“Umm… should we be here? The police aren’t going to come barging through the door any second with guns drawn, are they?” She shifted in her seat. “There are limits to what I’m willing to expose Noble to, even if it means my car remains dead on the side of the road.”
I was going to snap at her for being so condescending, but one look at her face and I realized she wasn’t being snide. She was honestly worried about a raid, and I couldn’t deny I’d been through more than one since coming to work here. Luckily, because the Boss’s big brother was a bigwig in the police department, the unexpected busts had dwindled down over the last few years.
“You’ll be fine. We were raided last month and the cops left with nothing. That usually keeps them off the Boss’s back for a little while.” I tried not to laugh as she gasped and moved her mouth like a beached fish. “I’m kidding. The Boss’s brother is on the police force. Usually if anything is going down, we have a lot of advance notice. I’ll make sure to smuggle you out the front if anything goes sideways while you’re here.”
The struggle was apparent on her face. She really needed her car fixed, but she didn’t want to be at this garage, or with me. Fortunately, logic and desperation won out and she released her hesitation with a sigh. She threw the door open and moved to get her daughter from the back seat. She was muttering under her breath the entire time, and I was shocked to realize I found her hissy-fit kind of cute. Ruffling her very pretty feathers was fast becoming one of my favorite forms of entertainment.
I flicked my fingers in acknowledgment to the Boss when he stuck his head out of the office to see what was going on. You could have heard a pin drop in the shop as everyone stopped what they were doing to watch the young mother carry her daughter up the stairs and disappear into the apartment that ran along the upper level of the entire building. I elbowed one of the gearheads who let out a loud wolf-whistle, causing Orley’s back to stiffen and shoulders to lock. She didn’t turn around and the door slammed shut. I glared at the young guy, whom the Boss had recently brought on after finding him trying to break into the legit garage one night.
Crawley rubbed his shoulder and glared at me. “What, dude? She’s smoking hot. I don’t usually go for moms, but she looks more like a model than a mother.”
I punched him in the arm for good measure and pointed a finger at his face. “She might be hot, but she is also a human being who deserves respect. Mom or model, no woman likes being harassed when she’s going about her day. Now she’s going to have to explain to her little girl why what you did isn’t cool and why she isn’t obligated to pay attention to any random asshole who hollers at her. Don’t be a dick, Crawley.”
He continued to glare at me, but was rubbing his shoulder the entire time. I wasn’t sure if I got my point across, but he shut his mouth and stepped away from me. Even if he didn’t agree with the lesson, I was a lot bigger than him. He knew if I had to use my fists to drive my point home, it wasn’t going to go well for him.
Satisfied that Orley and Noble were stashed upstairs and out of harm’s way for now, I made my way back to the car I didn’t have time to work on and forced the thought of the woman and child as far out of my mind as I could.
The Boss was right. Trouble did find you even when you weren’t looking for it. I wished he had warned me it would come in the form of an irresistible redhead and an adorable, blue-eyed little girl.
Orley
After Solo was finished with my car, it was the only thing that ran smoothly in my life. I still had no luck finding another job, and my current job didn’t appreciate that I was forced to call in for one of my few measly shifts because I still hadn’t found someone to watch Noble. My meager funds were dwindling down to nothing, and on top of it all, the air conditioning unit in our apartment decided to crap out. The super promised he would be by to fix it three days in a row, but had yet to make an appearance. I was on edge. I felt like every time I turned around, I walked into a new brick wall, and when I attempted to get myself straightened out, I ended up tangled in thorns. The heat, combined with too many days spent indoors because it was slightly less blistering than outside—and less dangerous—had Noble acting out.
My normally affable child was currently on her back in the stairwell, refusing to move because it was too hot and she was too tired. She was crying, fat tears rolling down her red cheeks and snot bubbling from her scrunched-up nose as she wailed. From the sounds of it, her little toddler world was ending, and I felt like garbage, because all I wanted to do was cry right along next to her.
We were stuck in an endless loop: I’d tell her I would carry her up the stairs if she didn’t want to walk, and Noble would scream back that she was big enough to walk on her own. So far we were lucky and no one else had attempted the stairs in the sweltering heat, but I could hear footsteps coming from above, and I knew I was going to have to haul Noble out of the way instead of letting her tantrum run its course. I was secretly hoping she would cry herself out so I could have a couple moments to feel like my stomach wasn’t full of acid and my nerves weren’t made of razor wire.
“Honey, you have to stop. I know it’s hot and yucky. I know you’re bored. I promise I’ll take you to the park tomorrow and I’ll buy us a whole bunch of fans once I get a new job. I need you to get up and behave yourself.” I crouched down so I was hovering over her. I almost recoiled at the obvious anger in those eyes that were a mirror of my own. Not only did my child never show such hot, painful emotion, I had no idea a three-year-old was capable of feeling in such a complex and hurtful way.
“You can’t promise if you won’t keep it.” More tears gathered, but at least she got off her back and sat on the step in front of me. Noble sniffed, long and loud. I fought the urge to cringe as she wiped her hand across her damp face. Since we’d only run down to check the mail cubby in the lobby, I didn’t have my purse or anything else on hand to wipe away the mess she’d made of herself. Sighing, I tugged at the bottom of my tank top and bent so I could use one of my last clean items of clothing to clean my daughter’s face.
“Of course I can promise. That’s what moms do. I promise to give you the world and then work every single day until you have it.” I tried to smile at her, but Noble’s lashes were spiked together with moisture and her eyes were shiny with unshed tears. “Sometimes promises take mommies a little while to keep, but we always will. You have to be patient. Remember what patient means?”
Noble sighed and kicked her feet, heels bumping against the step as the approaching footsteps got closer. Sweat made my hair stick to my face and neck, and I could feel moisture rolling down my spine, making my clothes clammy and damp.
“I wanted cake. I wanted to play outside. I want to see Mrs. Sanchez and my friends. You promised.” She sniffed again and refused to meet my gaze. I was glad she looked away. Noble was way too young to know that her words were like an arrow through my very fragile heart. No mother ever wanted to hear that they let their child down, especially when it came to things that should be so very easy to make happen.
I sighed again and maneuvered so I could scoop Noble up before she was able to launch into another protest loud enough to wake the dead. I squeezed her close and closed my eyes as I inhaled her innocent, but no longer sweet, scent. Ugh. Everything was sweaty and gross, including my precious baby. I had to tamp down the urge to throw myself on the floor and let loose the same way she did.
“I know I promised all those things, and I will do my best to give them to you. It might not be today or tomorrow. But I haven’t forgotten. Mommy just needs some more time.” And a new job with a big fat paycheck. “How about I call Mrs. Sanchez and see if she has time tomorrow for a visit while Mr. Sanchez is at work?” I sent up a silent prayer that I could convince the woman a few minutes of her time would be worthwhile. She’d always liked Noble and treated her well, but I had no clue if she was willing to go against her husband’s wishes. I was willing to bribe her—with what, I didn’t know—if that’s what it took.
Noble nodded tiredly against my shoulder and I breathed a sigh of relief. I was sure this was only the eye of the storm, but it gave me a window to get my kid back to our apartment so she didn’t let the entire apartment complex know what a shitty parent I was.
I’d only made it a few steps before another woman was trotting in my direction. She was holding the hand of a little girl who was probably around eight or nine. The little girl had a swingy, sable bob, bright eyes, and a gap-toothed grin. She was wearing cowboy boots that clomped noisily on every step, but her mother seemed oblivious to the noise. The woman heading toward me was also a brunette but her dark hair was slashed through with pops of pink, purple, and teal. She looked edgier and cooler than I ever would. She had on a pair of glasses that looked both retro and trendy, but her eyes were friendly and curious as she regarded me from behind the lenses. I was getting ready to apologize for blocking the way when Noble suddenly bounced in my arms and pointed at the woman’s arm.
“Star Wars!” Noble’s excited squeal brought a smile to the woman’s face as I glanced down at her arm. The sleeve she had tattooed there did indeed depict Noble’s favorite movie.
“That’s right. It is Star Wars.” The other woman’s daughter giggled as she watched Noble wiggle excitedly in my hold.
“Who’s your favorite character?” I could have kissed that gap-toothed face in relief when the other little girl distracted my cranky kid. Noble was more than happy to babble about Chewie and Princess Leia as I focused my attention on the mother.
“Sorry. It’s been a day. We’ll get out of your way.” I offered a wobbly smile and saw a flash of sympathy in her kind eyes.
“No rush. My husband and I are huge Star Wars nerds, so Riley is well versed in the Force. She doesn’t mind chatting about the movies, especially when someone asks about the tattoo.” She cocked her colorful head to the side and gave me a considering look. “Did you move in recently? I thought I knew all the moms in the building. I watch a lot of the kids who live here since I work from home and know just how hard being a working mom can be.”