Page 56
Maury blushed.
Maury the Mouth was blushing and flustered, struggling to reply. “Eh, wow, yeah.”
Amazed at the ridiculous sight of seeing his friend so smitten, Jimmy grinned.
“Maurice Martine.” Maury took Rowena’s hand and pressed a sweet kiss upon it. “An absolute pleasure.”
“The pleasure is all mine.” Rowena beamed. “Mm, now, what was that you were saying about Jimmy falling in love with a gangster? And how stupid that was?”
“Sorry, Miss Legrand,” Maury replied, not pulling any punches. “Your brother is a ruthless prick, and I’m sure you understand my concerns with young Jimmy here gettin’ mixed up with him beyond the terms of their, eh, their arrangement.”
“Indeed he is.” Rowena laughed, surprising Jimmy with how well she took Maury insulting Cold. “But I can tell you that he is very sweet on Jimmy. I think they’re going to be just fine together.”
“And I tells you that I still ain’t too old to bust some kneecaps with a crowbar,” Maury threw back with a grin. “You tell that brother of yours I don’t care who he is. It’s one thing to fuck Jimmy, but he better not break his fuckin’ heart. Everybody’s bones crack if ya bash ’em hard enough.”
“Ooo, is that a threat?”
“A promise, ma’am,” Maury replied cordially as he tipped his hat.
“I like him,” Rowena said with a big smile, nudging Jimmy.
Jimmy was dazed by this collision of worlds before him but laughed with them both. Maury’s concern was sweet, as was Rowena’s continued insistence that Cold cared for him. Her personality was so warm and lovely, even Maury couldn’t resist her. As Jimmy listened to them chat, his mind strayed.
He thought about what Maury had said.
About Cold breaking his heart.
No, that wasn’t going to happen. Cold did care about him, even if he didn’t say it. Rowena was convinced of it, and Jimmy had not forgotten that sweet kiss from last night. He had to believe there was going to be a happy ending.
“So this is where everything in your apartment ended up?” Rowena asked with a wink.
“Oh yeah,” Jimmy answered, coming back to the conversation. “That’s my TV over there. My microwave, my DVDs, my DVD player. Eh… Pretty much hocked everything I had.” He laughed sadly, adding, “All of my mom’s jewelry.”
“You pawned your mother’s jewelry?”
“Yeah.” Jimmy nodded miserably. “Needed to eat.”
“Hey, now,” Maury protested. “I held on to it all. And I swears I woulda never sold anything of Eliza’s. Was just hangin’ on to it until Jimmy got back on his feet. I ain’t even charging interest!”
Jimmy smiled. “I know. And one day, I’ll get it all back.”
“How much is it in hock for?” Rowena asked.
“Fifteen big,” Maury replied, his bushy brows furrowing together.
“Hmm.” Rowena dug around in her purse and batted her eyelashes seductively. “How about ten in cash, right now?”
“Rowena!” Jimmy couldn’t believe anyone carried around that much money, and he was equally amazed at Rowena’s endless generosity. “I can’t let you do that. Please. That’s, that’s really nice of you—”
“Jimmy Poe,” she said coolly. “I do what I want.” Her eyes flicked to Maury as she gave him a pretty smile. “Deal?”
“Deal,” Maury said with his own toothy grin. He accepted a thick stack of cash, thumbing through it and counting it with quick fingers.
Jimmy stared incredulously at Rowena’s large and seemingly magical purse, wondering what else she kept in there. She could pull out a toaster oven or a bazooka and he wouldn’t be surprised.
“I’ll be right back,” Maury said, taking the cash with him and disappearing into the back of the store.
“Thank you.” Jimmy gave Rowena a grateful smile. “I’ll find a way to pay you back. Really.”
