air conditioning going full blast. She couldn’t wait to get home and get clean. She lay back in the seat, exhausted and dreading the next day, when her orders were to meet the crew again early in the morning. She couldn’t wait to see what Cook had waiting for dinner.
Leesa dragged herself into the house, tired and dirty. She headed toward the stairs to shower.
Cook poked her head around from the kitchen. “Leesa, what would you like for dinner?”
Leesa’s stomach growled. She was hungry. “Pizza!”
***
Cook answered cheerfully, “Pizza it is, then. You get cleaned up, and it’ll be ready.”
She started pulling ingredients from the pantry and refrigerator. She could throw a pizza together in no time.
Poor thing. I don’t understand how she got so much community service for a traffic ticket. I still can’t believe Lawrence left everything to his grandson. At least Leesa has this estate and her bank account and investments. Lyza wants her to come back to work, but I don’t know if that will ever happen.
Leesa entered the kitchen as Cook took hot pizza from the oven.
She set it on the counter. “Here you go.”
Leesa grabbed a cold Diet Pepsi out of the refrigerator. “Oh, this is perfect.”
Cook’s heart went out her. “How did it go today?”
Leesa sat at the kitchen bar. “I don’t want to think about it. Two hundred hours of community service—that is forever!”
Cook served Leesa a slice of pizza. “But didn’t you say that after this week you might get a better community service assignment?”
Leesa took a long swig of Pepsi. “That’s what Aaron Stern said. I hope I can keep up the good work and not get in trouble. One of the girls wants to chit-chat. If I don’t talk to her, she thinks I’m a snob. You should see her, Cook. She’s scary, and I don’t want her for an enemy. But if I do talk to her, I might never get off trash duty.”
Cook sat on the stool across from her. “Is there any way you can work with someone else?”
Leesa lifted the hot pizza to her mouth. “I don’t know. I have to wait and see what happens tomorrow. I am so tired. I’m going to bed as soon as I’m done here.” She blew on the tip of the steaming pizza and took a bite.
Cook smiled. “Before you go, Lyza called.”
Leesa spoke with her mouth full. “Oh, great. What did she want? Because if she called to rub it in, forget it.”
Cook handed her a napkin. “No, she said she wanted to talk to you about taking back the Kramer’s Island project.”
Leesa froze. “Kramer’s Island? My Kramer’s Island? My dream project? She wants me to take my own project? How dare she! She took everything, and now it’s just like her to rub it in. I hate her. Oh, I’m too tired to get mad.” She pushed the half-eaten pizza away. “I’m going to bed.”
Chapter Four
Leesa rolled out of bed before sunrise. She rubbed her back. “Oh, oh! I hurt everywhere.”
She checked the time. I’ve got to get moving. I can’t be late. It took all her resolve to get up and showered for the day. The warm water beating on her back gave some relief.
She dressed in light sweats with a jacket she could remove when it got hot. Still dark, she made her way out to the limo, which dropped her off half an hour early—before anyone else arrived—a block from the building. She stood outside the building to wait for the white van. Forty-five minutes later, Joe ordered the crew to get in the van.
He drove past the spot they worked the day before and stopped. “Today we’re going to get a few more miles done on I-10. Everybody out. Fill those bags. Remember, no talking. Let’s get this done. It’s going to be a hot one.”
They stepped out of the air-conditioned van into the hot, humid morning.
Kayla made her way to Leesa. “Hot out here, isn’t it?’
“Yes.” Leesa kept her head down and concentrated on picking up trash.
“You look like your back hurts.”
Leesa put down the pole to rub her back. “Oh, yes, I guess I overdid it yesterday.”
Kayla moved closer. “I got something for that.” Leesa stepped away, but Kayla followed. “I said I got something for your pain.”
Leesa moved further away. “It’s all right. I have something if I need it. Please, I don’t want Joe to see us talking.”
Kayla snickered. “Okay. Don’t forget—I got what you need.”
Leesa found another spot of trash and filled yet another bag. I hope she stays away. I don’t want any trouble. What an idiot. I hope Joe didn’t see us talking.
She wiped the dripping sweat from her eyes and dragged herself to the van for water.
Joe handed her an empty paper cup. “You need to drink lots. You don’t want to get dehydrated.”
Leesa looked down. Feeling like a kid, she went to the orange cooler and filled her cup. She drank the tepid water and then started filling trash bags again. By three o’clock, she felt hot, sore, and dizzy. Joe called the women to get in the truck. “Hurry up. We gotta get back to town and check out. Meet me tomorrow: same time, same place.”
When the van arrived at the courthouse, the women piled out of the van. Leesa waited for everyone to leave, then walked the block back to where the limo met her. She fell into the vehicle and told the driver to take her to the nearest Wendy’s drive-thru for a Diet Pepsi.
She took a long suck on the straw. “Ah… So good.” She leaned back in the seat. “Now I want to go home and to that Jacuzzi.”
It seemed like forever, but the driver finally pulled through the black iron security gates.
Leesa stumbled into the house. “Cook, I’m home! I’m taking a bath and going to bed.”
Cook poked her head around the corner. “Glad you’re home. Don’t you want something to eat?”
Too tired to answer, Leesa headed upstairs.
Half an hour and one bath later, Leesa returned, finding Cook in the family room off the kitchen. “I’m so tired and hungry. The bath helped; now I’m famished.”
Cook placed a plate with salad and a turkey with Swiss cheese sandwich on the kitchen bar.
Leesa grabbed the sandwich. After swallowing the first bite, she sighed. “This tastes so good.”
Cook shook her head. “You poor girl. How long are they going to have you on the trash crew?”
Leesa slowly chewed another bite before swallowing. “I don’t know. I should
