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“That’s where you’re wrong, kid.” I glance over my shoulder. “This isn’t a game to me. This is my life. And whether or notyoustay in it is up to you.” He opens his mouth. I lift a hand. “But that woman,” I jut my chin at Clarissa who’s reaching for the door, “is a permanent part of me. There’s no winning or losing. There’s just me and her. You understand?”
He scowls.
Clarissa opens the door and slides in. She re-did her makeup because the bruising around her jaw is gone. So are the marks that were starting to show on her neck.
My fingers clamp into fists at the reminder of what happened tonight. It’s going to take everything inside me to keep from finding Hatchen and returning the favor.
“Sorry. I didn’t take too long, did I?” She notices the stony silence between me and Joel. Her eyebrows rise in alarm. “What were you two talking about?”
“Nothing,” Joel says.
“The weather,” I say.
The kid takes a shot of his inhaler while I start the car and drive off.
13
OVERNIGHT MIRACLE
CLARISSA
Nova isn’tthe only one standing on the overgrown lawn when Cody brings his car to a stop. I stumble out, my jaw dropping when I see all the farmhouse ladies, their husbands, and a swarm of construction workers in yellow ‘crew’ shirts.
“What is going on? Who are these people?”
“They were here when we arrived,” Nova says, gliding elegantly forward. She’s wearing a hoodie and jeans, but she still manages to look like a sophisticated boss.
Vargas walks up to me. “The men are from a construction company we work with often. Cody told me to call them in.”
“Figured we’d need a lot of hands to get this done by morning,” Cody says. Joel is close on his heels. Back in the car, he insisted on helping. ‘Just because I’m sick doesn’t mean I can’t make a difference.’
Who can argue with that?
“Clarissa,” Nova’s voice drags my attention back to her, “I’m not sure if you remember Sunny.”
“Of course I do.” I smile.
The tall, beautiful woman has long straight hair to her back and soft brown eyes. She returns my grin. “I’m a professional interior decorator—”
“Thebestin the city,” Kenya Alistair adds.
“I wouldn’t say that.”
“That architecture magazine did though,” Kenya says with a wink.
Nova butts in. “Vargas already provided a blueprint of the house. Sunny made a tentative first draft of her design plan.”
“It’s a little rushed. I only had half-an-hour to sketch before you got here, but with the time constraints, I really want to focus on a few key living areas. Kitchen, living room, master, kid’s room, and bathroom.”
A woman with dark brown skin and delicate facial features laughs. “Sunny, that’s the entire house.”
“Dawn’s got a point,” Kenya says.
“Maybe you can drop the backyard?” Dawn says.
“No. There has to be a backyard. And a front lawn. It’s all about curb appeal,” Sunny argues.
“Don’t you think it’s too much for you though?” Kenya asks.