I slapped his hand. “What the hell, Cole!”
“Language. I think we’ll add a rule: no swearing, or I’ll soap your mouth.”
I opened my mouth to scream and thought about it. Cole was offering me a way out. Not just of my crimes, but of my shitty life. I’d dropped out of college to take care of my mom, and spent the last two years working as much as I could and still stressing about money. The state provided some funds for my mom’s home nurse, but there was still a hefty deductible. The reason I’d stolen was I was swimming in bills, with no way out. It’d be nice to unplug and not think about my problems for a while.
Still. “I can’t believe this. It’s…just…insane.”
“No, what’s insane is that a young woman with her whole future ahead of her allows herself to get run down and broke caring for her mother, and so starts stealing from her longtime employer and talking to a druggie with a thought to sell. I’ve watched you grow up and I won’t let you throw your life away. You’re too important.”
Again, he mentioned me being special to…someone. Him?
“I didn’t know what else to do. Home care is expensive.”
“What about a full time facility? The state will cover the cost?—”
“No.” I raised my voice. “I’m not putting her in a facility.” There were tears in my eyes. “All we can afford is the state one. I visited. There was no air conditioning, and the residents looked like they wanted to die. Some of them already seemed dead. There were flies on them, and no one cared enough to swat them off.” I scrubbed my aching eyes with a hand, fighting back tears. “I’m not doing it.” My voice sounded broken, even to me.
“All right.” Cole’s hands returned to my hips, giving me a squeeze.
“I won’t abandon her. Dad already did. That’s not who I am.”
“You’re right. It’s not who you are. You’d rather steal than lose your pride. I don’t approve of it, but I understand. And so does Mr. Roberts.”
“What?”
“He says you can keep the money.”
“I can never see him again,” I whispered. “I wouldn’t be able to look him in the eye.”
He squeezed my hips again. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ll help you fix it. I promise.”
“How?”
“We’ll get to that,” he said, and rose. “I am going to help you.”
* * *
I spentthe rest of the day trying to wrap my head around the deal I’d made with Cole. After breakfast, he gave me back my now clean clothes, and we hopped in his truck and headed to my mom’s house.
My mom sat at the table, eating cheerios like a toddler. She didn’t respond to me at all.
Matthew, the day nurse, was charming, however.
My mother’s trailer was worn, but I kept it clean at least. Cole’s eyes darted around the space, missing nothing. My face grew hot when I compared my home to the stately brick house Cole had grown up in. His parents lived in a neighborhood that was the Who’s Who of Licking Hole-doctors, lawyers, businessmen. Mine had a break-in or domestic disturbance every other night.
Cole caught my arm as I went to my bedroom to change. “Pack a bag,” he said. “Enough for a few nights.”
That was easy. I didn’t have many clothes. I stopped in the bathroom and changed into a short skirt and a shirt fitted to my breasts. I even swiped on some mascara and stared at myself in the mirror.
“Slut,” I mouthed to the image.
Who was I fooling? I couldn’t pretend I didn’t want him. I pressed my hands to my cheeks as if I could wipe the blush away.
My short skirt and cleavage told me I knew exactly what I was doing. After all these years, I had my escape plan. It may only be temporary, and it was a little weird, but Cole had finally come to my rescue. I’d spent every waking minute of my childhood trying to get away from this place, and now I had a way out.
Drawing confidence around me like a cloak, I flounced out. Cole took in my outfit with a sweep of his eyes. He didn’t say anything, but I noticed his lips pressed together a moment before he spoke.
“Ready to go?”
