Page 59 of Betting Blind
Jack laughs, hanging onto his brother for a moment longer, letting the hurt wash away between them. “Promise me you won’t get stuck there. I’m here to help you in any way I can.”
Ben glances between us as intense determination bleeds into his denim blue eyes. There’s another emotion there I can’t put my finger on, but it’s as if there’s a force driving his decision.
“I promise.”
* * *
Three weeks have gone by since we last spoke with Ben. Watching him leave was especially painful for Jack, but the hope that he will be successful keeps our grief at bay. He’s supposed to call when he can so we know he’s okay, but he can’t make any promises. Who knows what kind of hold Bruce will have on him?
Dust gathers in the empty corners of my lilac-colored bedroom, and Gordy’s plump body wiggles beside me. I kneel before him, scrunching his face and rubbing his silky ears between my fingers. “There, there, big guy. It’s going to be okay. I’ll be back to visit.” He swipes his wet tongue across my cheek, and I place a quick peck on the tip of his black nose.
We exit the empty room and when I reach the bottom of the staircase, my hand curls over the freshly sanded wood of the newly installed ballet bars. I test their sturdiness by jiggling them as hard as I can to ensure Momma won’t fall.
“Jack tested them all yesterday, sweet pea. I’m pretty sure they aren’t going anywhere.” The laughter in her voice makes me smile.
I breathe in, committing the vanilla and linen scent of my first home to memory before collecting the last box of my things off the floor. My eyes catch my father’s in our family portrait, and I trace the outline of his face with the tip of my fingers before glancing at the floral arrangement on my arm. I hope he’s proud of the woman I’ve become.
“He loved you so much,” Momma says, throat tight with emotion.
My cheeks are wet as I drop the box haphazardly and gather her broken body in my arms. “This isn’t easy, you know.”
She wraps her good arm around me fiercely. “I don’t see how. You’re leaving me for a Chippendale, and I’m stuck with Gordy.”
My eyes crinkle with delight. “I can’t wait to tell Jack his new gig should involve stripping down to a Speedo and shaking his junk all over the place.”
She covers her mouth, trying to hide her laughter but it only makes it worse.
After we compose ourselves, I gather my box once again, and we sneak a peek through the front window at Jack’s truck outside. His head bobs toward the steering wheel before jerking back and repeating the same motion. He shifts his body weight to get more comfortable, and we watch as he nods off.
“We must have worn him out with all this movin’,” Momma says.
I chuckle lightly. “We sure did.”
His big, sleepy body makes me smile. Before we started the moving process today, he made sure I spent plenty of time with Momma and Gordy, hardly letting me lift a finger as he and Derrick loaded up the truck.
Who would have thought my tattooed, bar-owning boyfriend was such a gentleman?
Derrick’s gone home now, and I spare a glance at the cuckoo clock hanging in the kitchen. I’ve left him waiting long enough. “I wanted to let you know that I paid off your outstanding medical and therapy bills, so you won’t have to worry about them bothering you anymore. I also hired a part-time therapist to come by the house and work with you. She has a private practice and we’ve worked out a good deal. It should free up Deborah a bit and give you some more help around here.”
Her jaw loosens as she sputters, “No, Cassidy, that’s completely—”
“Necessary,” I finish for her. “I love you, and I don’t think as long as I’m living I’ll ever stop taking care of you.”
The smile in her green eyes betrays her. “Thank you,” she says finally.
I pull her lame hand into mine, bending forward to kiss the scarred skin. “I’m only a phone call away.”
Jack jumps awake when I crack open the door to his truck. “Hey, sleeping beauty.”
He brushes his lips against my brow, and that earthy scent I associate him with welcomes me. “Hey yourself, gorgeous. You ready?” Leaning forward, he waves a hand to Momma, and I blow her kiss.
She smiles at us from the porch, leaning most of her weight against her cane, and my heart contracts painfully. A single tear tracks down my cheek when we pull off, and the warmth of Jack’s hand folding around mine helps ease the pressure.
A flick of the radio dial has music filling the space, and Jack sings me a song. A tiny smile curves my lip as he sings louder—just the way I did the night we danced around the kitchen together—and despite the ache of leaving Momma for the first time in my life, I laugh.
Pulling my fist to his lips, he uses it as a microphone and I’m full-on belly-laughing, letting every ounce of happiness I have pour into this moment becausethisis exactly what I’ve been waiting for.
Chapter 27
