Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 56295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
“No apology necessary. So, we can all agree. It’s Phoenix or nothing, right? Right, good talk. Make it work, Mommalicious.” She pats my hand like I’m a dog. That child of mine.
“Okay, so what if I told you that man I’m going to start dating is, in fact, no other than Nix?” I’m surrounded, literally. Both girls tackle me to the bed, happier than ever, singing Phoenix’s praises, telling me they knew their mom had it but didn’t know she had it. What had is, I have no idea. What I do know is that the James girls are on board and life couldn’t get any freaking better.
21
NIX
“Yo, Eli, you got a minute?” I ask my lead mechanic. He’s bent over the frame of an old beat-up Honda that’s seen better days. The only thing the owner wants done is a service, says while it looks like a pile of shit, the car still runs like a dream. He wasn’t totally right about that. The interior looks better than the exterior, I will say that. The body of the car is where the most damage is. Apparently, his son had no problem taking it out dogging the shit out of it.
“What’s up, Nix?” Eli is older than me by a few years, been through some shit that made him one closed-off individual since the bitch who shall not be named raked him over the coals.
“You’re divorce attorney, he any good?” His head is tipped to the side, knowing I’m not married. A slow smirk takes over his face, and I know I’m about to get a ration of hell. It doesn’t matter that I’m the boss or the shop owner; everyone is treated like an equal individual.
“Fuck yeah. I’ll send you his contact as soon as I’m finished for the day. He ain’t cheap, though. Hope you got some cake to lay down for your lady.” I’ve got more than enough sitting in my bank account. I’m not rich by any means, but the business does well for itself. Staying single for as long as I have has helped, too.
“I’ve got the money. Rosaleigh isn’t going to let me help if she has any say about it. I’m not above going directly to the source if it means it won’t knock out all of her savings,” I tell him. When I called my parents today to tell them that Leigh and I were making shit official as long as the girls were cool with it, there was an about fucking time from my father, followed by an intake of breath, which I’m sure meant Mom whacked him in the stomach when he least expected it. Mom’s response was more like ‘Don’t screw it up. Love that woman with your whole heart, take care of my girls, and you know Rory and Emmy are with you every step of the way.’ It felt good to know everyone was in our corner, even Ophelia, who’s always giving me hell, told me to ‘Go get her, tiger.’ The only worry I have now are the girls.
“He’ll treat you well. She tried to go after my retirement, my house, and my cars after only six months of marriage. It could be that my situation was worse. She was fighting it at every turn, took what could be a simple signing of the papers with a wad of cash to get her out of my life to a drawn-out year-long affair. It was worth every fucking penny to see her walk away without a dime.” He grabs a new toothpick off his toolbox, a habit he picked up when he quit smoking.
“I’m not sure a wanted felon can do a damn thing, and if he does,”—I shrug my shoulders—“well, we’ll deal with that when it happens.”
“It’s a shit thing that fucker did to her. Everyone knows Rosaleigh is the shit, working more than anyone else at Minnie’s, including the owner herself, how she’ll drop off desserts at the nursing home, both of them when she has the time to back with her girls. Everyone in town knows the only thing the girl can make is sandwiches and cookies. You lucked out, brother. They’re good people. That dumbass comes back into town, he won’t have just you to deal with. Thinking the whole town will be out for blood.” Eli isn’t wrong about that. Leigh deserves the good life, to be able to live worry free, and judging by the text she sent me hours after the last one I sent her, all is good.
“Don’t I know it, man. Thanks for the contact. Told Leigh I’d ask you, and knew if you used someone, she wouldn’t be dicked around,” I tell Eli, knowing how some people around here still have their judgments about Rosaleigh for what Douchebag David did, even though after the hell she was put through, everything turned out alright. I guess it was a good thing she demanded to have a joint checking account for the bills and separate for the rest. Douchebag David was pissed. He came to me like we were good friends at this point, telling me what Rosaleigh wanted after they’d gotten married. I listened to him bitch for nearly an hour, holding back my smile while doing so. There’s a reason Leigh wanted that. My mother and I, we told her. It’s better to be safe than sorry, to have something set aside for yourself in case shit went sideways. Rosaleigh took it to heart. It’s what saved her in the long run, especially since the cops and feds froze David’s account as well as their joint. If she hadn’t had that cushion, it could have cost her the house, too, not that any of us would have let that happen. Leigh has her pride, though, and she’d rather move in with my parents than ever ask for a dollar.