Page 18 of Slow Burn


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“I don’t, but this is all I have,” I said, indicating the drawer I finally succeeded in jimmying open. “I can carry this myself.”

She came up next to me and peered into the drawer for several long, silent beats before finally turning to look at me. “That’s it? That’s all you have?”

I nodded, swallowing so hard my throat clicked. The air in the room suddenly changed, growing thick and crackly with the energy pouring off of Myra.

“Leave it,” she said in an icy, hard tone that made goosebumps prickle across my skin. I’d never heard her use that voice in all the years I’d known her. I couldn’t believe she was capable of sounding so cold.

“What?”

Her flat gaze met mine, sending a shiver down my spine. “Leave it,” she repeated, gritting the words out between clenched teeth. “Not a single thing in that drawer is fit to wear. It’s old and faded and I’m sure it’s riddled with holes.”

“I can mend it,” I assured her. “I know how. It’s all I’ve got, Myra. I can’t just leave it.”

She planted her hands on her hips and lifted her chin. “You absolutely can, and you will. As soon as we leave here, I’m taking you shopping forrealclothes. Decent clothes that actually contain color and will show off what a beautiful woman you really are.”

My heart flipped in my chest. I would have given anything to buy myself new clothes. Truth was, I hated everything in that drawer just as much, if not more, than Myra did. “Myra, I can’t,” I whispered. “I don’t have any money. I haven’t started my jobyet. I—” My nose began to sting, the backs of my eyes burning with tears I refused to shed. “I don’t have anything,” I croaked around the lump in my throat.

She reached out, taking hold of my arms, and stared up at me tenderly. “I told you some families are built from circumstance, honey. This is a shining example of that, right here and now. Just like those boys out front that don’t share our blood, you’re family now, and family helps. When one of us is down, the rest of us step in to lift that person up. You might be down right now, but you’re strong. You won’t stay that way long. But in the meantime, I’m going to help. And that means buying you new clothes and a cellphone so you can get ahold of me or Bennett whenever you need. If you’re dead set on paying us back, once you start making money, we can discuss a payment plan, but I’d much rather it be my gift to you.”

I sniffled, unable to stop the tear that breached my eyelid and slipped down my cheek. I was twenty-six years old, and this was the first time since I was old enough to form memories that I could recall someone actually looking out for me. It was a sad fact that kindness was something I’d sorely been lacking all my life. I might have lived in a house full of people, but until that very moment, I’d been completely alone. This was the first time I could recall feeling like I had someone in my corner. I hadn’t realized how desperate I was for someone to simply be nice to me until Myra gave that to me. And it was so overwhelming, it was taking everything I had not to burst into loud, body-wracking sobs.

“Oh, sweetheart,” she said softly, reading the tumultuous emotions flipping across my face. She cupped my cheek in her hand as her eyes grew misty. “I’m sorry.”

I managed to clear the frog from my throat. “For what?”

“For the life you’ve been forced to live up until this point.”

I shrugged, offering a small, sad smile. “I managed.”

“You did, honey. And I’m so proud of you for that. But the tides have finally shifted in your favor. We’re walking out of here right this minute, and you are starting fresh. Deal?”

Who was I to argue with such logic? It was right in that moment that I knew I’d spend the rest of my life being grateful to who or whatever was responsible for placing Myra Montgomery in my path.

I let out a laugh and nodded in agreement. “Fine, we leave everything and start fresh. But there’s one thing I have to take with me, it’s non-negotiable.”

She watched closely as I moved to the corner of the room. The tiny desk that held my mother’s sewing machine was too small and was buckling under its weight, but I refused to put it anywhere else. I insisted on keeping it in sight always. It made me feel connected to a woman I had no memory of but still cherished.

“It belonged to my mother,” I told her as I lifted the heavy object from the desk and clutched it to my chest. “It’s all I have of hers.”

“Then we’ll be sure to take good care of it. Precious cargo.”

Precious cargo indeed.

Chapter

Seven

LAETH

The sun had already setby the time I left the office. I pulled to a stop in front of Scooter and Caroline’s house, threw my truck into park, and let out a weary sigh as I stared at the house through the windshield.

Shane’s aunt and uncle had raised her when her own mother took off when she was only six years old. They were good people, salt of the earth, and they were big on lending a helping hand to those they cared about. When everything with Cash had gone down, they’d stepped in and offered to help whenever I needed it. And so, three days a week, Cash had been hanging with them while I worked. At least until I got the nanny situation under control.

They were great with him. Hell,everyonehad been great with him it seemed. Everyone but me, that was.

I pursed my lips and blew out a frustrated breath before scrubbing at my face. Before I could summon the courage to kill the engine and climb out, the front door opened, golden light spilling into the darkness outside like a spotlight.

The figure back lit in the open doorway moved out onto the porch and the door closed, allowing me to see it was Scooter. Hebent at the waist and braced his forearms on the deck railing in a casual stance as he waited for me to finally find the nerve to exit the truck.

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