Page 39 of The Deals We Make

“Yeah, yeah. You don’t need my help. You’re an independent woman. You hate me. Got it. We had this conversation yesterday, and I still ended up helping you out. So, let’s just jump to the part where you tell me what the skip is for, and I’ll make a start.”

“I don’t like being cut off or spoken over.”

Vex stands and removes his jacket. “Well, when you start saying something worth hearing, I won’t do it.”

“Fuck you,” I say.

A wide, white-toothed smile greets my words. “There’s the girl who handled Kiwan’s shit in sixth grade.”

I almost smile at the thought of the bully’s attempt to trip up Benny Barlow, the small fourth grader, as he carried a tray full of art supplies down the school corridor. I might have been suspended for an afternoon, but I was treated as a hero when I returned to school after the weekend.

And Kiwan walked a wide circle away from me every time I saw him after that.

“The stairs,” I blurt, before I say anything else. “I intend to clear the stairs so she can walk up and down them properly. From what I can tell, it’s an avalanche of old newspapers and junk. Then, I want to tackle my old bedroom. If I can tidy that room, I can move Mom into it while I do hers.”

“Got it. You got a cleaning company coming in?”

“I had it booked for tomorrow. They specialize in cleanups, but…”

“But?” Vex asks.

“I think the intrusion might be too much for Mom. Or she might be too embarrassed if they come in before we clean some of it up. I feel like if I can get all of this done today, it’ll make their cleanup easier.”

Vex pulls his phone out of his back pocket. “I have an idea.”

12

VEX

Halo and Clutch are first up the driveway. But as I greet them, I see King’s truck pull up with Niro, Cat, and Bates in it.

“Saint’s at the strip club taking care of a cash run,” King says. “Spark went with him, but they’ll join when they can. What can we do, brother?”

I wait as I see Switch arrive. “Sorry. The physical therapist comes to our house once a week. Was in the middle of treatment.”

“No worries. One sec.” I turn and yell into the house. “Calista?”

When she arrives, some of the guys give me a knowing stare. I simply roll my eyes.

“Your mom still upstairs?” I ask quietly.

She nods, but when she sees who is standing on the driveway, her face drains of color. As if she’s seen a ghost. If I didn’t know better, I would say she’s scared.

She backs away from the door.

I place a hand on her shoulder. “You okay, Cal?”

She shirks out from underneath. “I’m fine. Who is this?”

“My club,” I say. “That’s King, my president. And you know Switch.” I introduce all the others. “And this is Calista, my mom’s neighbor’s daughter. We were friends when we were young.”

“And now?” Niro asks.

I understand his meaning but choose not to engage. “And now we make a human chain to help Calista clean up her mom’s house. Mrs. Moray needs a little assistance right now. We’ll pass it down the stairs, then form a left or right chain. Left will lead to the skip. Right to the living room. Calista can decide what to keep as a first pass. Then her mom can decide what she wants to keep from the pile.”

“Can I have a word with you?” Calista says. “In private.”

There’s a waver of fear in her voice, and I don’t understand it. “Sure. Can you guys deal with all the stuff on the porch there?” I point to everything Calista has already dragged from the bathroom.