Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 34198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Thankfully she still had her birth certificate and social security card which she kept on her person at all times. As Tam walked the streets that night, she contemplated how long it would take to earn that money back.
Somehow she ended up outside of a restaurant downtown. It was the fancy kind where they didn’t place the prices on the menu. Usually, these spots tossed out the best food. If she waited around long enough, she’d be able to partake in some fine dining.
Her stomach started growling and she remembered that she hadn’t eaten since last night’s dinner. Clutching her midsection, she looked longingly at the patrons eating. That’s when her gaze fell on a beautiful couple sitting in the middle of the dining establishment. She only caught their side profiles, she could tell they were both good-looking people, the man tall dark and handsome, while his petite blonde date was the picture of femininity. She doubted either one of them had ever had to struggle just to live or have even known what real strife was.
Tam didn’t realize she’d been staring so long at the couple because the next thing she knew, the gentleman turned his head in her direction. Their eyes locked. Before she could help herself, a gasp escaped her lips. She couldn’t quite make out his eye color from so far away, but she could feel the intensity of his gaze from several feet away. They stared at each other as if trapped in the moment that neither could break free from.
His date must have noticed because she turned to see what he was staring at and when she saw what it was, she made her displeasure known by tapping her date on the arm. He turned away from Tam, returning his attention to his lovely companion.
Tam wasn’t sure what had happened there but she had to push him out of her mind. So what if he was hot, she’d run across handsome men before. Besides, her priority was getting something to eat. She glanced at the clock across the street on the bank. It was late so the restaurant was closing soon. If she waited around long enough, she could get something to eat from the dumpsters.
These nice establishments wasted enough food that could feed several families in need for weeks. A lot of times she’d find whole meals in take-out boxes. Once she found something to each, she could search for a safe place to sleep for the night. By now, most of the park benches were likely taken but there was an overpass nearby where a few people usually set up tents at sunset.
It was getting chilly and the thin jacket she wore wouldn’t sustain her tonight so she’d have to set up camp soon. The head of the shelter had only given her a set amount of time to get her things and leave before she called the police, so Tam had been forced to leave a few things behind, and her heavy coat had been one of them. Thankfully she had her sleeping bag that kept her warm.
Tam stood outside the building, rubbing her icy hands together and moved out of sight when she saw the maître’d poke his head out of the restaurant. Clearly he had the intention of shooing her away or threaten to call the police. She had spent a few nights in prison for vagrancy before. At least in jail she had somewhere to lay her head and get something to eat. But jail had its own downside.
“Get out of here,” the snotty little man hissed her way.
Tam was used to being spoken to this way. When you were poor, people either ignored you or thought you were too beneath them for basic common courtesy.
She turned to walk away. A cold wind blasted in her face and she tightened her jacket around her. It was thin but got the job done. Perhaps tonight she’d go hungry. It wouldn’t be the first time. As she put distance between her and the restaurant, a voice called out to her.
“Do you want something to eat?”
The smooth baritone caught her off guard making Tam nearly jump out of her skin. Halting in mid-step, Tam turned. She widened her eyes in surprise. It was him.
He was even more gorgeous up close and personal. There was no smile on his face, in fact, his expression was unreadable. Normally, when men approached her on the pretense of ‘helping’ her out, they wanted something in return. Tam was no angel and there had been times when she’d been in a bad enough way to do things that made it difficult for her to look herself in a mirror the next day.
With this man…would it really be a hardship to see what he was offering? “And if I say yes?”