AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Do we need to go over booty call criteria?” Dolly asked as she picked out her nail color from the vast collection the two women had amassed over the years.
“Maybe.” Pinky sighed.
“He never takes you out.”
“Check.”
“He never calls.”
“Check.”
“The sex is incredibly hot.”
“Triple check.”
“There’s not a whole lot of talking, and he never stays for breakfast in the morning.”
“Check. Check.”
The silence fell heavy between the two women.
“So …”—Pinky frowned booty call?”
“Textbook.” Dolly put her right hand on the table and got ready for Pinky to apply sea-foam blue to her nails.
“I don’t know, Dolly. I mean, I do know. I know you’re right,” Pinky said as she began to brush on the polish. “There’s just something about him that’s so … so tragic. I wish I could make sense out of what’s happening. I mean, I know it’s a hook up, but it feels like something more. And trust me, I’ve had enough meaningless sex to know the difference.”
“I tried to get something out of Petey, but you know your brother, he can’t stop blabbing when it doesn’t matter, and when it does, I can’t get a damn word out of him. But I know he talks to Prosper at the bar or at least used to, and I’m gonna keep at him until I find out what’s what.”
“I appreciate that, Dolly.”
“So, what do you think’s eating at Prosper, honey?”
Pinky shrugged. “It’s like he has this big barrel full of sadness inside of him, and when it gets to be too much? When it spills over and he’s drowning in it? That’s when he shows up at my door.”
“Oh, boy.”
“And that’s not the worst of it.”
“What’s the worst of it, honey?”
“I think I might be falling in love with him.”
“Prosper?”
“Yeah, Maggie?”
“I’m worried about Raine.”
Raine?Prosper wanted to say.Really? She’s the one you’re worried about?In Prosper’s mind, Raine was the only one who was holding it together. Jack looked as sick as Maggie did. His skin was dead white, he had stopped eating altogether, and had started drinking a lot. When he was home, which was rare, he walked around in a damn daze. Poor little Claire worked overtime in trying to make him pay even the tiniest bit of attention to her. She had taken to following him around so closely that Jack had almost stepped on her more than once.
It just about broke Prosper’s damn heart to see it.
Afraid that one day Jack would just stop coming home, Prosper had begun to spend all his days by Maggie’s side and all his nights on her couch. No matter how much time he spent tucking Claire in, Prosper always woke up in the morning with her little arms wrapped around his neck and her sweet little head tucked under his chin.
“I catch her watching me sometimes,” Maggie told him.” I think she knows I’m—” But before she could finish, Maggie was overcome by a coughing fit. Her face twisted in pain.
Prosper was on his feet in a flash. “What do you need?”
