Page 50 of Cain
It’s the most precious moment of my life.
When we kiss, it’s not desperate or urgent.
It’s not carnal.
It’s careful.
It’s loving.
Like we’re both learning how to be soft again.
She rests her head on my shoulder, the sun warming our faces.
I hold her close and whisper into her hair, “Sweet thing.”
I feel her smile at the endearment.
This isn’t a grand gesture. It isn’t fireworks or confessions or forgiveness etched in stone.
It’s just a hike and a picnic.
It’s one of the happiest moments of my life.
21
JUST NO!
CAIN
“Idon’t have time for this,” I snap when I see Paula at my door. Since she’s not allowed into Ripley’s, she comes to my apartment now.
“Come on, Cain, youreallydon’t have time for your sister?”
She shows up like this, all the fucking time. Without warning,withan attitude that grates like nails on a chalkboard.
It’s late, I’ve just finished closing out the books for Ripley’s, and I’m halfway into a beer, and the last thing I need is to see my sister with her smug smile, which, granted, is frayed a little with the edges cracked.
I step back without inviting her in.
She follows, shutting the door with some force as if it’s to blame for her being a completely spoiled bitch.
“I need help,” she announces.
I sit on the sofa where I was working and pick up my beer. I take a long draw and ask, patiently, “With what?”
She flops on an armchair and sighs like I’m inconveniencing her by making her say it aloud. “Money. Jobs are scarce, and Melody and I?—”
“Still living together?” I cut in, feeling a flare of anger.
She huffs, giving a dramatic tilt of her head. “She’s my best friend.”
“Andher parents kicked her out of their house.”
She and Melody had rented an apartment in a new complex, which I knew they couldn’t afford.
See, Faith believes no one is going to help her, so she lives within her means. Meanwhile, my sister and Melody are looking for a handout.
“It’s not easy, Cain. No one wants to hire us.”
