“Jules?”

“I… okay,” I said.

“You all right with this?”

“Um, sure,” I lied. I was freaking out; do not ask me why I just was.

“Trail’s hot. It won’t take long.”

I didn’t want to sound like a clingy, stalker, psycho bitch-from-hell but I didn’t know what to say at that moment that wouldn’t sound like a clingy, stalker, psycho bitch-from-hell.

So I stayed silent.

“I’m off tomorrow. Do you want to spend the night at the cabin? I’ll meet you there.”

I shook my head and said, “No, I think I’ll call the girls, see if they want to go out after I talk with Heavy, Zip and Frank.”

“I’ll come to your place when I’m done with this.”

That at least made me feel better.

“Okay.”

It was Vance’s turn to be silent.

“Vance?”

“You’re not okay with this,” he said.

“It’s what you do,” I told him as if he didn’t know.

“Yeah.”

“I’ll get used to it.”

Silence.

“You just surprised me.”

More silence.

“New Mexico is only one state away. It isn’t like you’re all of a sudden in New Zealand.”

More silence.

“Though, I’ve always wanted to go to New Zealand. I’ve heard it’s beautiful there and the people are nice.”

More silence.

“I should probably take Roam to a beach during my next vacation so he can learn how to surf.”

“Jules?” Vance finally spoke.

“Yeah?”

“Shut up.”

I smiled.

* * * * *

I’d spent some time in the rec room with the kids and was walking down the hall on my way back to the office when I turned my head and looked in the window to the blue room. With the tutor Stu, sat Roam, Sniff and Clarice.

I kept walking a few paces and then stopped dead. Then I walked backwards and looked into the room.

My eyes were not deceiving me, sitting in the room with Roam, Sniff and the tutor was Clarice.

Before they could see me, I kept walking.

Clarice had never gone to a tutoring session. Andy was working with her but she was a no-go. Tough-as-nails and out on the street nearly as long as Roam had been. I thought she only came to the Shelter to watch television, get a decent meal and brag about her shoplifting escapades.

Now she was working with Stu.

That was a mini-miracle. And the mini-miracle worker was Daisy.

When I got to my desk, I flipped open my phone and called Daisy.

“Hey Sugar, what’s up?” Daisy answered.

“Vance is after a skip,” I told her. “He’s in New Mexico. Thought maybe, if you’re not busy, you might want to go out and get some drinks, maybe dinner.”

“I’ll have to check with my husband.”

“If you have to do something with Marcus, that’s cool, I’ll call –”

“What did you say?” Daisy cut in but she did it on a whisper. It was weird hearing Daisy whisper. I’d never heard it before. She was not a whispering kind of person.

“I said, if you have to do something with Marcus, that’s cool. I’ll just call –”

“You know?” Daisy broke in again.

“Know what?”

“Know… do you know who Marcus is?”

Finally I got it. “Yeah,” I said quietly.

“I’ve been trying to find a way to tell you. How long have you known?”

“Awhile,” I said, “Luke told me.”

She was silent a few beats then she asked, “Do you really know who Marcus is?”

“Yeah,” I repeated, again quietly.

“You don’t mind?”

Oh, I minded.

One thing I’d learned in life was that women could bitch about their men until they were blue in the face and you could listen and nod and offer support. But you never as in never said something bad about a woman’s man no matter how much she bitched or how much he may deserve it. It always came back to haunt you.

“Just call me after you talk to Marcus,” I said instead of answering.

“All right, Sugar,” Daisy replied, now her tone was quiet, not a whisper but barely there.

“Daisy?” I called.

“Yeah?”

“Clarice is in with the tutors,” I told her.

Daisy was silent.

“Thanks,” I said.

Then I flipped my phone shut.

* * * * *

“Oh shit, I know who this is,” Zip shouted across his Gun Emporium as Daisy and I sauntered in. “No, no, no. Should I say it again? I think I f**kin’ will. Fuck… no!”

“Zip,” I said in a soothing voice as Daisy and I approached him. Heavy was standing in front of the counter opposite him. Both of them were scowling at me.

“No. You aren’t gonna get Marcus Sloan’s wife filled full of holes. That kind of shit hits the fan, everyone gets splattered. I do not want to be splattered with shit. Jesus, girl, you are loco.” He shook his head then narrowed his eyes and said, “I heard you were off the streets.”

“I am,” I said, stopping in front of the counter.

“What’re you doin’ here?” Heavy asked.

“Thought I’d come by, tell you in person. Then I thought maybe you guys might want to meet us for drinks later.”

They stared at me. Then they stared at each other.

“Shee-it. Crowe’s dumped her again,” Zip muttered.

Daisy giggled.

“Crowe has not dumped me,” I snapped. “And he didn’t dump me the first time. It was a misunderstanding!”

“Why aren’t you havin’ drinks with him?” Heavy asked.

“He’s in New Mexico, after a skip.”

The light dawned and both of them looked a lot less cantankerous.

“Where you goin’ for the drink?” Zip asked.

“Smithie’s,” Daisy replied.

“I’m in,” Heavy answered immediately.

“Me too,” Zip put in.

Smithie’s was a strip club. Daisy used to work there (as a stripper, pre-Marcus). Jet did too (as a cocktail waitress, pre- and start-of-Eddie but most definitely not now as Eddie wasn’t fond of the outfit the waitresses had to wear or the clientele). Jet’s sister Lottie (better known as Lottie Mac, Queen of the Corvette calendar) now worked there as a stripper and apparently the best one this side of the Mississippi, and that included Vegas. She was such a good stripper, Lottie was a local celebrity, even I had heard of her.