“Do you need me to watch Addie today?” Denise asked as she came out of the kitchen. “Tatum and I are going to story time.”
Story time was one of the girls’ favorite things to do at a local bookstore. Whoever took them was their hero for at least a few hours.
“Oh, she would absolutely love that. You sure you don’t mind?”
“Not at all,” Denise shook her head. “I’m already going anyway. One more kid isn’t going to make a difference. Besides, together they kind of keep each other out of trouble.”
“Enjoy that while you can.” Jagger laughed. “I have a feelin’ those two little girls are the next hell raisers. Poor little Carter has no chance. They are going to ruin that boy.”
Rooster walked in right as his son’s name was mentioned. “They are not going to ruin him. At some point, he’s gonna be bigger than them, he’s gonna learn how to walk, and he’s gonna fuck shit up. Ain’t that right?” He squatted down and held out his hands for his son, who crawled over as fast as his legs would carry him.
“What I have I told you about that?” Roni scolded from behind him. “You better hope they didn’t hear that.” She pointed to the two girls. “They repeat that stuff at the most inappropriate times.”
“Amen.” Meredith laughed as she finished her breakfast and stood up from the table. She glanced over at Tyler. “You ready?”
“Yeah.” He took a huge bite of the biscuit he had in his hand and grabbed the glass that held his orange juice, obviously taking it to-go.
They walked over to where the girls sat and both said goodbye to Addie.
“If something happens with her clothes, her bag is still packed in the dorm,” Meredith told Denise as she and Tyler headed out.
“Gotcha. See you two later.” She waved as the rest of the group shouted goodbyes after them.
It didn’t take long for them to get to their house and make the switch over to Tyler’s bike. “I’ll see you tonight when I get home,” he told her, as he stood next to the door of her SUV.
“Will you be late?”
“Probably not, but if I am, I’ll give you a call or text ya. It just kinda depends on what we’ve got goin’ on.” He leaned in through the open window and placed a kiss on her lips. “Have a good day at Christine’s.”
“You too.” She smiled at him.
The picture of domestication was one she wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to.
“In thirty minutes, I’ll be up to my elbows in grease. I think you picked the better job,” he teased, grabbing a lock of her hair and pulling on it.
“You love it.” She laughed.
He did, that was no lie. There was something about getting in an engine and working with his hands that appealed to a very basic part of his personality. If he couldn’t do the work he did at Walker’s Wheels, he wasn’t sure what he would do. “See you,” he told her as he tapped the door on the car and walked over to his bike.
She whistled as he shook his hips for her, before backing out of the driveway. Making the trip to CRISIS was a familiar drive, one she’d done thousands of times since she’d started volunteering there. That volunteering job had morphed into a full-time paid position, and for someone who had originally wanted to be a reporter, it still surprised her how much she loved working there. She couldn’t deny that helping people had been one of the things that had helped her recover from her attack. Just like Tyler had to work with his hands, she had to help others. She’d spent time after that attack floating because she hadn’t been sure of what to do. If Tyler hadn’t taken charge and found her therapy, she would probably still be floating. There was a part of her that still felt like she owed it to the memory of her old self to continue to do this.
Meredith couldn’t help but cringe as she thought of her younger self. That young reporter had been such a bitch. She could think it now without feeling bad. Now, she realized it was a part of her personality that made up who she was. She’d been so conceited and hadn’t cared anything about other people. There would always be a part of her subconscious that wondered if the reason she’d been raped was to bring her down a few notches, if it was the part of her divine plan that would show her compassion for other people. Before that night, she’d not had the type of compassion she had now. In many ways, she felt she’d learned needed lessons from being raped. In many other ways, she was still coming to grips with some of the feelings it had evoked in her. In all ways, it had made her grow up and be an adult, and it had led her to Tyler. For that she would constantly be thankful.
Chapter Six
“Do we have any new ones today?” Meredith asked as she went over some of the paperwork that greeted her once she got to CRISIS. She’d quietly worked her way up from volunteer to director. She wasn’t sure how that had happened, but she knew that things were getting done, and that’s all that anyone cared about.
“Yeah,” one of the volunteers told her, picking through the packets the new people filled out. “This one.” She handed her the packet. “She came in late last night. Looked familiar to me, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. She’s already gone for the day, said she wanted to go find a job.”
That was good. It never did any of the newbies any good to sit in the house and think about how they’d gotten there. That never did anyone any good. “Does she have any family nearby?” Meredith asked, doing a once-over of the registration forms.
“She mentioned a sister somewhere, but that was it. They aren’t close, and she refused to name her, only said that they were actually half-sisters and didn’t share a father, so the last names are different.”
“Did you send her to Wanda?”
Wet Wanda’s was much more than a strip club. For women who found themselves at CRISIS, it could be a way out. They made enough money to get their own apartments, to buy their own cars, and to start their new lives. It was a ticket to independence, and no one paid better than Wanda—and most of the time, such payment was under the table.
“I did. She looked like she needed money pronto. I’d rather see her get it there than hookin’ down on Third.”
They both exchanged a sad smile. That’s where many of the women who came here ended up, and it was always their goal to get them somewhere else, even if that was Wanda’s. “We’ve got a full house; I might see if I can get B to come over and talk to them about education. Couldn’t hurt.” Meredith shrugged.
When B came to CRISIS she was a freakin’ rock star. All the women looked up to her, because she’d been them—working at a strip club—and now she was a loved, respected teacher in the community. Many students at school changed around their schedules to get her as their teacher. It was the best present that B had ever been given. The volunteer nodded. “Want me to get your girls who are going to the hair salon?”
“Please, I need to get some of these invoices faxed over to Roni so she can get Heaven Hill to help us out. It won’t take long. Tell them to meet me at the car in about five.”
Meredith walked from the front of the house that served as the CRISIS house, grinning as she saw the playroom with kids playing like they should be. One thing she’d realized quickly in this journey was that the kids were sometimes the forgotten victims. They didn’t know how to laugh, how to play, how to have fun. That’d been her first order of business when she took over. She’d made a playroom and dared kids not to have fun in there. It had turned out to be one of the best changes made to the program. Making her way through the house, she stuck her head into the kitchen and waved at the ladies she saw making coffee.
“Hey Mer!” they called out to her.
“Hey ladies, I hope to see some of y’all in a few minutes. Christy’s doing hair for free today,” she said in a sing-song voice. “I have enough room for about six if we put in the third-row seating.”
They excitedly began talking as she continued through the house, and she smiled again. It was hard to not become involved with each woman who came through the doors, but she’d had to steel herself the mor
e she worked here. If it were up to her, she’d take every woman and child who walked through the door home with her, but wearing her heart on her sleeve like that had become dangerous. Her heart had broken each time someone left without a plan and then came back months later beaten and bruised. While she fought for the victim, she had to learn that she wasn’t that person and that she couldn’t live their lives for them. It had been a hard lesson to learn, but she had. Walking over to her desk, she grabbed the invoices she needed Heaven Hill to pay and faxed them quickly. Hopefully by the time they got back, Ashley would be there and they could talk about the woman who had Meredith worried.
“This piece of shit engine is going to be the death of me.” Liam grunted as he fought to get it out of the car he was working on.
Tyler came up behind him and helped him turn the crank that was raising it out of the body of the vehicle.
“Thank you,” Liam heaved, putting his hands on his knees when they had it raised.
“I have a longer arm span than you; it wasn’t as much work for me.”
Liam couldn’t help but laugh. Tyler had never been one to take compliments well, but he was still paid them all the time. “Whatever, man. Thank you.”
The two went to work on the other things on the checklist for this car, and they worked in silence for long minutes before Liam spoke up. “How are things going?”
Tyler quirked an eyebrow as he lifted the edge of his shirt and wiped off his forehead. “It’s hot as fuck, but I’m good. How about you?”
“That’s not what I meant. How are things going with Meredith and Addie?”
The smile transformed his friends face. “Fan-fucking-tastic. I couldn’t have asked for a better kid to come into our lives. She’s amazing, even if I’m never gonna be able to do her hair. Speaking of, how the fuck do you do Tatum’s?”
Liam looked around to make sure nobody heard. “Practiced with one of Mandy’s old dolls.”
“For real? Mer told me she did the same thing, but I didn’t believe her.”
“For real,” Liam confirmed. “It was easier than trying to work on her while she was squirming. Once I got the mechanics of everything down, it was easier. Give it a try and see what happens. You might be surprised.”
“I’ll have to do that.” Tyler nodded. “That’s the only thing I seem to be strugglin’ with when it comes to her. I can’t do her hair for shit, and then she ends up cryin’ ’cause I get frustrated and almost pull her bald.” He shook his head. “Damn.”
“I know what you mean, but it does get easier, and hey, at some point they learn to do their own hair, they learn to use the bathroom on their own, and they learn to clothe themselves. I figure we’re almost there.”
Tyler wasn’t stupid; he could tell Liam had something else he wanted to ask. The two had been friends long enough that there weren’t secrets between them. “Why are you beatin’ around the bush?”
“Okay, I’m bein’ nosey and I’m sorry, but I was just wondering. Have you and Meredith quit trying?”
Tyler was confused. “Trying to do what?”
Liam blushed because he liked to think he wasn’t a gossiper, but this had been such a part of his friend’s life for so long. They’d shared many beers over this; they’d smoked many cigarettes while they contemplated what was going to happen month to month. “Trying to have a biological child.”
The words couldn’t have hit him in the face any harder. That hadn’t even been a thought on his radar. “I don’t know how to answer that.”
“Don’t. Like I said, I’m just bein’ a nosey bastard. I shouldn’t even have brought it up.”
“No, I mean, it was such a huge part of our lives for so long. It’s weird that Mer and I haven’t talked about it in almost a year. It’s like Addie filled a space in our lives that was missing, and once that space was filled, we didn’t discuss it anymore.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I have to say, it was such a relief not to talk about it anymore that I never even thought to bring it up. We were blessed with Addie, and that’s pretty much where we are at this point. Neither of us wants for anything else. We’re happy in our lives.”
“Then that’s all that matters. I just wanted to make sure, and to let you know I’m happy for you. Being a dad looks good on you.”
Those words were high praise coming from Liam, who took fatherhood very seriously. “Thanks. That means a lot.”
They walked around the car and enveloped one another in a bro-hug, the meaning not lost on either of them. Years ago neither one of them would have ever thought they would be at this place in their lives, and here they were, both extremely happy and living life to the fullest.
“Is that the new girl?” Meredith asked as she sat at her desk with one of her managers later in the afternoon.
“Sure is. Why don’t you go introduce yourself? You’re the face of this place.”
Meredith laughed. They liked to tell her she was the face of people who couldn’t or didn’t have their own face; she was the voice for people who didn’t talk.
“Hi, Stephanie?” She remembered seeing that name written on some of the paperwork.
“Yes, I’m Stephanie,” the girl answered.
Impressions were important to Meredith, and her first impression of this girl was undecided. She had bleach-blonde hair, and she wore dark eyeliner. It looked like she’d had a rough night the night before, as the liner was smudged. The face was pretty, but the eyes were haunted.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Meredith.”
“Yeah,” Stephanie answered, flat but abrupt. “I’ve heard a lot about you. Most people around here consider you a saint.”
Meredith wasn’t sure if in the girl was angry at her or her situation. Either way, her tone wasn’t friendly, but Meredith was used to that. If you were at CRISIS, you were as deep down the hole as your life could go. No one made the decision to come to this place lightly. It was used as a last resort for most who stepped foot through the doors.
“I wouldn’t say I’m a saint, but I do love my job. Did you get to meet Wanda?” she asked, trying to engage her in conversation.
“Yeah, I start my job there tonight as a waitress. She said you might have some clothes I can wear, if I asked?”
Taking her off to the side, she directed her to a closet that housed most of the clothes Sparkles had retired. Sparkles felt like it was her civic duty to give her retired outfits to women who needed to feel good in their own skin. It was on the rare occasion someone got a job at Wet Wanda’s that they were lucky they had the clothing around. “Pick out whatever you want. All we ask is that you leave it here when you move on, and you try to keep it intact—there may be someone after you who needs to wear it. They’re clean, and we do have washing machines here; feel free to get what you need for the next few shifts.”
Stephanie smiled at her, but it didn’t quite meet her eyes. “Will do. Thanks for the welcome, Meredith.”
Chapter Seven
“Are you sure you don’t wanna go to the clubhouse and hang with everybody? We’ll probably be pretty late tonight,” Tyler questioned Meredith as he put his leather chaps on over his jeans and shrugged into his leather cut.
She admired the view for a moment before shaking her head. “This isn’t the first run you’ve ever been on at night. You forget we’ve done this a long time.”
There had been times in the past few years where they hadn’t done many runs and she’d not had to worry about him or be alone at night, but these runs had picked up significantly in the last few months. He couldn’t tell her anything and she was okay with that, but she didn’t feel as if she had to be treated any differently now.
“I know that.” He had a seat, slipping his boots on. “I worry now that you’re here with Addie. It seems pointless to me, since there’s a clubhouse full of people who would love to see you.”
The argument she voiced was gentle. “And I want to stay here in my pajamas, going over my budget for the month. Addie’s already asleep in
her own bed, I’m not about to wake her up. If you feel like I need someone to hang out with me, you’re welcome to call Mandy or Drew. I’m sure they’d be willing to come over and spend a night away from Tornado Tatum, but I’m a big girl who can take care of herself.”
Tyler knew all of that was true, but he didn’t want to leave her by herself. It wasn’t as if he was scared for her, but he felt better knowing someone was with her. Since Addie had come to be theirs, he’d doubted their decision about living so far from the clubhouse. “I’m gonna call Mandy, ’cause if I call Drew, he’s gonna try to convince you to let Charity come with him, and then they’ll be fucking out back on the porch.”
“Tyler Blackfoot!”
“What?” He grabbed his phone out of his pocket and pushed a button. “You know I’m right,” he hissed.
Someone picked up, and she assumed it was Denise because of the words he said. Within minutes he’d talked Mandy into coming over and was hanging up. “She’ll be here in about twenty. Her and Drew were fightin’, so she’s excited.”
Meredith shook her head, stretching out on the couch with her paperwork in her lap. “I still tell you I’m a big girl and I don’t need a teenage babysitter.”
He walked over and kneeled down so that they were eye level. “Humor me, okay? The guy we’re doin’ these runs for, I don’t like. Liam swears he’s not trouble, but I’m not sure. I don’t want you and Addie here completely unprotected. Mandy is quiet, but she’s smart and she knows how to take care of herself.”
She softened against the look in his eye. “If that’s what you think is best, Ty, then I won’t argue with you, but you forget, you’re the one who taught me how to shoot.”
The grin he gifted her with transformed his whole face. “I remember that.” He cupped her cheek in his hand. “You wanted me even then,” he bragged.
“I did, but I couldn’t tell you. I was still unsure. I’m glad we’ve moved past that part of our lives.” She leaned in, kissing him sweetly.
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