Page 21 of Blue Sky

“It was my uncle. He went through my purse and stole my money. When I confronted him, he smashed his tequila bottle over my head.”

Ah fuck. I clenched my fist. I wanted to kill that mother fucker for touching Paloma.

But then a chill came over me. Paloma at least was safe in my house now. Her sisters were with this jerk now.

“Are your sisters still with him now?”

She nodded. “Yes. But don’t worry about them. They will be fine. He’s good to them.”

My chest constricted. Here I thought I was giving this woman the opportunity of the lifetime—and I was—but I didn’t realize that by doing so, I was also putting her and her family in danger. She was the sole caretaker of her sisters, and now her sisters were living with an abuser to care for my daughter.

“He just assaulted you, Paloma.”

“He won’t hurt them. He’s fine except when he drinks.”

“How often does he drink?”

Her voice dropped. “Every night.”

Yup. Nightmare. What had I gotten myself into? I could fire her, so she could go take care of her sister, but she was so great with Sky. And it wasn’t fair to fire her when she had put her sisters in danger to take this job. She needed this job, this opportunity. And I was starting to have feelings for Paloma. She was incredible. And I wasn’t the only one who thought so. Her references had been stellar. Everyone praised how hard working, smart, kind, and determined she was. Her teacher had even told me that she had begged Paloma to accept her college scholarship, but Paloma wouldn’t consider leaving her sisters behind. I respected the hell out of her decision. And I wasn’t sure that I would’ve put off my dreams of being a pilot for my own family.

Her refusal to chase her dreams to take care of her sisters doomed her to stay in this barren town.

And now, to take this job, I had forced her to leave them in a dire situation.

This was a new year. My old life died with my wife. Catherine hadn’t wanted me to wallow in my grief, but to instead help others less fortunate. It didn’t seem right to have Paloma’s sisters suffer so she could work for me. Especially since I was living in a four-bedroom, two-bath home paid for by the government.

I couldn’t believe what I was about to say.

“I’m not sure this is going to work out. I don’t want your sisters to have to stay in an unsafe situation.

Her bottom lip quivered. “Oh, please, Beck. They will be fine. Please don’t fire me. I really need this job. This is the best thing that has ever happened to me. They are my problem, not yours. They won’t interfere with my work or my care for your daughter.”

Dammit. I had definitely not said that right.

“I’m not firing you. But I have a big place here, and I’ll be working most of the day. Your sisters are welcome to stay here.”

Her eyes bulged. For a second, I thought she would immediately accept my offer, but she shook her head. “No. That won’t be necessary. They are fine at my uncle’s. I’m sorry I bothered you with my problems. I should get Sky ready for bed.”

Had anyone ever done anything nice for this girl? “Sky is fine right now. Look, I insist. You can’t focus on my baby if you are worried about your sisters.”

She met my eyes and didn’t look away. “Nope. It’s out of the question. I don’t need your help.”

I was enjoying her little defiant streak. I loved that she wanted to earn everything herself. But I had received favors in my life that had helped me achieve my goals. And I was going to give her one.

“Then, I rescind my job offer. If your sisters don’t stay here, you can’t work here. You will be too distracted to concentrate. That’s my offer. Take it or leave it.” There, that ought to do it.

Her mouth slackened. “Wait, what? Are you sure? You really want them to stay here? Are you kidding me?”

“Yes, I’m serious. It’s only for seven more weeks until I go back to Pensacola. It will be nice to have some laughter around here.”

Tears welled in Paloma’s eyes. “¡Ay, Dios mió! I can’t believe this. This is the best day ever. I promise they will behave. And they love babies. We will keep this house clean, and we will be quiet. You won’t even know we are here.”

“I’m going to call Declan to come over and watch Sky and we can go get your sisters.

“Beck, you truly are an angel. I can’t thank you enough.”

She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed my cheek. I fought the urge to kiss her back.