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“I… I’ll think about it.” She sounds uncomfortable and I panic that maybe Stella pushed her too far, but then she adds, “It’s best served with garlic bread, but my father would disagreed.”
“Garlic bread we can do, right, Priest?”
“Of course. I have a delivery to pick up tomorrow from Costco, they’re donating a couple of trays. We can pre make it and freeze it ready for when we need it.”
“I’m feeling hungry already.” Stella claps her hands together. “Declan’s gonna come help until the weekend — that's my fifteen-year-old brother,” she adds. “So I’m sure buttering endless amounts of bread will keep him outta trouble for five minutes.”
“You know you could run for coordinator of the year,” I laugh. “Father Dan will be recruiting you on a more permanent basis if you keep this up.”
She shrugs. “I like it. And I don’t mind if I have a couple of hours free. Speaking of which, Bella, if you’re looking for a little bit of paid work, my boss — and my dad’s girlfriend, Indigo — she’s always looking to hire.”
Okay, that could be stepping over the line. Just a little…
I glance in the rearview mirror and Bella is looking down, wringing her hands. “That’s nice of you, Stella, thank you. I’ll think about it.”
I don’t have to be a genius to see the cogs are going in her mind. I know that she’s embarrassed about her current state, but she keeps herself well. Her clothes might be a little grubby, but she isn’t unkempt, nor does she smell bad. But I can imagine the things going through her head at Stella’s unexpected job offer and it tugs at my heart a little. I’ve always been a sucker for the underdog, and especially the innocent. Sometimes you just don’t deserve the hand you’re given. I know that only too well.
It’s a short drive to the shelter, and I wonder what this girl is going to do with herself after this. There’s always the chance that I may never see her again. I don’t even think she has a phone. I never see her on a cell; unlike most young people today who live on the damn things. They’re a necessary evil, but I truly believe that cell phones are the bane of most people’s existence.
I also don’t want to make a big deal out of the fact she trusted us enough to give her a ride. Baby steps.
I think Bella is suffering enough with having us help her, and I don’t want it to seem like I’m prying. Even if I want to find out her story and why she’s in this predicament — especially when she admitted she came from a big family — I know that I need to keep a lid on it. This isn’t the way to help people or to get them to open up. It’s a great way to push them away and make them run, though. Dread fills me when I think about her wandering this city without a roof over her head, a safe place to sleep and food in her stomach. It makes me feel like I need to do more, and not just for her, but for others in need too. I’ve been so tied up with all the club drama going on lately that I’ve let things go by the wayside.
I decide then and there when Dan gets back, I’ll talk to him about helping out more.
I hop out of the truck and walk the girls safely to the door.
“I’ll get Bella settled in,” Stella says as I give her a small smile. “It won’t take too long. Bella has my number in case she needs me for anything.”
Bella smiles but it doesn’t reach her eyes. It hits me that she really doesn’t have a phone and we need to get her one, for safety reasons alone. It isn’t safe for a woman in her predicament to not have a way of getting help if she needs it. Something about her has just hit me right where it hurts. It’s not my job to protect her, but I want to.
“I’ll be right here when you’re done,” I reply. My eyes flick to Bella. She looks down a lot. I don’t know why. She has nothing to be ashamed of.
“Goodnight, Priest,” she says, her voice faint.
I smile gently. “Goodnight, Bella. I can’t wait to try the carbonara.”
She nods and follows Stella inside.
I don’t know for sure that I’ll see her again, but I hope that at least she’ll stay here until we can figure something out. She can’t live here permanently, even if Sophie can bend the rules for a little while. But at least it’s a short-term solution.
Bella deserves better. She should be out enjoying her youth and finishing college or doing something she enjoys, not living rough without a home to go to or family who care about her.
Yet, something about her story is intriguing to me. I have to know what’s going on and why.
Even if I should just mind my own business and be glad we got her to the safety of the shelter.
I don’t like that she lied to me when she clearly had no place to go tonight. What was she going to do, sleep on a park bench? I shudder at the thought. The streets are no place for a girl like her. And I vow that I’m going to do whatever I can to help her get back on her feet.
4
ISABELLA
The shelter has been a nice escape for a few days, but I’ve been thinking a lot about what Stella said and getting some money together. Once I get to Houston, I’ve no idea what’s in the safety deposit box. When my grandmother gave me the key a few months ago before she died, I didn’t think anything of it. Now it could be my only lifeline…
“Promise me, Isabella. Promise me you’ll never go there unless you have no other choice.”
I stared at her, unable to fathom what the heck she was talking about.
