River wrinkles her nose. ‘When you say she works in a strip club… she works… behind the bar?’
We clearly think in the same way. ‘Not exactly,’ I murmur.
River raises her brow. ‘So… she’s a cheerleaderanda, a what, a…stripper?’
‘She prefers “private dancer”. But the bosses at the stadium don’t know and you cannot say a word. She’s got her reasons.’
‘Which are?’
‘Riv, whatever I say to you right now stays between these four walls, yes?’
She nods once. ‘Understood.’
‘You cannot tell any of your friends.’
‘Not a problem; I don’t have many.’
I roll my eyes. ‘Not even the ones back in Philly.’
She seals her lips with an invisible zipper.
‘And not even your new boyfriend.’
‘It’s a little soon to be labelling him that, don’tcha think?’
‘Whatever. This stays between you and me.Capiche?’
‘Capiche.’
One hand goes to the back of my neck. ‘Serenity’s got a debt to pay. Her father’s gambling debt. She dances to pay back the debt to the club’s boss. She’s been doing it for the last four and a half years.’
‘Woah, that must be quite a debt.’
‘It’s a lot.’
‘If you like her that much, you should offer to pay it for her.’
‘I already did. She won’t have it. Says she doesn’t need a hero.’
River leans her head to one side and smiles. ‘I like her already.’
I pace up and down, hands going into my hair. ‘She’s like a slave there. Every tip she makes goes to her boss.’
‘I mean, okay, so she doesn’t want a hero, but sounds like she needs somebody like Gramps.’
It takes a moment for her words to sink in. I stare at her. ‘Wait, what?’
‘Like, didn’t he study employment law after he left the NFL?’ River carries on.
Every muscle in my body tenses because River just came up with the solution to this problem. ‘Riv, you’re a genius,’ I breathe.
She gives me a knowing smile. ‘Well, I mean, I’m notroyaltylike you, but I have my uses.’
I bound over to her and wrap her in a hug. ‘You’re a queen. I hadn’t even thought of Gramps.’
‘Does that mean we can invite him to Texas?’
‘I’m gonna call him first thing tomorrow.’
