Lonely Heart by MJ Kane Read Free Book Online

obviously took good care of his cars.
    “Sometimes, but Betsy?” He laughed again.
    I rolled my eyes and focused on the road.
    “Want another one?” he indicated the bag.
    “Your grandma made you a snack. It must be nice.” I selected another treat.
    “It’s how she pays me for doing maintenance around her apartment.”
    “What’s wrong with the complex maintenance crew?” I’d been in my apartment for three weeks. While I didn’t have any issues, I hoped if I ever did, they would be seen to promptly.
    “Nothing. Abuela doesn’t like strangers in her place, especially since she does daycare for some of the neighbors.”
    I realized there were no visible baby items littered around the living room. “Where? Nothin’ around there said there is a daycare.”
    “She’s very strict about keeping the front room free of baby stuff. She uses the additional bedrooms for baby cribs and a play room. She doesn’t keep very many so it’s not a problem.”
    Come to think of it, I did notice women walking in and out with young kids. I always thought they were family members coming over to visit.
    “I’ll have to remember that.”
    Antonio glanced at me as if he had a question, thought better of it, then faced forward.
    The rest of the ride was silent, yet pleasant.
    I stopped at the nearest ATM and paid him. “Are you sure that’s all I owe you? I don’t want you to get in trouble with your uncle.”
    Antonio’s smiled. “Kaity, this is my call, my time. Don’t worry about it. And forget what my grandmother said. If you ever need help with anything not car related, call me. This is me saying it.”
    I opened my mouth to say no, but the intense expression on his face made me pause. “Okay, thank you.”
    Satisfied with my reply, the half-smile returned. Soon we were at the shop. He got out of the car, shut the door, then tapped the window. I rolled it down. “Go home, get some food, and get some rest. I know you just got up, but you look tired and stressed. Neither is good for you or the baby.” Then he stood and walked away.
    In a very short period of time, a man I didn’t know offered to help me around my house, told me to eat, and knew I was stressed beyond belief.
    Never in a million years would I have seen that coming.
     

Chapter 8
     
    “Kaity, I don’t understand how you do it,” my best friend, Yasmine said the moment her feet slipped into the deep well of the foot spa. “I’m barely three months and my feet are killing me.”
    We sat side by side at the nail salon in comfortable chairs while our feet soaked in preparation of foot massages and pedicures. Meeting my friends for this indulgence was my one monthly splurge. Gone were the days of sitting around drinking daiquiris, eating junk food, and bending over to reach our toes. With me six months into my pregnancy and Yasmine recently finding out she was pregnant, stepping outside of our normal routine became a necessity.
    “With many feet soakin’s, believe me. But sad to say, it only gets worse.” I reached over and patted her hand as she grimaced. “How have you been feelin’?”
    It was still hard to believe she and Zachariah were separated. The ink was barely dry on their marriage certificate.
    “I’m here. What choice do I have? My illusion of the perfect marriage and perfect man has gone out of the window, but…” Her eyes drifted down to her hand which lacked the gorgeous wedding ring he’d given her. In its place was a butterfly tattoo. “That’s life, right? Knocks you down just as you finally find happiness?” Her laugh was cynical. “Then again, it may just be a side effect of being me.”
    I reached over, held her hand. “Is there any hope you’ll get back together? You guys don’t have the same issues as me and Luke. Zachariah wants the baby, right?”
    “Oh yeah, he does. Getting pregnant wasn’t the problem. We started trying during our honeymoon. Our separation is about his ability to trust me and my lack of