Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 131209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 656(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 437(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 656(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 437(@300wpm)
“You don’t have anywhere to go?” I questioned with worry in my tone.
She smiled for me, not at me. She was trying to relieve my concern for her and it instantly hurt my heart. It was like staring into a mirror; she had seen some shit in her life, too. Exactly how I had. I was sure of it like I was sure my name was Devon.
“No… I don’t, I’ll be fine,” she answered with pride and a hardened tone.
It made me sad for her and I reached over and grabbed her shoulder, catching her off guard. I didn’t even think twice about what I was going to say. It came out naturally. “You did really great tonight, Kid. I’m going to put you on the schedule.”
She immediately started jumping up and down and it warmed my worried heart.
“Really! That’s great. I’m so happy.”
I laughed at her. “Great, because I have another proposition for you. My roommate just moved out a couple weeks ago; he got married and left all his furniture behind. His wife said something about wanting to buy new stuff because it was too masculine. If you don’t mind that, the room is yours for however long you need it.”
The apprehension on her face was evident, which made me squeeze her shoulder in reassurance and comfort. “It shouldn’t take you too long to get on your feet. Hotels in Miami are sleazy unless you can afford something on South Beach, and I’m assuming you can’t. I wouldn’t feel right letting you sleep somewhere I know you wouldn’t be safe. A pretty girl like you could get in a lot of trouble in this town. My apartment is right on South Beach, next to Collins Street. You could walk to work, and everything you need would be in walking distance so transportation wouldn’t be an issue. You could focus on finding a place and then maybe buying a car.”
“Why are you being so nice to me?” she blurted out.
The response nearly knocked me on my ass and I gave her a genuine smile to try to reduce or even dismiss her worry or dismay.
“Because, you look like you need it, Kid,” I honestly answered.
“What do you want for it?”
Jesus Christ… it keeps getting worse.
“A thank you would suffice. If you want to cook me some dinners when we’re not working a few nights a week, we could call it even.”
She contemplated my offer and at first, she seemed confused and maybe even a little scared, but it quickly changed when I smiled at her again. I couldn’t believe the pull this girl had on me, but once again, it wasn’t in a sexual way. I wanted to protect her and make sure she was okay. It was like I had one of my sisters standing in front of me and I couldn’t not help her.
“Okay, Devon. I’m not a great cook but…you have a deal.” She extended her right hand and I extended mine. After we had shaken on it, I laughed again and put my arm around her shoulder.
“I know this great café that serves unbelievable breakfast, let’s go get some food in you, and then we will get you settled. We are due back here by two o’clock.”
We quickly fell into a comfortable and normal routine. She was an amazing roommate, but a terrible cook. We had to call the superintendent several times because she almost burned down our kitchen. We always laughed it off, though. She was one of the easiest women to be around, although I didn’t know a damn thing about her. I thought with the more time that went by, she would open up a bit, but never did. I finally gave up trying.
I never made her pay for anything; I was making more than enough money to support my family and us. I wanted her to save as much as she could because I knew she wouldn’t be living with me forever, as much as I wanted her to. However, Ysabelle wanted more out of life. I knew it the second I looked into her bright green eyes. I could never put my finger on it, but she was never truly happy… it didn’t matter what she accomplished or gained; something was always missing.
One afternoon, she ordered a pizza and was adamant that she was paying. She went to take a shower and the pizza arrived, I went into her wallet to grab the cash and her license was visible. I took a quick look at it and her date of birth immediately stunned me. She was sixteen years old. She was a baby and she was definitely running from something.
I just didn’t know what it was and I wouldn’t learn until almost a decade later.
I knew in that moment that she was meant to come into my life and I hers.