That night when she went home, she told Billy about the beer. It was her only hope to get him to go on the fishing trip.
“And we don’t have to pitch in?” he asked.
“No, the guys know how tight our bills are. They said they’d take care of it. All you have to do is show up.”
Thinking about it for a few minutes, Billy asked her, “Can I bring my weed?”
“They don’t smoke it, but I don’t think they would mind if you did, as long as it was away from them.”
“Hell yeah, free beer, getting stoned and hanging out with the guys! Will you pack me a cooler and run to the store to buy me some papers?”
She rolled her eyes but agreed. Ashley hated buying the papers for his weed, but she knew that if she didn’t run to the store for him, she’d pay for it later. Happily packing his cooler, she knew it would be the last thing she ever did anything for him. She was grateful the guys from work agreed to take him fishing. They hated him, but they were willing to help her out. That night, she could hardly sleep as she thought about finally getting out of there. Part of her was excited to leave, but she was scared of the unknown. She’d never known anyone who stayed in a Safe House for Women. Her friends told her that she’d need to be careful once she was there. Some of the other victims living there might steal some of their things for themselves.
When moving day came, Ashley and her friends frantically ran around the house, bustling to pack and move as much as possible. She rented a storage unit that morning, and they put most of her belongings into storage until she could find a new job and get a place of her own. By late afternoon, all of her and the baby’s things were out of the tiny shack that they shared with Billy. They arrived at the Safe House just after dinner. She didn’t know what to expect, but she noticed right away that the place was crowded. Women and children were spread around the front living area watching a big flat screen TV as they settled down for the night. Feeling awkward, she and the girls stayed with one of the volunteers as they showed her around the center. At the end of the evening, the three ended up sharing a small room which consisted of a bed and a crib.
Sharing the full-size bed with Chloe, space was cramped as the toddler rolled around through the night. Brooke slept peacefully in her crib. Ashley wished she could do the same, but she couldn’t stop thinking about Billy and what he said when he came home to a house that was practically deserted. The furniture, appliances and television were all still there, but the girls’ tiny room was completely bare; maybe a few stray toys scattered throughout the room, and her side of the closet was empty. Now their clothes were neatly folded inside a small white dresser that sat in between the tan crib and the bed she now shared with her toddler. A shelf above the chest supplied an area where she could store baby supplies such as diapers, wipes and baby lotion. She imagined how livid Billy probably was and was nervous that he would find them. That was impossible, though, as the shelter offered privacy. Something none of her friends could provide for her. Wrestling with her lumpy, lopsided pillow, she tried to find a position that was comfortable before she finally gave up and fell asleep.
The staff and volunteers at the Safe House were rather helpful in assisting her with the necessary resources to begin their new future. Ashley’s case manager, Terry Willis, quickly recognized that she could help some of the other women in the shelter. Since she did all of the budgeting when she lived with Billy, she could provide tutoring assistance for their financial literacy courses. Most of the women there were never trusted with money or a checkbook by their abusive partners. Ashley wanted to help empower the other women in any way she could and began teaching them how to budget and balance a check register. It offered her a sense of satisfaction to make a difference in these women’s lives.
Every Tuesday evening, the Safe House provided an hour-long session for financial literacy. Ashley spoke for the first 30 minutes of the meeting to go over the basics of how to record transactions in the ledger in the back of their checkbooks, and tips on budgeting. After she had finished speaking, a bank loan officer took over to volunteer his expertise for the remainder of the course. Keith Marshall taught the women the importance of having good credit and what their credit meant to them; and most significantly, how to use their credit. With Ashley and Keith teaming up, the women began to understand what it meant to finally live on their own two feet—financially.
Keith and Ashley had private conferences after each session to discuss what they would speak about or go over the following week. As they worked together, the two of them noticed that there was an electrical chemistry between them. Ashley picked up on the fact that any time he was around her, he stood taller with his back straight and chest pushed out. He also showed her that he was a real gentleman by holding doors open, pulling her chair out and accidentally brushed up against her a lot. She, on the other hand, often locked eye contact with him as she played with her hair and sat close to him.
Initially, they’re relationship was a bit awkward. He didn’t know if he was overstepping his boundaries by flirting with a woman in a Safe House for abused women, especially when he was in a position to help them. She thought it was a bit inappropriate to develop feelings for someone that the shelter highly regarded, but she could feel the connection. They shared many of the same interests and hobbies, and he offered her a sense of security. Over six feet tall, and weighing more than 200 pounds, she felt that he could protect her. It was something she desperately wanted; to feel safe, loved and secure. Keith could offer her those things. And with Ashley barely over five feet tall and an average frame, suffering from years of abuse, he felt that he needed to offer her those things. He wanted to protect her and make her feel safe and precious.
It didn’t take long for the two of them to develop a romantic relationship as they continued working together. She’d only been in the Safe House for about four months—working most of that time with Keith—when the two of them decided that it was time for her to leave. Ashley took her two babies and moved in with him. Even though they’d only known each other a few short months, they felt as though they’d known each other for an entire lifetime. They were soul mates; two old souls connecting together. She knew that he was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. There wasn’t a mean bone in his body. He was gentle, kind and patient; the complete opposite of what she knew. Keith was a great man, well established and he cherished her baby girls. What more could a girl ask for? She would have no idea how stable and supportive he was. Not until they had to deal with Ashley’s crazy past after they were living together.
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BEAST (A Coyotes of Mayhem MC Novel) (Motorcycle Club Bad Boy Romance) Page 17