Page 24 of Nothing to Deny

“Show me the way.”

The boys wasted no time heading away from school. Charlie was a little more uncertain of himself than Presley, but when inspiration struck, he’d find his exuberance.

The three of them walked back to a simple, clean, apartment building. Going inside, and up one floor of the five-floor structure, the boys burst into their apartment. In a narrow entryway, they kicked off their sneakers and dumped their bookbags, so she hung her purse on an empty hook.

Free of their school wares, the pair rushed through a door to the left.

“Dad! We brought someone home!”

Straight ahead, in a living room recliner, facing the blaring TV was a man, probably in his sixties, but still in good shape. Wearing loose jeans and a tee-shirt, he could do with a haircut.The end-table beside him was filled with clutter, magazines, soda and beer cans, a coffee mug, but nothing that looked like it had been there forever.

The man gave the doorway an absent glance, he’d been focused on something in his hand. Once she registered, he did a quick double take and sat up, tossing whatever was in his hand to the table and grabbing the remote to turn off the TV.

“Well, shit, boys, what did you do?” he asked. The gruff tone wasn’t threatening, just fed up. “I’m sorry, ma’am, if they damaged your vehicle or upset you in—”

“No, not at all,” she said, handing one food sack to Charlie and the lighter one to Presley who was still working on maneuvering with the cast. “Put these in the kitchen, would you, please?” The boys ran off to do as told. Landing a smile on the elder Claymore, she could tell he was still confused. “Your boys are wonderful. A real credit to you.”

“A credit, huh?” he asked, raising his chin to peer at her. “You a Christian?”

Of all the questions she might have expected, that one wasn’t on the list.

She laughed. “I don’t know how to answer that, sir. My intentions are honorable, but I’m not here to sell the Lord to you.”

“She’s my girlfriend,” Presley announced, bouncing over to her side.

Shock and maybe a little horror crossed the older man’s face. “Your girlfriend? Boy, now I don’t know what you—”

“Baer wants to have sex with her!” Charlie piped up, darting across to his father. “I say they’re gonna fight over her, Dad!”

That widened his eyes. He checked both of his boys until his gaze ended on her. Still suspicious, the discerning glint was familiar, it matched Baer’s.

“When you said my boys, you meant all of them,” he said. “Guess I should be pleased Baer still remembers how to treat a woman right… So which of my boys you want? Woman as beautiful as you can have any of them… Will say I’ve been trying to offload the oldest one the longest…”

“Dad!” Presley whined. “That’s my girlfriend!”

When Presley tried to put his arm around her waist, she turned to wrap both arms around his shoulders.

“You are a sweetheart, Handsome,” she said and looked to the father over his head. “I came to cook dinner for Presley… would that be okay?”

“To cook? In my kitchen?”

“For you all… yes.”

Some of his suspicion was back. “Baer ain’t here. He drops in and out. I don’t know when he’ll be around… If he’s giving you the runaround…”

Ha! She’d prefer if Baer didn’t appear.

“No, Baer and I are friends,” she said. “That’s all… I was at the hospital last night when Presley was brought in. I work with a foundation that caters to children with sickness and injury…This is just something I like to do for the kids I’ve personally overseen. I like to check in and make sure everything is okay, check they’re healing.”

“Oh, like follow up care,” he said. “Like a candy striper who does house calls.”

She laughed. “Something like that, yes. If it’s a problem, I can leave.”

“No,” he said, shifting in his seat. “A beautiful woman comes to my home and offers to cook dinner for me and my boys… only a fool would refuse that… The boys will help you, don’t have much in there but—”

“I brought everything I need,” she said and let go of Presley to cross to him. “I’m Freya… Freya Dere.”

“Abel Claymore,” he said, shaking her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

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