Page 52 of Cold Hard Cash

“Sorry, Miss Legrand,” Maury replied, not pulling any punches, “your brother is a ruthless prick, and I’m sure you understand my concerns with young Jimmy here gettin’ mixed up with him beyond the terms of their, eh, their arrangement.”

“Oh, indeed he is,” Rowena laughed, surprising Jimmy with how well she took Maury insulting Cold. “But I can tell you that he is very sweet on Jimmy. I think they’re going to be just fine together.”

“And I tells you that I still ain’t too old to bust some kneecaps with a crowbar,” Maury threw back, grinning. “You tell that brother of yours I don’t care who he is. It’s one thing to fuck Jimmy, but he better not break his fuckin’ heart. Everybody’s bones crack if ya bash ‘em hard enough.”

“Oooo, is that a threat?” Rowena giggled.

“A promise, ma’am,” Maury replied cordially, tipping his hat.

“I like him,” Rowena said with a big smile, nudging Jimmy playfully.

Jimmy was dazed by this collision of worlds before him but laughed with them both. Maury’s concern was sweet, as was Rowena’s continued insistence that Cold cared for him. Her personality was so warm and lovely, even Maury couldn’t resist her. Listening to them chat, his mind started to wander.

He thought about what Maury had said; about Cold breaking his heart.

No, that wasn’t going to happen. Cold did care about him, even if he didn’t say it. Rowena was convinced of it, and Jimmy had definitely not forgotten that sweet kiss from last night. He had to believe there was going to be a happy ending.

“So this is where everything in your apartment ended up?” Rowena asked with a wink.

“Oh, yeah,” Jimmy answered, coming back to the conversation. “That’s my TV over there. My microwave, my DVDs, my DVD player, ehhhh. Pretty much hocked everything I had.” He laughed sadly, adding, “All of my mom’s jewelry.”

“You pawned your mother’s jewelry?” Rowena asked with a little frown.

“Yeah,” Jimmy nodded miserably. “Needed to eat.”

“Hey, now,” Maury protested. “I held onto it all. And I swears I woulda never sold anything of Eliza’s. Was just hangin’ on to it until Jimmy got back on his feet. I ain’t even charging interest!”

Jimmy smiled softly. “I know. And one day, I’ll get it all back.”

“How much is it in hock for?” Rowena asked.

“Fifteen big,” Maury replied, his bushy brows furrowing together.

“Hmmm,” Rowena hummed, digging around in her purse and batting her eyes seductively. “How about ten in cash, right now?”

“Rowena,” Jimmy protested. He couldn’t believe anyone carried around that much money, equally amazed at Rowena’s endless generosity. “I can’t let you do that, please. That’s, that’s really nice of you—”

“Jimmy Poe,” she said coolly. “I do what I want.” Her eyes flicked to Maury with a pretty smile. “Deal?”

“Deal,” Maury said with his own toothy grin. He happily accepted a thick stack of cash, thumbing through it and counting it with quick fingers.

Jimmy stared incredulously at Rowena’s large and seemingly magical purse, wondering what else she kept in there. She could pull out a toaster oven or a bazooka and he wouldn’t be surprised.

“I’ll be right back,” Maury said, taking the cash with him and disappearing into the back of the store.

“Thank you,” Jimmy said, beaming gratefully at Rowena. “I’ll find a way to pay you back. Really.”

“Keep making my brother happy,” Rowena said with a warm smile, “and we’ll call it even.”

“I... I’ll try.” Jimmy blushed.

Maury returned, setting a small jewelry box on the counter. It was round, white porcelain with red roses painted on the lid. “Go on,” he urged, smiling softly. “It’s all yours, kid.”

Sliding his hands around the jewelry box, Jimmy eagerly accepted it. He could remember it sitting on top of his mother’s dresser, watching her dip into it to get ready to go off to work or sometimes dressing up for date night with his dad. His memories of her were fading as the years went by, no matter how much he tried to cling to every last one. This little jewelry box was treasure, not just for what it held, but the memories it carried.

Smiling at Rowena, Jimmy’s eyes felt wet. “Thank you. Really.”

Rowena kissed his cheek with a loud smooching sound. “Awww, come on. Don’t get all mushy on me. Better make sure it’s all there.” She cast a teasing glare at Maury. “Can’t trust people nowadays.”