Fallen Woman(33)

It was a never-ending fight to keep my head above water, and I hadn’t even begun to touch the bad debt I had hanging out there or the lawyers’ fees that were long since past due. I’d thought making five hundred dollars in a night I’d start to plow through some of these issues to put myself in a better position to leave The Village, but with every paycheck, another week had passed, and I was barely hanging on. I could’ve used this money toward one of those goals, but I was petrified there was something terribly wrong with Miss Pearl, and to top it off, Emmy wasn’t responding to the detox or the antibiotics.

“You sure you’re going to be all right with all four of them tonight? You look worn out.”

Her face contorted into a little ball of anger. “Child. I been takin’ care of me longer than you’ve been alive. I don’t need you second guessin’ me. I’m fine. If I weren’t, I’d tell ya. Hear?”

I smiled at her spunk as she ran me out the door. If she could still put me in my place, she’d be all right with the kids, but I’d asked them to be extra good just in case and left them my cell. The guy's phone numbers were all programmed in and on the favorite list with a picture, so all they had to do was touch the name next to it to connect to someone who could help them.

Willum was picking me up in about half an hour, so I had to rush to get dressed. It wasn’t supposed to be a long night—a cocktail party downtown and then the symphony. It seemed more like a real date, but I didn’t question it. The guys were respectful, and the money was the same at the end of the night. He had picked out a dress for me and had it sent to the office—a saucy little green number that sucked to my skin and revealed every curve on my body. I felt like a shiny, slutty leprechaun, but if this’s what he wanted, then I aimed to please. I was pretty sure I’d stick out like a sore thumb at the symphony.

His face lit up when I opened the door—obviously pleased with what he saw. When we walked to his car, I caught him adjusting himself out of the corner of my eye, and I couldn’t help but grin. I wasn’t interested in Willum in the slightest, but it made me feel good to know I affected someone, even if it wasn’t Jase. He copped a hint of a feel of my ass, putting his hand on the small of my back as I got in the car, but I let it slide.

I watched his lively expressions as he rambled on about the people we’d see tonight and how excited he was to hear some fantastic cello player downtown. He was animated in rare dork form. I’d never met a man who could execute nerd so flawlessly and in such a hot freaking way. He was built like an Adonis, with bright green eyes the color of grass on a spring day, blond hair women would kill for, and slightly taller than average height at just over six feet. To say he was gorgeous was an understatement, but then he started talking and you wondered if he had a favorite periodic element and how many presidents he’d met. He was the guy you’d call to translate your Latin tattoo and trace your family tree. But if you could get past all that to the person, he was funny as all get out. People loved being around him because he made them smile and laugh—holy cow he had the entire party in hysterics and women hanging off him, even though he’d brought a date.

He ate up the attention, and ultimately, chose to entertain them rather than socialize with me, which was fine, I didn’t mind, but I wondered why he wanted me here if he had all these women at his feet. I assumed he’d be the one with the hardest walls to break down since he’d been married and divorced, but that didn’t appear to be the case.

He sidled up next to me at the bar, where I’d had a couple more drinks than I should have. “Do you care if I call it a night?”

I set my glass down and turned toward him. “Which one?”

He pointed to the redhead standing against a wall. She looked perfect for him, like she’d appreciate seeing the stamps in his collection, or the shark teeth he’d gathered at the beach. Attractive but not overly so. I could see him with her.

A grin stretched across my face. I hadn’t spent a ton of time with Willum, not like I had Holland and Jase, but he grew on me quickly. “Not at all. Have fun. I’ll call Jase to come get me.”

“You sure? I don’t want to be a scumbag.”

“Nah, we’re good.”

He kissed my cheek and handed me a little change purse I assumed contained my payment. Without so much as a glance over his shoulder, he left with the ginger.

I debated phoning Jase and opted to stay for another drink before I made that call. One turned into three as another single girl and I people-watched and made fun of the men preying on women who weren’t the slightest bit interested. It felt good to act young again, and Courtney, my new partner in crime, was hysterical. We exchanged numbers, but when I went to add hers to my phone, I realized I’d left it with the kids in case they’d needed me.

“Crap. Crap. Crap,” I muttered to myself as I attempted to get the bartender’s attention.

“What’s wrong?”

“I left my phone at home and don’t have a way to call my friend.” I handed the guy behind the bar a hundred to cover mine and Courtney’s drinks and waited on my change.

“Here, use mine.”

Sadly, I didn’t know Jase’s number by heart and mentally slapped myself for being so foolish. I took Courtney’s number on a bar napkin and hugged her goodbye. It’s amazing how close you can become to a stranger after a few drinks.