He chuckled. “Get your shoes on, wiseass.”
That one unexpected moment, something so completely insignificant as Brody helping me reach my shoes and then joking around, made me feel more like my old self than I had in years.
“Bring an overnight bag. I want you to stay at the hotel again tonight, and tomorrow night, too.”
“I’m fine here, Brody. I appreciate it, though.”
“Can you just do it for me?”
The man had no idea what I would be willing to do for him. I nodded and threw the clothes I’d picked out for the service in an overnight bag.
On the way out, I heard voices coming from my neighbor’s apartment. Lena and Abby’s apartment. “Can you just give me a minute?”
I listened before knocking. Brody stood behind me.
The familiar sound of rusted locks clanked and then Abby opened the door. Her face lit up, and she ran to hug my legs, catching me by surprise. “Can we go to the park again?”
I smiled at the little ball of energy. “Not today. I’m going somewhere with my friend. This is Brody.”
She looked at Brody, found zero that interested her, and returned her attention to me. “When you’re done?”
“I’m actually going to be busy for a few days.” I looked into her apartment. “Is your mom here?”
“No. Grandma brought me to get more clothes.”
With that, Sophie appeared. “Didn’t I tell you not to open the door?” she scolded
“It was only Willow.”
Sophie put her hands on her hips. “And how did you know it was Willow? Did you ask who it was, Abby?”
Abby looked at me, then back to her grandmother. “No.” She sulked. “I forgot again.”
Her grandmother tried to hide a smile. “We’ll work on it.” She turned her attention to me. “Hi, Willow. Don’t you look pretty.”
“Thank you. I heard voices and wanted to see if everything was okay.”
Her eyes pointed to her granddaughter. “Everything is good. Abby is probably going to stay with me for a while.” I read between the lines. She was probably going to stay with her because she had no idea where the hell her daughter had disappeared to. The situation brought me back twenty years. Thankfully, Abby had Sophie like I’d had Marlene.
“Well, aren’t you lucky, Abby? I used to spend a lot of time with my grandmother, too. Her house was one of my favorite places in the world to go when I was your age.”
Sophie smiled. “We’re going to have a great time, aren’t we, Abby?”
Abby and I were lucky. I shuddered to think of what life was like for the girls who didn’t have a Sophie or a Marlene. “We have to get going. But you have my number. If there is anything I can do to help—”
Abby interrupted, jumping up and down. “Like take me to the park.”
I chuckled. “Yes. Like take Abby to the park. Just give me a call. I work nights, so I have time during the days.”
Sophie thanked us for stopping by and then Brody and I headed to the car. “What was that all about?”
“Abby’s mom was sober for a few months. She went off the wagon a few days ago. I found her partying with a dealer while Abby was home, so I took her to the park to get her out of there. When things got worse, I called her grandmother and brought her there.”
Brody nodded. “I don’t think this is a great place for you to be.”
A group of thug-looking teenagers were circling his fancy car when we walked up. I looked at Brody. “I can’t imagine what would make you say that.”
He walked right up to the scary-looking teens. “What’s up, guys?”
“Shit, man. You’re Brody fucking Easton.”
“I am.” He extended his hand, and their demeanors went from street thug to sports-idolizing little boys immediately.
“You guys watching my car for me?”
“Those are some nice-looking rims you got there. We didn’t know this sweet piece belonged to you.”
Brody opened my car door and waited until I got in. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but he talked to the man-boys for another minute before shaking hands again and getting in.
“Making friends?”
“Making you friends. Told them to keep an eye on you.”
“I’m capable of taking care of myself.”
“You don’t belong in this neighborhood.”
“No. You don’t belong in this neighborhood. I fit in perfectly fine. I think you’re forgetting who I am.”
He started the car and put it into gear. “You’re right,” he mumbled under his breath, “I need to remember that.”
***