweats that had seen better days. Picking up Hugo, she walked from the room into the main area in the apartment. It was compact, but clean. Tatiana wouldn’t complain about the limited space as she didn’t have many belongings anyway.
Her tattered slippers dragged on the carpet as she walked to the kitchen. She knew what waited for her. A case of ramen Tatiana had found in the dollar store for a cheap price. It was past its expiration date, but did ramen go bad? At least it would fill the emptiness inside her.
The thought of a burger and fries made her mouth water. She shook it out of her head. She’d have that for a treat when she got back on her feet. That’s it. Tatiana would reward herself when she got her first paycheck.
A knock on her door made her go stiff. Who could that be?
“Delivery.”
She hadn’t ordered anything. Creeping to the door, Tatiana looked out and saw a man wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the local grocery store’s logo and name. Oh, no. He’d gotten the delivery address wrong. Someone would be waiting for that food.
With a couple of flicks of her wrist, Tatiana unfastened the door and opened it. “Hey. You must have the wrong building.”
“Nope. This is for Tatiana Isaac in 405. Is that you?”
“Yes. But I didn’t order anything.” She looked at the bulging bags in his hands.
“Looks like you have a fairy godmother. Can I set these inside for you?” the deliveryman asked.
“Yes. If you’re sure they’re mine.” Tatiana stepped out of the way.
“Waiting for the moving truck, huh? I hate changing apartments. It’s such a pain to get all your stuff transported and arranged,” he said, setting the bags on the empty countertop. “Cute crab.”
“Thanks,” she said with a smile, and followed him back to the door. As the man left, another approached.
“Tatiana?” the new man asked.
“Yes.”
“Here’s your dinner. Please thank Jack for the tip,” the middle-aged man said with a smile as he handed her a bag containing a to-go container.
“Oh. You’re welcome,” Tatiana said as she automatically took the package.
Captain Murphy had sent this? He must have gotten her address from her file. Tatiana smiled. It had been a very long time since anyone had taken care of her.
She peeked up and down the hallway to make sure no one else was coming before closing and relocking the door. The aroma coming from that last arrival was like the finest perfume—if they bottled the smell of meat and something fried.
Tatiana sat down on the floor, abandoning the groceries, and pulled out the items inside the bag. Napkins, catsup packets, and utensils. The smell kept getting better. Opening the Styrofoam container, she stared at the huge burger and fries. Without second-thinking anything, Tatiana popped a fry into her mouth and groaned. They were even still halfway warm!
There on the floor, she had a feast. Each bite was amazing. Tatiana made herself stop when she’d eaten half of the delicious meal. She’d save it till tomorrow. That way, he wouldn’t worry about her.
Stashing the box in the fridge, Tatiana turned her attention to the groceries. It had to be Captain Murphy again. Soon her fridge, freezer, and cabinets held all the staples—bread, lunchmeat, eggs, coffee, chips, crackers, flour, sugar, coffee—even chocolate chips and treats like chips and mint chocolate chip ice cream.
She grabbed the spoon from the set of plasticware from dinner and ate several bites of the creamy frozen mixture before putting the slightly soft dessert into the freezer. Tatiana wrapped her arms around herself and twirled in a circle until she was dizzy. Crashing into the countertop, she regained her balance as she smiled at her silliness. For the first time in months, she felt… secure.
Forcing herself to leave the kitchen, Tatiana turned off all the lights and made sure she’d locked the door. After brushing her teeth, she jumped in the shower and headed for bed to read. It was still way too early to go to sleep, but she’d enjoy one of her favorites before she crashed.
After choosing a blue book from her stack, Tatiana crawled onto her mattress and leaned against the wall. She read for a couple hours before she couldn’t focus anymore. Setting her old-fashioned alarm clock, she climbed under the worn blanket.