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“What’d you do?”
She smiled with a little bit of deviousness, and it caused a stir in my jeans.
“Talking to my dad yesterday about the money situation was a bit spiteful. Daddy didn’t know about the money, but he does now, so he’s probably gonna sniff around and that’ll get on her nerves pretty badly.”
I laughed.
She said, “When we talked it out and he’s said it must’ve come from Uncle Billy’s wife, he figured Uncle Billy died with nothing since nobody told him any different and Uncle Billy didn’t live flashy. Drove an old beater. Lived in the clubhouse of his old MC until he died. I got the impression that now that Daddy knows about it, he’s gonna be making his way here. He’s gonna lay it on thick and drive her up the wall trying to borrow it or get her to invest in one of his shady business opportunities. He really gets on her nerves.”
“I’m a little impressed,” I admitted, squeezing her thigh.
She shrugged. “See, not a total angel.”
“We’ll explore the little devil in you when we get back to the swamp,” I promised.
Her eyes lit up. “Sounds like a plan. So… Jojo’s really okay?”
“Yep.”
She let out a long exhale of relief.
“When shit settles down with the enemy and we know it’s safe, we should start apartment hunting,” I told her.
She looked at me with surprise.
“We’ll get a place. Then you can settle in, find a job, and not feel claustrophobic in that clubhouse.”
“Really?”
“Really. If that’s what you want. To live with me, I mean.”
“I’d love that,” she said softly.
I squeezed her thigh. She put her hand on top of mine.
And then she sang along to Hole in my Soul by Aerosmith. Happily. And her voice made the hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stand on end.
And it made me smile for the first time in a while, realizing I was giving my girl what she needs while also getting what I need. Her with me. In my sheets. Her gorgeous voice in my ears, unembarrassed about singing her heart out.
I slowed the truck. “This is where you worked, right?”
“Yeah,” she said, “How’d you know?”
“Asked Delia.” I pulled into a parking spot. “Come on. Let’s go.”
“Let’s go what?”
“Get your money.”
“Uh…”
“C’mon,” I said.
“They might not have it ready.”
“We won’t be leaving without your money.”
Her eyes widened. “I don’t think-”
“I do. Here’s one of the benefits of hitching your wagon to a Harley man, baby. He makes sure you don’t get fucked over. And if someone has the nerve, he’ll make sure they think twice before tryin’ it again.”
I got out of the truck. She followed.
***
“Hi Georgina,” Gigi greeted the lady at the front desk hesitantly.
The woman looked up from her computer and startled before her mouth split into a dazzling smile.
“Gianna. Oh my goodness. I didn’t recognize you for a second!”
“Oh yeah,” Gigi touched her hair. “Changes.”
“Why on earth did you chop it off? You had the most beautiful hair!”
“My aunt got cancer. I had it made into a wig for her.”
The woman beamed, looking like she might cry. She looked to me and said, “That’s our Gianna.” Then she looked back to G. “It looks good. Don’t take it the wrong way. But people pay for hair like you had.”
She waved her hand. “It’ll grow back.”
“Really good to see you!”
“Georgina, this is my… boyfriend. Jesse. Jesse, this is Georgina.”
“Hello,” the older Black lady in pink scrubs greeted, holding out her hand.
“Nice to meet you.” I shook it.
“So, um, did Carolynn leave a check for me?” Gianna asked. “By some chance?”
“No. Not that I’ve heard. So sorry to hear you quit. The residents are missing you.”
“She didn’t quit. She got fired for having an emergency,” I informed. “Right after being forced to take two weeks unpaid vacation despite that the boss hired some friends.”
Georgina’s eyes widened, then her voice went low. “I was afraid of that. We didn’t think you’d just disappear like that with no notice. And those two she hired are as useless as teats on a bull.”
“Where’s the boss then?” I asked.
“In a meeting.”
“Oh,” Gigi piped up. “Okay, maybe I’ll just-” Gigi jerked her thumb toward the door.
“We’ll wait,” I said. “She’s been owed money for months.”
“Feel free,” Georgina gestured to some chairs.
“She also wants to say goodbye to the residents,” I advised.
“Oh! They’d love that. Of course she can; if I accompany her.”
I jerked my chin at my girl, who was staring at me with wide eyes and an open mouth.
“I’ll just get someone to watch the phones and the door and I’ll walk you through,” Georgina said and lifted her phone with a big smile on her face.
***
Not only were there more than a few old people that were thrilled to see her, there were several coworkers who were too. Lots of remarks about her hair. Talk about how they’d miss her. Someone asked what she’d been doing, where she’d gone to work.
