Chapter Seven
Greg set a blanketon the last cot on the gym floor. Aubrey brushed her hands together, making sure they hadn't missed one. They were only permitted to house fifty people overnight per the city permit.
"We've checked and double-checked. Everything is ready, Aubrey. You should go home. You've been here all day." Vic took the extra blankets from the chair in front of her. "If we need anything, we'll call."
In the last three weeks, she assembled a crew of six employees to work overnight with Greg and Vic. All were men who were experiencing homelessness and were willing to work for the little pay she could offer them.
"Okay. Thanks, guys." She walked halfway across the gym and stopped. "Don't forget to put the hampers by the locker room door."
Greg waved. She hurried into the office to grab her keys and sweater. As she stepped out of the front door, she paused and looked around. A small part of her always hoped that Serge would show up, but she hadn't seen him since the night he came to her house covered in blood and bruises.
She walked to the end of the block and got into her car. At the light, she turned and immediately chastised herself for taking the wrong street. She hated getting caught in one-way traffic.
Since she was in the area, she'd stop at her favorite Chinese restaurant to get takeout. She deserved a little pampering to finish off the week.
She parked at a meter, checked the time on her phone, and added enough money to cover her until five o'clock when the meters stopped working.
The restaurant was three blocks away. As she stared up at the tall buildings, her mind drifted to Serge. He worked somewhere around here. Pulling up his contact, she had the address from his business card. Focusing on his name, she read the information.
He worked on Sixth Avenue.
Ignoring the direction she needed to go for dinner, she headed in the opposite way and found the address. Looking up, she counted the rows of windows. It was a four-story gray building with a stone exterior at ground level. There were a few lights, but no one entered or exited through the double front doors.
Despite her efforts to rid herself of thoughts of Serge, who had taken up residence in her mind, she tried to convince herself that she stood outside his workplace because she worried about his health and safety—he had come to her beaten. She even attempted to attribute her obsessive interest in him to mere sexual curiosity.
But it was all a lie. She wanted to see him.
There was nothing practical or sane about her. Tonight, she felt absolutely crazy, thinking about a man who was one— out of her league, and two– someone who had his own troubles.
Her infatuation with him frightened her. She wouldn't be surprised if he had a Surgeon General's Warning tattooed on his ass.
The fact that she was outside Serge's building at five o'clock at night proved she was exactly like her mother. The same mother who despised everything about her and died after telling her what a huge disappointment she was. Because of her wild thoughts, she forced herself to believe Serge was just like her father and would never get into a real relationship with her.
Unfair?
Yes.
Necessary?
Absolutely.
Faced with her inability to control herself, she stopped at the corner, pushed the crosswalk light, and waited for her signal to cross the street. Chinese food was in her future, not Serge Adams.
Tomorrow was Saturday. The weekends always had many people waiting to get into the shelter. Unfortunately, she couldn't help them all. Some would get turned away, and she'd worry about them.
"Aubrey?" called a male voice.
