An Unexpected Meeting

Katie snuggled deeper into the plush hotel bed, never wanting to leave. She still had a couple hours until checkout, so she wasn’t in a big hurry, though she did want to take advantage of their free breakfast. When was the last time she’d slept on a bed? Now that she thought about it, what had Scarlett been able to sell from Katie’s apartment? It wasn’t like she’d owned a TV or nice dishes or anything.

She eyed the two black bags sitting in the corner of the room. Sam and CJ had been nice enough to help her clean out her car before taking her to the hotel, and CJ had even offered to buy the car for parts, in addition to not charging her for the tow. Katie couldn’t stop thinking about the two hundred dollars that sat in her back pocket. Any thief worth their salt could grab that and be gone without her realizing they had ever been there. This was the first money she’d come by, at least honestly, in a long time, and she needed to find a safer place for it.

As she lumbered out of bed to take a shower—a real shower!—the hotel phone rang. Katie stopped mid-step. She crept cautiously toward it, as if it could reach out and grab her. She checked to see what number was calling, but it appeared the phone was still stuck in the 1990s and had no caller ID. It could be Sam—he had given her his number in case she needed anything. But it could be anyone else. Including Teddy.

The phone stopped ringing. It started again. Katie’s heart raced as she tentatively picked up the phone and placed it next to her ear. She didn’t speak. A man said, “Make sure you have that ready for me by the end of the week.” He was talking away from the phone, like he wasn’t alone. She heard a woman’s voice from somewhere in the background, and then the man said, “I don’t think we’ll be able to finish it in time for the festival, so our time might be better spent elsewhere.”

Katie’s breathing slowed. It had to be Sam. “Hello?” she said.

“Oh, hi, Katie. Sorry, I didn’t realize you’d picked up.”

“That’s okay. Thank you for the hotel room. It’s the best night’s sleep I’ve had in years.”

Sam’s soft chuckle filled the line. “You must have had a pretty lousy bed back home, then.”

Katie smiled, despite herself. “You have no idea.”

“Hey, I’m just calling because I’ve gone ahead and booked the hotel for the rest of the week, if that’s okay with you. So, don’t worry about where you’ll be the next couple days. I know you weren’t planning on stopping here, let alone staying. Maybe we can meet up over coffee later today and I can help you figure something out.”

The thought of meeting Sam again sent Katie’s heart racing. Why was he being so nice? He’d booked the hotel for a couple more days, and wanted to help her figure out her problems? What did he care where she slept or how she got by? There had to be another angle to this, something she wasn’t seeing.

Despite her reservations, Katie found herself saying, “All right. Coffee sounds nice.”

“How about if you meet me—” The female voice interrupted him and said something sharp. “Oh, that’s right, you don’t have a car. How about if I pick you up at the hotel at, say, two o’clock?”

“Okay. Sure. Two o’clock.”

“Great. I have to run, but I’ll see you then.”

Sam hung up before Katie had a chance to tell him goodbye. She stared at the phone, not quite sure how to process what had just happened. Did she really just agree to meet Sam for coffee? She felt like she was on a roller coaster, her stomach dropping underneath her. He was a news anchor; she was supposed to be keeping a low profile.

This was not good.

After breakfast and a nice hot shower, Katie rummaged through the black bags, looking for something that didn’t stand out. She hadn’t paid for most of her clothes, and they ranged from trashy with holes to over-the-top nice, depending on what situation she needed to blend into. Katie settled for a pair of jeans, a three-quarter-sleeve maroon top and a light leather jacket. She glanced in the mirror and pulled her hair into a ponytail. Maybe she should use some of the money from selling her car to dye her hair, and maybe a new haircut. Would it make a difference? She doubted she would blend in, either way.

What she needed was fresh air.

Katie tucked her fake ID and the two hundred dollars into an inside pocket in her jacket. She thought about bringing Anna Karenina, but didn’t want to have to carry it all over town, so she tossed it back on the nightstand and set out to explore the town she had landed in. Palm trees towered over the sidewalk, with Christmas lights woven through the branches and down the tall trunks. The small shops along Main Street all sported gingerbread homes in their display windows, frosting snow the only hint that it was winter. Other than a slight nip in the air, the weather was comfortable and the sun shone bright.

Katie strolled down the street with her hands tucked into her jacket pockets, keeping them out of the cool air. It was nice not having anyone recognize her or eye her with suspicion. On the contrary, men and women hurrying to work smiled at her, nodding in greeting as they passed her on the street. Katie caught herself smiling back—and enjoying it.

Until she remembered that Teddy was still out there, sabotaging her efforts to escape his grasp. Katie shuddered at the thought and pulled her jacket tighter around her.

Just as she passed a hair salon, Katie spotted a small path tucked between two buildings and she stepped away from the mid-morning hustle. A large park hid behind the shops, though it seemed abandoned. The grass was now golden brown, but it didn’t look dead. It had its own beauty that Katie thought she could learn to appreciate. As she continued to walk the path that made a loop around the park, she was surprised to find a large group of tents huddled together in the farthest corner.

As she approached, a middle-aged woman stepped out of one of the tents, studying Katie like she expected trouble. The woman’s clothes were dirty, but in good condition. Her black hair hung limply over her shoulders. The last remnants of freedom Katie had felt disappeared. It was like Colorado all over again.

“Hi,” Katie said.

The woman nodded, but didn’t say anything, her gaze following Katie.

Katie stopped. She knew the look in the woman’s eyes. Mistrust. Desperation. She must be one of the town’s homeless. Katie had experienced homelessness more than a few times and could spot it as easily as she could tell the woman hadn’t showered in several weeks—or months.

Katie continued walking, but after a few steps, something stopped her. In Colorado, Katie had always had to look out for herself, not having the time or means to care about others. She wasn’t in a much better situation here, but this morning she woke up feeling something she had never felt before.

Hope.

And for some reason she couldn’t quite explain, she wanted to share it.

“My name is Katie,” she said to the woman, turning back.

The woman’s gaze hardened.

“Is there anything you need?” Katie tried again. “I don’t have much, but I can go grab some water or something.”

If anything, the woman looked like she trusted Katie less now.

Katie sighed. “Look, I know you don’t know me.” She paused. Should she risk having a moment of honesty? Was helping one woman worth it? Katie couldn’t believe she was even considering it. “The truth is—I know what it’s like. To be you. And I just wanted to help.”

When the woman didn’t respond, Katie began to walk away, a bit disappointed that her first attempt at being a good person hadn’t gone very well.

“Wait.” The woman’s voice held more strength than Katie had expected. “Why?”

Katie asked, “Why what?”

“Why do you want to help?”

How was she supposed to answer that when she didn’t know herself? Katie shrugged. “Maybe because I’ve never had the opportunity to help anyone before. And frankly, I may be joining you in the next few days if I can’t figure my own life out.”

The woman studied Katie, like she was seeing her for the first time. “Come on in,” she said, motioning to her tent door.

Katie felt a sense of elation at her first small victory and followed the woman through the tent flap. The interior was surprisingly clean with a pillow and mat in the middle of the floor and cooking utensils tucked into a corner.

“My name is Bev,” the woman said. “People don’t usually choose to come back to our corner here, and the ones who do don’t always have the purest of intentions.”

Katie understood that more than she would care to admit. “If you don’t mind me asking, where did you get your supplies?” She glanced around and noticed packs of new socks, shoes, and a jacket in another corner. “I would have loved having a setup like this.”

Bev regarded Katie. “The mayor,” she finally said, taking a seat on her mat. “He’s on a mission to ‘clean up the town.’ And that includes us, apparently. People would rather forget that we share the same space they do, so the mayor bought these tents and has local charities bring us food and water each morning and evening. They figure if we have what we need, we won’t be out there with our signs.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Katie said. “I don’t think it would have worked well where I came from, but it’s warm enough here in the winter.”

Bev snorted. “Sure, except think about the intention behind it. They want us off the streets because they don’t want us mingling with them. Sure, we have the things we need to survive, and at least they are giving us the decency of being able to cook our own meals—they even installed a grill for us. But homeless is still homeless. They didn’t change their perception of us, just our location.”

They sat in silence for a few moments. Katie wasn’t sure what she could say that would help Bev, then she realized it wasn’t what she needed to say, but what she needed to do. “Would you like to go on a walk with me?”

Bev sucked in a breath. “What?”

“Would you like to go on a walk with me?” Katie repeated.

Bev blinked a few times. “Where?”

Katie considered their options. She didn’t know the town very well yet. Maybe sticking close would be best for right now. “Let’s just walk the path around the park. It’s a beautiful day and I could use some sunshine.” She stepped out through the flap and stretched her legs.

Bev followed her but stopped in front of the footpath. “Are you sure this is wise?”

Katie didn’t understand Bev’s hesitancy. “It’s not against the law, is it?”

Bev shook her head. “No. It’s just—not something that is done around here.”

“You guys don’t go for walks?”

A smile tugged at Bev’s lip. “No, I meant, I’m more concerned for you and your reputation.”

Katie burst into laughter, taking both her and Bev by surprise. Katie didn’t remember the last time she’d genuinely laughed—it felt amazing. “I don’t have much of a reputation to uphold.”

Bev still smiled, but it seemed sadder now. “You’re new in town, right?”

“Yeah,” Katie said with a nod.

“Then you can be anyone you want to be. And people like you don’t go out in public with people like me.”

Katie hesitated. It’s not that she cared about public opinion. She’d never had the luxury to care what other people thought. But if taking a walk with Bev was going to attract attention, maybe it wasn’t the best idea after all.

“We could sit and talk on one of the benches. That would be all right, wouldn’t it?”

Bev eyed Katie with amusement. “I’m not much of a talker, but we could sit if you’d like.”

They walked to the nearest bench and sat in silence. Katie closed her eyes and soaked in the sun.

“I have skills, you know,” Bev said, cutting through the quiet and catching Katie by surprise. “I haven’t spent my whole life in a park. And yet, I’m treated like a disease that needs to be contained. I’m sure if the town could, they would eradicate people like me completely.”

Katie was about to protest, but stopped herself, because she knew Bev was right. That was the awful truth of it all. That was how she had gotten mixed up with Teddy. He had taken advantage of her situation and offered her protection. Instead, he was the one she needed protecting from.

“Why can’t they—” Bev stopped, her mouth forming a tight line.

Katie followed Bev’s gaze to a man standing near the park entrance, watching them.

Sam. And he did not look amused.