Page 103 of Ride or Die

A thick swallow works down Cole’s throat causing his Adam’s apple to bob. Blue eyes flitting between mine, he nods slowly. “I ain’t goin’ nowhere, darlin’.”

My shoulders sag with an exhale and I nestle into his warmth, basking in the feel of his arms around me, holding me tight. His embrace feels like a promise that he really will never let anything happen to us.

The farrier’s cabin is quaint inside. All wood and worn leather; there’s a main bedroom downstairs with a queen bed, and a loft upstairs that has two single beds, perfect for the kids.

Not only did Mama Joy come here and clean the place, opening the windows and letting in the fresh, country air, she also made it look and feel like a home, with soft knit blankets, sweet-smelling candles placed about, and a vase of beautiful fresh flowers sitting on the small kitchen table. She even left a bunch of toys upstairs for Billie and Tommy. I adore that woman.

I brought as much as I could from Cole’s house. I want the kids to feel at home as much as they can because god knows they’ve already been pulled from pillar to post enough. They’re really starting to feel like they have a place where they belong at Cole’s; and while I know this is only temporary, I don’t want them to feel uncomfortable and possibly regress.

As I’m making the beds in the loft, my phone rings in the pocket of my jean shorts and I tug it out to see that the call is coming from Meow’s. My brows tug together because Bruce has never called me before, and unless he’s asking me to work tonight, I can’t imagine a call from him is a good thing.

“Hello?”

“Blondie,” Bruce gruffs through the phone.

I bite my tongue to stop myself from correcting him, instead forcing a smile despite the fact I know he can’t see me. “Hi, Bruce.”

He clears his throat, hesitating a moment. “Uh, listen, I don’t like bein’ the bearer of bad news and all, but… I gotta cut your shifts.”

My mouth falls open on a gasp as panic surges through me. “What? Why? What… Did I do something?” I look around the room aimlessly, feeling tears burn. “I really need this job, Bruce. I—I’m sorry. Whatever it is… I-I can be better, I?—”

“Aw, hell, don’t cry. It ain’t nothin’ you did.” Bruce tuts. “I just… business is slow.”

I shake my head thinking back to the last few shifts I worked when business was anything but slow. Of all the places in Summer, Meow’s seems to be the only business holding strong through the current financial climate.

“And, well, you were the last hire, so…” Bruce trails off, leaving the rest up to me to piece together.

I take a seat on the edge of one of the beds, my body sagging with the weight of the realization that I’ve just lost my job. “Okay.”

“It ain’t forever,” Bruce adds, and I can tell he’s just trying to make me feel better. “Just for the time bein’. ’Til things pick back up. You can come collect your last pay packet anytime. I’ll… throw in a small severance for ya.”

I heave a long, shuddered sigh, looking down at my cracked nail polish. “Thanks, Bruce.”

The call ends, and I toss the phone onto the mattress, pressing my palms into my eyes to relieve the pressure of the headache I can feel looming. I’ve been able to save almost everything I’ve earned so far at Meow’s, aside from the cost of mine and the kids’ day-to-day living expenses, but it’s not much. I need a job. If we’re going to find a place of our own here in Summer, I need to be able to afford first and last months’ rent plus whatever furniture we’re going to need; we’re starting from scratch. I can’t not be earning money. Plus, I was really starting to like working at Meow’s with Maci and Kendra. Despite Bruce telling me it wasn’t anything I did, I can’t help but feel like a failure. Fired from a goddamn strip club.

As I look around the loft of this strange house we’ve been exiled to, suddenly jobless with a goddamn tornado on the way, I don’t want to risk putting it out into the universe because my luck has never been the greatest, but I can’t help wonder what else can possibly go wrong…

After I finish making the kids’ beds, I walk down the stairs at the same time as Cole walks in from outside, looking every bit the dirty cowboy; red dust smears across his cheek, hair slick with sweat. He stops when he sees me, and I can tell immediately he knows something’s up.

Placing his hat onto the hook next to the door, he crosses the small living room and stops at the bottom of the stairs, eyes blazing as they peer up at me. “What’s wrong?”

I throw my hands in the air, walking down the last few steps to meet him. “Bruce… fired me.”

Cole’s eyes flit between mine. “Firedyou?”

I nod, pushing my hair back from my flustered face with an exasperated huff.

“What… what’d he say?”

“He said business was slow and I was the last one he hired.” I shrug, at a loss. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do.”

“Hey, now.” Cole’s hands land on my waist, and with a reassuring squeeze, he ducks to steady me with a look. “It ain’t worth worryin’ about.”

I gape at him. “Cole, I just lost my job. I—I’m a mother. I… need a job to put food on the table for my kids.”

“Clara.” His voice takes on a stern warning as he stares deep into my eyes, and I release a resigned sigh knowing exactly what he’s going to say. “You and me, we’re a team, y’hear?”

“I know…” I look down, but he catches me, tucking his finger beneath my chin and holding my gaze.