Page 7 (1/2)

"No, don’t try You have to"

"I’ll do my very best"

"Promise"

"Hey" I pull her away from me so I can look into her tear-drenched eyes "You know I can’t prooing to do my very best, okay?"

She sniffles and nods, and my heart breaks She’s already lost so much in her tiny little life I don’t want her to lose this too

So no do I go about finding the sexy Adarief, you look tired," my co-worker, Ashley says as she sits at her desk, which is next to mine This is just the start of o back to bed and sleep for a week

"Hailey isn’t sleeping well," I reply and reach for ht without her bear" I cringe and take a long gulp of the liquid caffeine, hoping with everything in me that it kicks in soon

"What happened to her bear?" Ashley asks

"I left it in a stranger’s car," I reply and shakestory, but a Good Saot it"

"Did he give you his naer if he didn’t tellI can’t remember his last name"

"Hmm What else did he tell you?"

"He owns a bar in the Quarter" I tapto remember the name of it "The Ursula? The Little Mermaid?"

"There are a lot of bars in the Quarter, and I may not know all of them, but I’iggles, and I laugh with her

"I clearly spend a lot of ti Disney y name The Odysseus?"

"The Odyssey?" Ashley says, and I snap ers

"Yes! That’s it! I pray he still has that bear because I can’t go on like this, girl I require sleep"

"Obviously," she says with a smirk "The only time you should look like that is if a sexy "

"I don’t think that’s even a remote possibility" I shake o way back She and I worked together in Miarew up, until she transferred to the New Orleans office After a year of cajoling, she talked lad I did Miami holds a lot of memories for me It was tiot laid?" she asks, not even trying to keep her voice down

"I don’t think you asked that loud enough," I reply with a scowl "I’m pretty sure the people on the fourth floor couldn’t hear you"