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“Yes, Shelby.” I laugh.
“Alright, I’ll reach out to your assistant and get those brochures. Don’t be a stranger, okay?”
“I won’t. Talk to you later.” I end the call.
If she only knew. She’s probably the closest thing I have to a friend right now, and that’s sad, considering we’ve never gone out for dinner or drinks together.
I had friends in Florida. Alley and Lexi. They started as co-workers like Shelby, but I let them in. They were my people. My gals. Drinking buddies and secret keepers. But when I left Florida, I had to leave them behind.
I couldn’t have Glenn finding me through them.
It killed me to ignore their calls.
It’s not like Glenn didn’t know them. We went out to dinner with Lexi and her fiancé, Drake, a few times.
Yeah, I missed their wedding. It was three months ago.
I’m sure Alley was there, alone. The three years I knew her, she was single. She never really liked Glenn. She said there was something about him that seemed off. I should’ve paid better attention to my friend’s instincts.
I prayed Glenn didn’t stay in touch with them. I hope he left my friends alone. I hope he moved on, but if he did, that’d mean he might be out there doing to some other unexpecting woman what he did to me.
I feel most guilty about that. I didn’t hold Glenn responsible for what he did to me.
I ran.
He could be out there hurting someone else, and it’d be all my fault.
I try not to think about it.
Chapter Ten
They call my name.
I get up, head through the metal detector, hold up my pass and wait for the guard to buzz me in. Once inside the large gloomy room, I head straight for the vending machine to get Mom a soda and a few of her favorite snacks.
Finding a seat, I sit down in the cold plastic lawn-looking chair at the table to wait for her.
Cole, Lix, and I take turns visiting her each weekend. It doesn’t matter what’s going on in our lives. We come.
I’m glad it’s my turn. I need a break from everything. I need to see my mother’s face.
It’s been a hell of a week.
Cassie has been on-site every day this week to check on things. It’s difficult to ignore what she does to my body when she’s around. Even harder to resist her wandering eyes. She hasn’t “come at me” as she claimed she would.
Not deliberately, anyway.
Still, it’s like she knows just being around fucks with me.
It makes me want her more.
I’m not sure what to do about her. She’s a victim. She’s vulnerable. She might think she knows what she wants, but I can’t depend on it if I give in to her.
Women wouldn’t necessarily call me sweet or gentle. Whether she wants to believe it or not, after what she’s been through, it’s the type of man Cassie needs.
I’ve had a few relationships, but none lasted longer than a few months. The women I’ve dated always wanted more than I could give. They want a part of me I refuse to share. They want transparency and honesty. My life is too fucked up. Between my past and the escort service, the things I do to help women, I can’t trust that shit with anyone.
The door opens, and the inmates pour out.
