Authors: Lexie Ray
Braver (27 page)
“I don’t want there to be secrets between us,” Liam said, “but I understand why you didn’t say anything.”
“I’ll tell you everything, if you want,” I said. “But I’m done with that life.”
“I know you are,” he said. “I know. And I’m done with my brother.”
I covered my mouth with my hand. I had never wanted to come in between his family, or cause trouble in anyway like that.
“It’s okay,” Liam said. “He’s always been the black sheep of the family. You’ll never have to see him again. I’m sorry for what he did to you. I am.”
I had to smile. “Did you see his face when Casey kicked him in the balls?” I asked.
Liam laughed outright. “I’ll never forget it,” he said. “Your friend’s scary.”
“She’s a good person,” I said, “but she was downright terrifying that day.”
“Cocoa Bell,” Liam said, dropping to his knee in the middle of the sidewalk. “I am sorry for everything that happened. I love you and only you. You are my life and I want to spend the rest of it with you. Will you forgive me and marry me?”
“Of course I will,” I said, pulling him to his feet and kissing him. “I always will.”
“Package for you, Blue,” Shimmy said, tossing a small box to her.
“Thanks, baby,” Blue said, rattling the package next to her ear. What could it be?
Blue had lots of pen pals, but she hardly ever got packages unless it was her birthday or Christmas.
She set it aside and finished wrapping the last strand of hair around the hot curler. There. By the time it was time for work, she’d have bouncy, luscious curls. Or at least that’s what the box to the hot curlers had promised.
Blue danced around the room at a song that came on the television, shaking it alongside Shimmy. Shimmy was the better dancer, but no one would deny who was having more fun.
“Open it!” Shimmy said, once the song was done and the music program had switched to a commercial.
“Jeez, I almost forgot,” she said, reaching for the package. It wasn’t too heavy, but it was solid. Something was in there.
Blue opened the box and tipped it above her hand. A sleek phone tumbled out.
“Sweet!” Shimmy exclaimed. None of the girls had their own cell phone. It was just as easy — and free — to make calls on the phone at the end of the hall.
Who would have sent Blue a phone? She had no idea. Blue pressed the power button and was surprised to watch the phone come to life. It had already been charged.
There were two messages already blinking on the screen. Blue opened the first one. The contact read “Cocoa.”
“It’s me, Cocoa,” the text read. “I sent you this phone so we could always stay in contact. Don’t worry about the bills or anything. It’s the least I can do for what you did for me.”
“Who is it?” Shimmy asked, craning her neck to see the screen.
Blue swallowed. “Can I have some privacy for a little bit, baby?” she asked.
Shimmy held her hands up. “Of course,” she said, backing out of the room and closing the door.
The nightclub hadn’t been the same since Cocoa’s departure. All of the girls felt it keenly, having lost a genuine mother figure, but none more so than Blue. Blue’s heart had stopped when Cocoa went flying from the window, sure that she’d see her friend crumpled on the asphalt below.
Mama had never recovered from it. She still ran the show, but with an iron fist. Many of the girls had started squirreling away money, all of them frightened of the nightclub owner.
Blue had never breathed a word about what she’d seen, but she didn’t have to. The bullet holes in the hallway, the broken window, Cocoa missing. The girls weren’t stupid. They pieced everything together.
Blue’s own relationship with Mama had been shaky ever since. Mama might act nice toward her, if they had a chance to cross paths, but Blue knew Mama would never forget that she’d been the one to get Cocoa out of there.
It made Blue very wary.
Blue had been corresponding with Casey, keeping track of Cocoa’s life at a distance. But having the phone, this direct line with Cocoa, was so precious. On a whim, Blue brought the phone to her lips and kissed it.
She opened the second message, which was also from Cocoa. It contained a picture that took a few seconds to load. Blue’s eyes widened. It was the biggest diamond ring she’d ever seen.
“I’m getting hitched!” the text read. “I’ll expect you at the wedding, of course!”
Blue grinned. Cocoa getting married — who would’ve thought? And it had to be someone rich with a rock that size. Good for Cocoa. Getting out of here and getting a husband in the deal.
“Congrats,” Blue texted back. “I hope I’ll catch the bouquet.”
She sent it and waited, thinking of all of Mama’s girls. How much longer would the façade of the nightclub hold? Nothing could ever be the same without Cocoa. She was an emotional cornerstone of the place. More and more girls were coming to Blue for advice. She realized with a start that she was now the most senior of the girls, since Cocoa had left.
The phone buzzed. A new text message.
“I’ll throw the bouquet right to you, no catching necessary,” Cocoa typed. “How is everything?”
Everything? Mama getting crazier by the day and the girls getting more terrified? Blue didn’t know what to put. Something had to be done, of course, about the situation before it exploded. Blue had a feeling that she would play a large part in it. She was already neck deep.
She didn’t want to worry Cocoa. She’d take care of the problems at Mama’s nightclub, in time.
“Everything is better now that I know you’re okay,” Blue typed. “Everything can only get better.”
~ END ~
WISER
Out December 2013
