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“Hello?” I answer.
The robotic female voice greets me. “This is a call from an inmate at the Colorado State—”
I cut her off by hitting1on my keypad.
“Hi,” I hear my brother say.
I’m still trying to catch my breath from my impromptu self-love session and feel a little sleazy talking to my brother right now.
“How’s it going?” I ask, steadying my breath.
“Same ol’. I do have good news though. I got my release date.”
I perk up. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yep. March third. I’ve got eleven months to go!”
“Oh, my gosh, that’s great,” I say.
“My caseworker in here needs a release plan though. You cool if I say I’m gonna stay with you after I get out? They might send a parole officer out to your place to inspect it and make sure you don’t have guns and shit there, just to warn you.”
I move around my kitchen, taking some eggs and tortillas out of the fridge. I’m suddenly starving. “Of course that’s okay. There’s nothing here that’ll get you into trouble. You know that. But, Eric... you are going to be staying here, right? Not just saying that?”
“Well, I don’t want to be a burden. I’ll just stay at Mom’s.”
I crack two eggs into a hot buttered pan and add a little milk and cheese. “I mean, you can but you won’t get into trouble? Why don’t you just tell them you’re going to be living there?”
He sighs and I try to tune out the echoing background noise of men’s voices. “Because I can’t live alone at first. I need community support... is how they say it.”
“Oh, I see. Well, we’ll figure something out. I have the two bedrooms here so if you have to stay here, that’s fine.”
“That’s a relief, sis. It really is. I can’t wait to get out. I’m so fucking tired of this place. Being around dudes twenty-four-seven. The same food. The same gym. The same job. The drama. I’m over it.”
I never ask when he mentions drama. I’m assuming fights and other stuff that go on there. I know Eric can take care of himself but I just don’t want to know. I guess he’ll have plenty of stories when he gets out. I worry about him being able to find a job and such, but he’s got a degree in sports medicine and he’s a hard worker. Hopefully something will work out.
“I bet you are,” I reply. “So... I got fired from Mills & Graves.”
“What?” he practically screeches. “Why?”
“Well, not fired but laid off. Melinda said it was budget cuts or some shit. I already got another job so it’s fine.”
“Oh, that’s a relief. Where?”
I bite my lip and move the cooked eggs to a plate while I throw in the tortilla to heat it up. He’s going to snap when I tell him, but I have to. “Well, Carter Lockwood sorta offered me a job.”
He’s quiet for a few seconds, then says, “Seriously, Taryn?”
I flip the tortilla. “Yes, I’m serious. Why? Is that a problem? He’s paying me almost double what I was making at the law firm.”
“Well, he’s been kinda absent lately. Didn’t even show up to Mom’s funeral. You know he’s the first one I’m gonna confront when I get the fuck outta here.”
The phone beeps, warning him he has one minute left on his phone call.
“Fuck. We’ll talk later. I’m glad you got a job though. Just be careful, okay?”
Careful? I shake my head and load the cheesy eggs into the tortilla. I have absolutely no energy to fight with him. “I will,” I say simply, knowing he has to go.
“Love you, sis.”
