Page 96 of Dirty Puck

I let my hands fall to my lap, feeling the weight of the secret loosen just a little.

“But now, Char’s gone. And with her passing, the arrangement is over. Reece is pulling away. He doesn’t want to keep pretending, and I guess, neither do I.”

Her hand found mine, warm and steady. “That’s a lot to carry on your own. I’m glad you told me.”

I nodded, swallowing back the lump in my throat. “I hired movers. I’m taking the furniture and Benny’s things back to our apartment. I want to keep his schedule steady, keep some sense of normalcy for him.”

“I understand. But are you sure he wants you to leave?”

Even though it broke my heart to admit it, I knew the truth. “When was the last time he talked to you? It’s the same for me and Benny. My boy will be fine with you and me as his constants, but Reece’s silence screams he wants to be alone.”

Her eyes softened. “You’re doing what’s right for Benny. And for you.”

“I just wish it didn’t have to be like this,” I said quietly. “I wish I could have fought harder. But sometimes love isn’t enough.”

Claudia got up to pour us both a mug of coffee. She poured a glug of creamer in each then sat back down, taking a sip of hers. “You’re stronger than you know, Bree. And you don’t have to do this alone.”

For the first time in days, I felt a flicker of peace. The secret was out, and maybe that was the start of something real—whatever that might look like.

The next day I walked into Slits. Jeans, sweater, no makeup. Let them see me as I was.

I braced myself for the usual:“You want your job back? I get a date.”

But Leon—the big boss—was there.

“Bree?” He grinned. “You want back in?”

“I do.”

“Done.”

Easy as that. McLovin glared at me the whole time I filled out the paperwork. But he couldn’t hold my job over my head and that, at least, felt liberating.

“The new girl, Charmaine, called in sick. We’ll need you tonight.” McLovin sneered. He thought he had me. I saw it in his beady, little eyes.

“That’s fine. I’ll be here. What time?”

“She took over your shift, but she’s got some training up to do, so Leon and I were talking about moving her to the day shift until she was ready.”

“Now we don’t have to hire someone new to fill the spot,” Leon said. “It’s good to have you back.”

“It’s good to be back.” That wasn’t a lie. I needed a job and Leon, at least, welcomed me with open arms.

Given we didn’t have too much furniture to move, and I hired movers for all the heavy lifting, when I got back from Slits, all my attention went to setting up Benny’s room with Claudia’s help. They went across the hall to her place when it was time to get going. I fished an overnight bag, stuffing it full of my costumes, makeup, and hair products.

Before I left, I knocked on Claudia’s door to give my boy a goodnight hug and kiss, then I headed for work once again. The girls were happy to see me. I went super heavy with the makeup because even if we weren’t together now, I didn’t need anybody recognizing “Baker Reece’s girlfriend” dancing at a strip joint. It still didn’t embarrass me, but he’d done so much for us and yeah, I loved him. The last thing he needed was to be surrounded by scandal so soon after losing Char. Couple the makeup with the mile-high hair and I felt pretty good about it all.

My phone said it was go time. I squared my shoulders,going over my old routine in my head as I made my way over to the waiting area.

The bass thumped like a second heartbeat as I stepped out onto the stage, my stiletto heels clicking on the polished floor counting it down. Slits hadn’t changed. Same violet backlighting, same sticky floor near the bar, same damp heat of too many bodies in too little space. But the crowd? They changed when I appeared in the spotlight.

Cheers went up before the music even dropped, and there—front row, middle seat, wearing a red flannel and his signature camo baseball cap—was Don. My biggest fan. He stood up so fast, he nearly knocked his drink over.

“Holy hell, she’s back!” he yelled, already pulling a wad of bills from his jacket, like he’d been saving it just for me.

I gave him a slow smile, then turned my back and rolled my hips in a teasing figure-eight. That was all it took. The crowd erupted like it was a playoff game. Men (and a few women) surged toward the stage with fists full of cash, and I hadn’t even unzipped anything yet. Apparently, Charmainereallyneeded to work on her routine if they were this excited to see me back.

The beat dropped, hard and dirty. My fingers slipped up the back of my thighs, catching the edge of my black, lace fishnets. I let it ride high—just enough—and threw a wink to Don. His eyes went as wide as dinner plates.

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