Page 16 of Shattered Queens: Veronica
I don’t know Lana, but broken people seem to recognize broken people.
“Thank you, Lana, I’m ready. So put me to work.”
Lana smiles. “Well, you’ll be working with Andrew. Now let me give you a tour before our next appointment arrives.”
This place is not what I expected. There are at least fifteen people working here, in addition to a number of volunteers. There’s a whole floor dedicated to children’s needs and another for adults. They have volunteer medical professionals on call. We enter the kitchen, and I see Theo Lobo talking to a cook. He turns and looks at me with recognition. I don’t know him very well, but I do know that he’s best friends with Serena and Yuri. He’s also married to Elias Lobo, Yuri’s older brother. He stops what he’s doing and walks over to me.
“Veronica Kayde! I heard you were going to be helping. Welcome!” He gives me a hug. He smells like frosting. I look to see what’s on the counter—a birthday cake.
“Hi, Theo.” I look over at Lana, who’s moved to the cake.
“Oh, he’s going to love it!” She jumps up and down with excitement.
Theo turns to her, then back to me. “We have a mother and son who have been here for a week. His birthday is today, so we decided to bake him a cake. They’re waiting for housing, so until then, we’re taking care of them.”
“Where are they sleeping now?”
The cook with the name tag Steve answers, “The fourth floor has been converted into dorm-style rooms. There are only a handful, but it’s something.”
“That’s why you’ll be working with Andrew, to help find properties that can be used for housing,” Theo informs me. He looks at Lana. “I can take her to Andrew.” She nods and walks back to her desk.
“Come on, I’ll walk you to him.” I follow, taking in my surroundings.
“How did you get involved?" I ask, but I realize I already know the answer.
“Serena’s my best friend. This is also a great way to give back to the community.”
“How can she afford all this?” I feel stupid for asking. But seriously, this place is huge.
He pauses and turns to me. “Well, that’s a question for Serena, but recently your cousin Caleb lost a bet, and that money has helped tremendously.”
We stop in front of an office; the door is ajar, so Theo lets himself in. “Andrew, Ms. Veronica is here.”
Andrew stands up from behind his desk. He’s older, I’d say he’s in his mid-to-late forties, but he’s very handsome. He’s a bit taller than me, but not by much, and that salt-and-pepper beard—my first thought is sexy Santa. I don’t realize I’m staring when I feel Theo’s elbow nudge my arm. When I turn in his direction, he smiles and winks at me, having caughtme drooling over Andrew. Maybe it’s my high libido and lack of actual sex.
“Well,” Theo begins, “I must finish a cake. We’ll be singing happy birthday to Matt
in an hour. You don’t want to miss it.” He heads back to the kitchen.
“Hello, Ms. Kayde, please take a seat.” He moves to a corner where there’s a small round table with two chairs. “I’m excited to have you be part of my team.”
“I’m excited to help, and please call me Veronica.”
“Okay, Veronica. Let me tell you what we’ll be working on.” He hands me a folder. “Mainly on funding, but not only living expenses for individuals and families. We want to provide them with a sense of security. It’s more than shelter or a roof over their heads; it’s a home.”
I’m looking through the folder, and it’s full of vacant properties. I look at Andrew. “These can provide housing to dozens.” Besides being very attractive, I can tell Andrew is smart and passionate about this project.
“Yes, we have a budget allocated for properties. My goal is to stay below budget, maybe talk to the sellers, and try to decrease the price in the name of a charitable contribution. We need to charm the sellers.”
“I can do that.” I’m confident in myself. “Can I ask why you are here, Andrew?” I’ve always been nosy.
“I’m Annie’s brother, with a background in architecture. During the beginning stages of this, I assisted in finding the location and saw through the renovations, and I never left.”
“I honestly didn’t know Serena was part of this until a couple of months ago,” I admit. “No one did.”
“Yeah, you wouldn’t. She didn’t want any credit, but to be fair, this wouldn’t have gotten off the ground without her.”
“So I guess we need to get started, don’t we?” I look at the properties. “Would you mind if I took a copy of this with me?” I wave the packet in my hand.
