Honestly, I haven’t had time to process what that asshole did to me last night in the employee hallway. I don’t even want to think about it. The only thing I want is for that piece of shit to get what he deserves. And he will, eventually. The universe has a way of making people pay for their sins. I was about to make him a sorry motherfucker by pulling out the knife I always carry with me. But Xander got there first. Because of course he did.
“Are you sure? I’m here to listen if you need to talk.”
I smile to myself and snuggle under the blankets that now smell like sex and Xander and make me never want to wash them again. “You’re so sweet. Thank you. I really think I’m okay. He’s not the first customer to get grabby with me, although he was definitely the first to go that far.”
“Well, I can guarantee you that bastard will never touch another person again.”
Hopefully. After the beating he got, and then Xander’s promise to kill him, I’m not sure what the future holds for the bastard.
“What are you doing tonight? Come over and have dinner with me. It will be fun. We can sit out by the fire pit and drink cherry mojitos after eating. Do you like cherry mojitos? They’re my favorite, but I can make you something else.”
Being invited over for a girls’ night shouldn’t sound as exciting as it does, but I can’t remember the last time I hung out with a friend. As much as I adore Trey and his husband Zach, they are men. It would be cool to have another girl to talk to. Plus, I don’t work tonight, so it’s like it was meant to be.
“Um, okay. Are you sure? I can bring something.”
Something cheap, hopefully, since I’m still paying off the director of my mom’s care facility. Which reminds me, I need to call Mike and tell him it might be another couple of days since I missed out on some tips last night, and I didn’t get the chance toask my manager for an extra shift. Maybe I’ll stop by on the way to Jordyn’s house so I can check on my mom. I always feel guilty if I go more than a week without seeing her.
“Just bring yourself! I’ll text you my address. I can’t wait to see you.”
My heart beats faster. Even though I’m not sure if it’s the best idea, becoming friends with my boss’s wife, I just can’t find it in me to turn her down. Hopefully, Xander won’t be upset or feel like I’m trying to get close to him or something. He made it clear that last night was a one-time thing. And I’m okay with that.
I think.
As soon asI step through the door of Caring Hearts Recovery Center, the smell of cleaner and fresh cookies hits me right as the receptionist offers a bright smile and rises from her chair.
“Hey, Quinn! It’s so good to see you. Your mom is having a really good day today.”
“Really?” I smile, a tiny spark of excitement coursing through me.
There have been a few good days since I started coming here to see my mom. They’ve been the only times she seems to recognize me, and as much as I have so much resentment toward her for everything she put me through, there’s a tiny part of me that still hopes. For what, I’m not really sure.
“Yes. In fact, do you want to take her a warm cookie? Those always perk her up.”
Sarah hands me a warm chocolate chip cookie on a napkin and buzzes me in through the set of doors that take me intothe large, communal living room. Several eyes lift to see who entered, but as soon as they realize I’m not there for them, they go back to what they were doing.
I scan the couches first and then the half-dozen tables set up for eating and games. Finally, I spot my mom sitting by herself, staring at the TV that’s playing an episode of some old soap opera that seems to be on repeat whenever I come here. As I approach, she glances up at me and does a double-take, then smiles so big it makes my chest ache.
“Hey, Mom.”
As I pull a chair out and sit by her, I startle when she reaches out and grabs my hand, squeezing it with hers. A lump forms in my throat, and I have to force it down by swallowing several times before I speak again.
“You look pretty today.”
I tell her that every time I see her. I’m not sure what else to say. We haven’t had a two-sided conversation since she told me to fuck her drug dealer or get out of her house. Not that it was an actual house. More of a trailer. That had been through a tornado and then a monsoon. As soon as I walked out of that bug-infested, crack house, which was barely habitable, it was the first time in my life I felt like I could take a full breath. I was both terrified and excited at the same time. I was finally free from her. All the drugs. The men. The filth. I thought when I left there, those things wouldn’t define me.
But I was so wrong.
She stares at me, her blue eyes sparkling as the wrinkles around them crease as she smiles sadly.
The lump in my throat returns, and I glance down at my lap, trying to will myself not to cry. Guilt pools in my stomach because I just want to leave. In five minutes, she won’t even remember I was here.
Was I ever important to her?
“I’m sorry.”
The words are quiet. So quiet, I’m not sure I actually heard them.
“Quinn, I’m so sorry.”
