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“What?” Jazz pressed.
“With Mom gone, Waverly and I actually have a chance at some normalcy. Mia’s place is cute and clean.”
“It is adorable,” Brooklyn agreed. “And I definitely wouldn’t have had a problem staying there if not for this little one.” She pointed to her belly. “We just needed a little more space.”
“Yeah.” Jazz snorted. “More space, which is why Slash bought you a big old house with a bunch of rooms that he wants to fill with his little biker spawn.”
Brooklyn laughed. “It takes two to make that happen. You get that right?”
“I’m pretty sure he has your full cooperation.” Jazz winked, causing Brooklyn to blush.
“How’s Waverly handling the transition?” Brielle asked.
“Like she always does. With a healthy dose of dark humor and teenage angst. Look, guys, we’re okay. We know how to live in the perpetual fight or flight response. I just hate feeling like a charity case. Mia saved the day with the roof over our head, which I’m grateful for. Of course I am. God forbid I’d have to live in a shitty motel with Waverly. We’ve already done that. No need to repeat it.”
The three of them exchanged a look.
I sighed. “Like I said, my mom isn’t the most maternal or responsible. We’ve lived in a shitty motel, shitty apartments with roaches, and one shitty house that was one step away from being condemned, and a secondhand RV that smells like nicotine and lost dreams.”
The three of them didn’t respond, and the conversation fell into awkward silence while I ate my breakfast and drank half the coffee.
“So financially…” Brooklyn began. “Are you guys okay? Do you need anything?”
“Yeah,” Brielle said. “I mean, I can’t really offer you anything in way of financial assistance because I dumped my nest egg into this place.” She gestured to the bakery and café. “But if you need something, like you want me to paint walls, let me know.”
“Yeah,” Jazz agreed. “Whatever you need.”
My throat constricted with emotion. “You guys, stop. I can’t even begin to… No. We’re good.”
Between the new mattresses and setting up a small, minimal house, my meager savings had dwindled. I no longer had enough money to buy the dual monitor I wanted. But Waverly came first and there was no resentment on my account because of that.
“Can we please talk about something else,” I begged. “My pathetic excuse of a life is embarrassing.”
“Did Waverly’s boyfriend crap his pants when he saw Savage and Duke?” Jazz asked. “Oh, to be a fly on the wall of that diner.”
I chuckled. “No, actually. The kid stood his ground. He’s the one that suggested to Waverly that he meet me officially. In an actual boyfriend-coming-to-dinner capacity.”
“How are you handling the lying and sneaking off to a rave?” Brooklyn inquired. “Is she grounded?”
I sighed. “I kind of let it slide. Not reallyslideper se, just…well, with Mom bailing, Waverly has the ability to spin completely out of control. You know? I don’t want to push her to that. I’d rather her feel comfortable enough to come to me.”
“She was suspended,” Jazz said. “Wasn’t she? A little while ago?”
“Yeah.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “I don’t know what I’m doing, you guys. I mean, I’m the adult. I get that. I was always the adult, even when Mom was here. But it’s different now.”
My phone chimed in my purse. “Ah, I need to grab that. It’s probably Laura.”
As far as bosses went, she was the best. She completely understood life derailing at the drop of a hat—she had a kid of her own.
“You let me know what shifts work for you, okay?” Laura asked. “And seriously, if you need to take some time off to get stuff sorted, that’s okay too. Your job will be here when you get back.”
“Thank you,” I said, feeling completely overwhelmed by gratitude toward the people in my life.
I hung up with her and was about to set my phone down when I got an email notification. I opened it and scanned it quickly. It was a proposal request for a web design rebuild for a small marketing firm.
Things are looking up.
“What are your plans for today?” Brooklyn asked.
