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“Ummm . . . no,” I mumble, still trying to wrap my head around the fact that this gorgeous, all-consuming man who could be doing who knows what right now wants to take my daughter out for dinner and milk shakes. No one outside of Jamie has ever wanted to do something with her by themselves.
“Okay, I’ll keep her here at Hendrix’s, then. We’ll order pizza, if she can have that,” he says, sounding disappointed. When he doesn’t say anything further, it dawns on me that he misunderstood my reply.
“Wait!” I freak, realizing I am not getting the words out correctly. “I meant yes, you can take her out, but no for food for me. Thank you for the offer, though.”
“All right. We’ll see you after work, little momma.”
As we disconnect the call, Jared is watching me.
“What?” I ask innocently.
Jared just shakes his head.
I serve a few more customers before Olivia comes in to help, since Morrison has Marisa. In the time I have had with his family, I have built solid bonds with each of them, especially her. Although I’m still not sure why Olivia is constantly rubbing her ass like she is right now as she talks to Jared.
“Miss Independent,” she says, wiggling her butt, so I smack it playfully. Then we both laugh.
“Who is Miss Independent?” I ask, joining their conversation.
“My panties tonight remind me to be ‘Miss Independent.’” Livi answers like this is common knowledge.
My face must show my confusion, because Jared chimes in, “Inspirational underwear. Chick lives for them.”
Olivia beams at me. “We have to get you a pair! You are totally Miss Independent.”
I drop my head in shame. “Not really. I came here on Morrison’s dime, running from my past. I’ve lived with you and Hendrix, and even though I’m paying rent, I know Hendrix is paying me more than he probably should. I don’t really consider that independent.”
“Good help is hard to find. Do you know the turnover rate here? He’s paying you good because you are dependable and hardworking. You earn every penny you make, Hailey.”
I shrug as my mind drifts. “I need to find a place.”
“You know you’re welcome with us as long as you want.”
“Thanks, Livi, but I really need to find a place and start settling into my new life. Besides, I’m on edge waiting for Monte to send the papers signing over his rights to Marisa. Maybe having to put my mind on finding and then moving into a new place will ease some of my anxiety.”
Livi rubs her ass again. “Miss Independent.” She smiles at me. “We’ll find you something.”
Jared pipes up, “Got a few places available in my building. It’s nothing fancy, and I wouldn’t say it’s the best neighborhood, but it ain’t the worst. And I’ll be there to keep an eye on ya if you need something. Just a thought.”
We finish up the rest of the night in casual conversation as my mind continues to sort out what I can afford for my own place. I am relieved when I get off work to find that Morrison ended up driving my car back from Vegas. Even though it’s a piece of shit, already having a car means one less thing for me to try to squeeze into a budget right now. I’m also in shock, because the man has a Porsche, for crying out loud, so why would he drive my beater of a car?
He looks like hell, but he won’t tell me what happened. The bruising has turned yellowish, so I know it’s a few days old. Part of me needs to know if one of Monte’s guys did it; however, I know Morrison won’t tell me if it was.
It takes me three weeks of working and saving for all the utility deposits on top of rent and deposit for the two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment I now hold the keys to. The apartment building, luckily for me, has only three units on my floor. One belongs to Jared; there’s my apartment; and the other belongs to a little old lady who, when she heard me moving in, came to her door with a baseball bat, totally ready to kick some ass. She also happens to be an awesome baker and greeted us with chocolate chip cookies two days after we finally finished the move. It may not be the nicest place or be in the best neighborhood, but it could be a whole lot worse.
Among the many other things she did Livi took me to a secondhand store, where she helped me outfit our living room with a futon and a small TV and entertainment center. We don’t have cable, but we have more than enough DVDs to keep Ris Priss occupied. Blow-up mattresses will have to do in our bedrooms for now, but it’s a start, and it feels good.
