Sighing, I shake my head, get up from the table, and move to the front door. I step out onto the porch in time to see a car pull into the driveway next door.
Great, looks like the tenants are moving in.
CHAPTER 2
HOPE
“Promise, I swear if you don’t stop running around like you’re two and not fifteen, I’m going to throttle you,” I snap, glaring at my little sister while also unloading the trunk of the car.
I don’t have time for all this moving, but it’s a must, thanks to the previous landlord at our other place allowing the building to be condemned. Asshole. Thankfully, we didn’t have much, and so it’s not like there was much to move, but I still have to go by the U-Haul building, pick up the moving truck, and go back to get the rest of everything.
Talk about moving heavy furniture with only the two of us doing it. It’s a good thing it’ll only be two beds, some dressers, a couch, table . . . okay, so it’s more than a few things. Still, it wasn’t overly much. We didn’t need a lot. We never have. It’s simply easier because if you have more than you need, it’s more someone can take away from you. It’s a lesson I learned all too early in life.
Being as I’m now twenty-five and raising a fifteen-year-old, that’s speaking volumes.
Promise is barely fifteen. Her birthday was two weeks ago, and we were dealing with the building being condemned and staying in a motel because it was cheaper. I’m lucky that we’ll be able to get into the apartment and get our stuff out, with it being the way it is, but I had to find a place first before I could get everything out. I was tempted to let it all go, only I’ve worked too hard to get the things we do own to let it go.
“I’m not running around like I’m two, geez, Hopey, can’t a girl just have some fun?” Promise shouts from across the house, still twirling around.
Fun? Yeah, I don’t know what the word means.
“I didn’t say you couldn’t have fun, but I am trying to finish unloading so we can go get the truck, get the rest of the stuff, and get back here in time for me to go to work tonight.”
I was starting at the new club tonight dancing. Growing up, I knew I’d never make it with my body on stage for a ballet company, but I did use my dancing skills to do something I enjoyed and was good at. I taught dance up in Tyler a few days a week and danced at night. Up until I was hired for this one, I worked at Hellfire Dancers, which was owned by the same people. That is, until they transferred ownership. It wasn’t a bad place to work, but Jacksonville was closer on the commute for me.
“Right.” Promise stops dancing around and nods, still smiling as she looks around the house. “I can’t believe you were able to get this place. It’s nice. But can we afford it?”
“I’ve got this, babe, don’t you worry.”
The house was about five hundred more than we paid in rent for the apartment, but I wanted my sister in a nicer part of town, and not worrying about getting attacked if she went outside after dark to take the trash out. Not that she’d been allowed to do this. I didn’t like leaving her home alone at night, but to pay the bills, that’s what I had to do.
“Are you sure?” she asks, worrying her bottom lip.
“Yeah, I’m sure.” I nod. “We’re gonna be okay.”
With the new job starting tonight, I can hope and pray I’m right. I don’t want to disappoint my sister. Letting her down would be the worst thing I could possibly do. She means the world to me. Has since she was born.
Our mom and dad had me early on, lost two babies between, and then, after trying, had Promise. Then, when I was nineteen, they were killed in a freak car accident. My uncle wanted custody of my sister, but I refused to give up the fight and was granted guardianship of her. It was also in my parents’ will, which they’d had redone after I was eighteen.
They left their life insurance policy to me to take care of her, but I placed all of it into a savings account for my sister to have for college when she’s old enough.
My uncle hadn’t been happy about any of this. He wanted all of it, but couldn’t go against the courts. This doesn’t mean he doesn’t try to claim me to be unfit at times. He’s tried over the years, unsuccessfully every time he tries.
“Come on, let’s go get this done, and I’ll order pizza before I have to head to work tonight,” I say in an attempt to get my sister’s mind off everything. Promise doesn’t need to worry about all the things that I do. I want her to be a kid and not have to think about what’s happening next or if we’re going to be able to afford rent and so on.
“Can we do pineapple and jalapeños?”
Gross.
Smiling, I agree. “Sure, we’ll do it however you want.”
Promise laughs and shakes her head. “Let’s do half cheese as well.”
“Sounds good to me.” I beam a smile at my little sister and jerk my chin toward the car. “Now, come on. Let’s get this done. I might have just enough time to get the TV set up for you fortonight. Internet won’t be on until Monday, but we’ve got DVDs to pick from.”
Promise being old school, loved watching DVDs as much as possible. Her favorite thing to do is find old movies that used to be solely on VHS like the OG Mad Max movies. We also own every John Wayne movie there is to be found on both VHS and DVD, though we don’t have a VHS player. The one we had broke, and there’s been no time to find a new one.
By the time we finished getting everything unloaded, returned the truck, and got the pizza, I was exhausted and not looking forward to opening night at Keeper’s Temptation.
