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Belinda goes to the back as I wait. When she returns, I hand over my debit card, and she shakes her head. “No, honey. It’s my treat.”
“Miss Belinda, no...”
“You gotta learn how to accept gifts, son. Now go home and eat before it gets cold.”
I laugh and thank her several times before she shoos me away. On the way home, I think about how different my life has been since I moved here. Everyone’s always so friendly, and I don’t always know how to respond to their generosity.
When I walk inside, Sassy greets me and sniffs the bag of food.
Everleigh pops up with her hair piled on top of her head. “I think I’m glued to the couch.”
She reaches for me, and I help her sit up.
“How are you feeling?” I ask, pulling the to-go boxes out, then realize there’s more than what we ordered.
“Still sore, but feels like this is becoming my new normal.”
“Nah. You’ll be healed soon and back to normal..”
“I hope you’re right,” she says, looking through the food. “You ordered chocolate cake too?”
A chuckle escapes me. “No, Belinda snuck it in. She asked about you, then refused to let me pay.”
“Bless her,” Everleigh says. “Doesn’t surprise me, though. Did you tell her I’m a champ and no one can get me down?”
“Basically,” I say, digging into my soup. I look over and notice Everleigh is eating her dessert first.
“Best part of being an adult, I can do whatever I want.” She shrugs with a smirk.
“What’re your plans tomorrow?” Everleigh asks as we eat.
“I gotta see my parole officer first thing in the morning, then I’m hanging out with this hot chick all day.”
“Yeah? Who?”
I meet her eyes. “I dunno. Heard she owns this bougie shop in town. Also, she’s super sexy, smart, and gives great blow jobs.”
“Ooh, is she single? I’ve been known to flip flop.”
“Is that so?” I ask, intrigued. “Now I’m even more excited.”
She grins. “Yep, I’m a manandlady eater.”
“That’s hot, but bitches better back off. I don’t share what’s mine.”
Everleigh bursts into a roar of laughter.
“You have nothing to worry about, babe. You’re everything I want and need.”
I shoot her a wink. “And I hope to keep it that way.”
We continue chatting as we dip our sandwiches into the soup, both agreeing it’s the best meal on the planet. Once we’ve finished, Everleigh gets a call from Lexie, and they talk about the shop.
After I throw away our trash and let Sassy outside, I go to take a shower. Before I can even turn on the water, my phone buzzes with a text from an unknown number.
Unknown: You can keep blocking me, but I’ll always find you, Archer. Next time, I’ll make sure I kill that fucking mutt too.
I stare at the screen in disbelief that Krystal would put a threat like this in writing. What kind of psychopath could hurt an innocent dog and be proud of it? She’s getting braver, which is worrisome. Immediately, I block the number and lock my phone.
