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“Why?” he asked.
Thankfully, Cory hadn’t seen the news report. And if he had, he hadn’t mentioned it to her. Which was perfectly fine. “Office politics. Things are going to be tight for a while until I find another job.”
“Are you going to postpone going to school?”
She shook her head. “Not if I can help it. This is my last semester. I really need to finish. If I have to take out a loan, I will.”
“Why?” When Angela gave him a questioning look, Cory laughed. “You’re dating a baller now, Auntie. Just ask Isaiah for the money.” He said it as if the solution was obvious.
“No. I’m not with Isaiah because of his money. I’m not going to ask him to pay my bills.”
“I’m sure he wouldn’t mind. He really likes you. When a man likes a woman, he likes to take care of her.”
Angela gripped the steering wheel. The boy was young and this was an opportunity to school him. “If a woman can take care of herself, then her man should respect her decisions and let her handle things on her own.”
“If you say so. I just know he wouldn’t want to see you struggling. If he wants to help out, I don’t see the problem in letting him.”
“When you’re older and have gotten through tough times on your own, then you’ll understand.”
They went back to the apartment. A few teens were outside playing basketball at the complex’s goal. Cory decided to go hang with them and Angela was glad to get a few minutes to decompress after her terrible day. She changed, then powered up her laptop to start the job search. The position Keri’s boss vacated wasn’t listed yet. She’d never considered working at a place like the activity center. If Keri thought it was a good fit, then it wouldn’t hurt to apply. It wasn’t like she had a backup plan for getting fired from the advocacy center.
She’d been on the computer for half an hour when someone knocked on the door. Assuming it was Nate, who’d agreed to sit with Cory while she worked tonight, she yelled for the person to come in.
“Do you always just let people in without checking?” It was Isaiah’s voice.
The very sight of him improved her mood. He wore a pair of gray shorts and a white shirt that complemented his sleek build. She jumped out of the chair and walked over to kiss him. Strong arms wrapped around her. “What are you doing here? I thought you had team stuff.”
“That was earlier. I’m free for the evening. I decided to come over and see you.”
“I’m glad you decided to come over.” She pulled him onto the couch.
His fingers ran over the back of her hand. “I saw Cory outside—he said you were fired today.”
“The director doesn’t believe I have enough integrity to work as a child advocate.” She tried not to sound bitter by mocking Mr. Cooper’s holier-than-thou tone.
Her attempt to lighten the heaviness of their conversation didn’t erase the concern on his face. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“It happened right at the end of the day.” Plus she hadn’t wanted to call Isaiah and complain. This was her problem to solve.
“What are you going to do?”
She sighed. “I was just on the computer looking for jobs. Until I find something, I’ll take on extra shifts at Sweethearts. Z asked me to hold back, but when he hears I was fired, he’ll help out.”
Isaiah’s body tightened. “You don’t need to work extra shifts.”
“Yes, I do. How else am I going to pay the rent, let alone school?”
He took her hand in his. “I can help with—”
She shook her head before he even finished the sentence. They’d just started dating. She wasn’t about to ask him to pay her bills. “No. I am not taking your money. I’ve been through worse. I can handle this.”
“But I want to help.”
“And I appreciate it. Look, if things get really bad then I’ll let you know and maybe—” she lifted a finger “—just maybe you can help with something. But until then, let me at least try to get myself back on my feet.”
He looked ready to argue, stilled, then relaxed and nodded. Apparently her wishes overruled the argument in his head. She appreciated him accepting her wishes instead of pushing the issue. She really liked Isaiah, would probably fall in love with him if things continued to go well and she knew she could trust him.
