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Evie
I drove through the gates of Cantiville Prison with butterflies in my stomach. It reminded me of my childhood when we used to visit my dad. And those memories weren’t good ones.
For the thousandth time, I wondered if I’d done the right thing by helping out my friend, Bobby. The older woman had been like a mother to me over the last five years. I wasn’t sure where I’d be without her. Probably living on the streets like my mom. So, when my friend needed surgery on her hip and asked me to finish the last two weeks of her volunteer stint at Cantiville Correctional, I’d quickly agreed. Right about now, I was regretting that decision.
I’d met Bobby when I’d been volunteering at our local dog shelter. I couldn’t have a dog at the time, but I craved being around them since I was a little girl. Thinking that I could be helpful and meet my own need for pet companionship at the same time, I signed up to clean the kennels and walk the dogs once a week.
Bobby shared my Tuesday shift at the shelter. Her kind nature and easy demeanor drew me right in. When I found out the older woman owned her own business, I was even more impressed. That’s when she’d offered me a job. Bobby taught me everything I knew about cooking. And when my friend decided to semi-retire, I took over that business and Bobby worked for me from time to time.
Parking in the staff lot, I gathered my purse and my courage and headed inside the gray gated walls. There were two guards at the front desk. The younger had a name tag that read Becker. The older gentleman, Garrity. When Becker saw me, he smiled, slowly looking me up and down.
“You here for an inmate visit, honey?” the younger guard asked, taking my I.D. and studying it for longer than seemed necessary.
I shook my head. “I’m here in place of Bobby Johnson. She runs the prisoner cooking program,” I explained. “She had hip surgery recently and needed me to finish off her last two weeks.”
“How’s Bobby feeling?” Garrity inquired, genuine concern on his smiling face.
“She’s in some pain,” I admitted, “but I stop by and visit her once a week to make sure she’s got whatever she needs. When she heals up, I’m sure she’ll want to start volunteering again. Bobby doesn’t stay idle for long.”
“Glad to hear it,” Garrity returned. “Bobby is a ray of sunshine around here and she’s been sorely missed.”
The older guard was cute. He had a full head of white hair, sparkling blue eyes, and a neatly trimmed beard. With his concern for Bobby, I wondered if my friend was holding out on me about a possible love connection with the man. I was going to have to ask her about that later.
Becker grinned even wider. “So, with Bobby gone, you’ll be hanging around Cantiville pretty regularly then?”
I tucked a loose strand of chestnut-colored hair nervously behind my ear. I’d plaited the thick mass into a French braid that trailed halfway down my back, but a few tendrils always seemed to escape no matter how I secured them. “I’ll be here for at least the next couple of weeks.”
“All right then,” Becker said, buzzing me through the door. “Come inside. I’ll show you around. The name’s John Becker,” he added casually. “If you need anything while at Cantiville, I’m your guy. I can get you whatever you want, honey.”
“Thanks,” I spoke sincerely. “That’s really helpful. I appreciate it.”
Once I passed through the door, I handed over my purse for Garrity to check over. I turned out my pockets into a plastic tray and Becker approached me with a hand-held wand. Awkwardly, I let the man slowly pass the metal detector down my blouse and jeans. Running it to the back of my rear, he paused over my ass for several seconds.
“Looks good,” Becker proclaimed with a wink.
I couldn’t help but think he was referring to more than just my weapon-free status.
Done with my belongings check, Garrity handed back my purse and I slung it over my shoulder and thanked him.
“Let me show you where the kitchen is so you can get set up,” Becker offered, placing his hand on my back to usher me forward.
Uncomfortable with the intimacy, I tactfully shifted away from the guard so he couldn’t keep touching me as we walked.
“These guys are animals,” Becker began, swinging his keys as he talked. “A good-looking girl like yourself is going to have to be vigilant while working with them.”
My fear doubled with his words. That was the last thing I needed to hear. I was already so nervous about the next two weeks, that I hadn’t been able to eat breakfast this morning.
My anxiety must have shown on my face because Becker picked up on it right away. “Don’t worry about it, Hun. I’m here to protect you. If any of the guys give you a hard time, I know how to put them back into line.”
The guard tapped his belt where a taser was strapped. I swallowed hard, not knowing how to respond to that.
“You got a man?” Becker pressed, turning to look me in the eye as he badged into what I presumed was the kitchen.
“Umm,” I stumbled, not sure what to say. “No,” I finally divulged, when I couldn’t think of how to answer him with anything other than the truth.
Becker smiled from ear to ear. “A good-looking girl like you, single? Why is that?”
Angry with myself that I hadn’t just lied, I attempted to do damage control now. “I work a lot and don’t really have time for anything but my business.”
