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“Hell, it doesn’t take much experience to wash glasses and wipe off tables, maybe even carry a few drinks out to the customers sitting at them. At least if you’re there, I know you’re safe. And I’m sure the band would love for you to do a couple of numbers with us. I know I would.”
She studied my face with contemplation heavy in her eyes and slowly shook her head, not in disagreement, but more as if she wasn’t sure what she should do. “What is it with you? Why are you so interested in what happens to me? I’m nothing to you, a nobody who walked into your bar one morning looking for a warm cup of coffee.”
“But you needed more than that, and you know it.”
She shook her head slowly, her voice a low whisper. “I never asked for anything more.”
“Do you think that I could have let you walk away that morning in the condition you were in? You were hurting. Your face looked as if it had met up with a Mack truck, and you could barely walk. I’m not the kind of man to ignore someone like that.”
She sighed, closing her eyes briefly. “Most would.”
“When are you going to get it through that pretty head of yours? I’m not most guys.”
She pressed her lips together in a tight line. “That is most definitely the truth. Okay. I’ll stay. But I want to start working at the bar soon. I don’t want to be a charity case. I think it would be best if I moved back into the cottage instead of staying here in your guest room, too.”
“That’s not necessary,” I protested.
“Yes, it is.” She placed her hand on my forearm. “Jackson, I want to live upstairs, please. You’re very generous, and I know you’re thinking of my safety, but I’d like to have my own place, pay my own way. You can understand that, can’t you?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I can.” I nodded and took a step back.
“Good. Now how much is the rent?”
I sighed and shook my head, studying my shoes as if they had the amount etched on the tops, deciding on what I thought she might be able to afford. The normal rate for the cottage was seven hundred a month. Brodie liked to keep it in competition with the other studio rentals in the area, but there was no way I was charging Lena that much. “How does four hundred a month sound? You should be able to swing that from what you’ll make at the bar and still have enough left over for food and whatever else you’ll need.”
She bit her lower lip for a minute, and then her mouth slowly transformed into a huge grin. “Okay.”
“I’ll help you move your stuff up there tomorrow.”
“I don’t have that much. I think I can manage.”
“I’ll help you anyway.” I walked down the hall, glancing back as she shut the door. Then I heard the lock click into place. I had to remind myself that this was a good thing. She was staying. That was the main thing, and she wanted to make a new start, set up a home for herself. This was a significant step in her healing, one that I had to give her. I hoped I would be able to convince Brodie to agree to the four hundred a month for her.
