Chapter 6 Tori
Tori
This woman couldn’t be real, right? She didn’t know who the Baldwin brothers or Hailey Bieber were? She’d never heard of Victoria Cross – me? I couldn’t see even a hint of artifice in her expression. Could it be she was telling the truth?
I studied her as I sipped my coffee. She was a cute little thing, several inches shorter than me, all hips and boobs, with a soft belly that her “Morning Jolt” tee shirt did little to hide.
Her dark brown hair was cute in a messy pixie cut.
She wasn’t wearing a speck of makeup, not that she needed it.
Her skin was flawless and those eyes – somewhere between brown and something else, green maybe?
The instant I saw her I felt something crazy. The feeling that she was mine.
Unbidden, my mind went back to a story my grandfather told me years ago.
“The minute I laid eyes on your grandmother I knew she was the woman for me, Vicky. It was love at first sight.”
When I’d scoffed he’d added, “Take it from me, when you meet the right man you’ll know it’s him in an instant.”
Grandpa had never been a fan of my acting career. I’d heard him warn my mother repeatedly that it wasn’t healthy for me. But Mom had dollar signs in her eyes, and that was all that mattered. I couldn’t help but wonder if my life would be different if he hadn’t died when I was so young.
Sadly for my grandfather, men weren’t what interested me. But apparently the principle still worked anyway, because one look at Hailey and I was picturing long walks on the beach, candlelit dinners, and sleepy mornings in bed.
After years of every man and woman I met throwing themselves at me, Hailey was a revelation. Unfortunately, she seemed completely uninterested in me. It had been so long since that happened I didn’t know what to do with it.
Then I reminded myself that there was a reason I’d never had a relationship with someone outside of show business. Our life was difficult to adjust to.
“How long are you working today, Hailey?”
Her back stiffened, and she threw me a look over her shoulder. “Until three o’clock.”
“I’m going to bring you back a tip,” I promised.
She waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it.”
The bell over the door rang and she looked over with a smile. “Hey Hannah, you’re early.”
“I thought you might appreciate an early day,” the newcomer said. She had blue hair and a nose ring, typical of a certain type of Seattleite. “Ashley’s out of town so I’ve been a little bored.”
“You two are so lovey-dovey,” Hailey said with an indulgent smile. “It’s cute.”
They changed places and after a quick, whispered conversation, Hailey slipped out through a door that I assumed led to the kitchen.
“Is she coming back?” I asked the new barista a few minutes later.
The woman gave me a quizzical smile, although I wasn’t sure if it was because I was dressed like the kid from A Christmas Story or because I sounded familiar. I’d been told that I had a very distinct voice.
“She probably went upstairs to her apartment by now.”
I saw the moment it registered that she probably shouldn’t have told me that. “I, uh, I mean she usually leaves through the back door.”
“Thanks.”
I tossed out my coffee cup and sent a quick text to my assistant.
Victoria: How do I get cash? Like paper money.
Pepper: Are you serious? Go to the ATM like everyone else.
Victoria: Do I need some kind of a card for that?
I could practically feel Pepper rolling her eyes through the phone. In my defense, there was almost always someone from my team with me, and they took care of these kinds of things.
Pepper: There’s a VISA card in the slot behind your phone. You can use that to get cash. The PIN is my birthday. And if you ask me when my birthday is, I promise you I will quit.
Victoria: I remember your birthday, don’t worry.
Pepper: Are you still in hiding?
Victoria: Yes.
Pepper: Why Seattle though? What’s there?
I frowned at my phone, then looked around the busy city street. I didn’t see any of my bodyguards, but maybe I’d missed them. My agent would have a shit fit if he knew I was unprotected.
Victoria: How do you know I’m in Seattle?
Pepper: The Find My Phone. But don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. You don’t have any scheduled appearances for two weeks and I canceled all your meetings. Lay low, do whatever you’re planning to do in Seattle, and hit me up if you need anything else.
Victoria: Thanks, you’re the best.
Pepper: Remember that next time I ask you for a raise. Be careful out there.
I looked over at the barista who was wiping down the counter.
“Where’s the closest ATM machine?” I asked.
“There’s a Bank of America three blocks up. Go right when you exit, and you’ll run right into it.”
I headed in that direction, and after a little bit of trial and error, figured out how to extract money from the machine. Zipping it in my pocket, I headed back to the coffee shop, determined to find Hailey.
Walking around the block, I found an alley that led me to the back of the buildings.
After figuring out which building was Morning Jolt, I climbed the metal stairs to the single door in the back.
I wasn’t sure if I was in the right place, but I figured if I wasn’t, maybe the neighbors would tell me how to find Hailey.
Ignoring the fact that the alley smelled like garbage, I knocked on the heavy metal door, fanning my face with my hand. This outfit was way too hot for the weather, and with the sun shining at my back, I was baking. A few minutes later the door opened a crack, revealing one brown eye.
“Hailey?”
She pushed the door open and I resisted the urge to scold her for opening it without knowing who was there. Shouldn’t the door have a peephole or something? A quick glance around told me that there was no security system in place. I made a mental note to order her one.
“What are you doing here?” she asked cautiously.
I reached into my pocket and handed her a hundred dollar bill. “I wanted to give you a tip.”
When she just stared at the bill in my hand I added, “Because I didn’t give you on before. I didn’t want to stiff you.”
“You can’t tip me a hundred bucks for a seven dollar coffee,” she said sternly. “Are you crazy?”
I was confused. Usually people were very happy to take my money. I shoved the money towards her. “Please. Take it.”
I thought she’d refuse, but she finally accepted the tip. “Okay, but I’m going to give this to charity.”
“Why?” I asked in confusion. She was clearly poor. She lived in this crappy building over a coffee shop for God’s sake.
“Because I didn’t earn this. Your order was worth a three dollar tip, tops.”
When I continued to stand on her stoop, Hailey looked concerned. There was a buzzing noise in my ears, and my limbs were feeling heavy.
“Are you okay? You seem a little… out of your element.”
I was so shocked that someone besides Pepper was worried about my well-being I almost fell over.
“I’m not quite myself,” I admitted.
I realized that I was dripping with sweat now, probably because I’d been running around bundled up in such heavy clothes. Or maybe because I hadn’t had anything but that coffee in the last eighteen hours. It was like as soon as she asked if I was okay, my body gave itself permission to relax.
I started to sway on my feet as my vision turned fuzzy.
“Sorry,” I said, my voice seeming to come from far away. “I’m not… feeling good.”
And then I fell into her arms.