Hot Pink Heels (The Street Series) (4 page)

Irritated with herself, Amanda decided to stick with her original plan, and she responded by quickly removing her hand from the woman’s grasp and looking down. She switched her shoes to dangle from her right hand to keep the woman from trying to take her hand again while she shifted her stance and gave a curt nod.

“I don’t know if you’re hungry or not, but I made you some scrambled eggs and bacon,” she said. “There might even be a pancake left if you hurry.”

It smells heavenly
. She kept her response simple. “Sounds okay,” she murmured, shifting to her other foot again. She met the older woman’s gaze head on and noticed something familiar in those grey eyes.

She shook her head, bringing her free hand up to her temple and the woman carefully took her by the arm, leading
her across the hall. “I’m sorry, my name is Laura and I’m being rude,” she said. “If you want to wash up, the bathroom is right here, and if your head is hurting, there’s some Tylenol in the medicine cabinet, dear. It’s completely safe for you to take.”

Safe for me to take? What does she mean? Oh my god, does she know about the baby?
Amanda muttered her thanks as she closed the bathroom door firmly behind her, turning the lock and breathing a sigh of relief. “Amanda, when you’re ready, just come out and to the right and you’ll find us in the kitchen, but take your time,” Laura said on the other side of the door. “The towels are on the shelf near the bathtub and there is a spare set of clothes next to that, if you’d like to put on something fresh. I think you’re close to Melanie’s size, since her nightgown fit you so well.”

Amanda remained silent, and soon she heard Laura move off down the hall.
Where in the world was she? Turning to inventory her options, Amanda saw a cozy bathroom that was stuck in the 80’s, but it had all the necessities. She held back another bout of nausea as she stripped down and looked at herself in the mirror over the double sinks.

Billy hadn’t been so careful last night, she noticed. A set of small bruises was blooming on her elbow where he’d grabbed so hard.
Damn him
. It was going to take some work to cover those with her lily-white skin, but it could have been worse.

Amanda didn’t dawdle in the
shower; despite the fact that she wasn’t constantly watching for the roaches that usually joined her in her own shower. She dried off with a thirsty yellow towel and contemplated the clothes Laura had mentioned. A soft red t-shirt combined with a worn, but very comfortable-looking pair of jeans beckoned to her.

She sighed and started to pull her own clothes back on. Although she would’ve loved to slip into those clothes and they
did
look like her size, they wouldn’t support her decision to stay tough. But, not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, she slipped the clothes into the trash bag from the empty waste bin and tied a knot in it.
Can’t leave a perfectly good set of clothes
.

Apparently, Laura had thought of everything, as Amanda turned to finger comb her hair and noticed a plain brown comb and a still-packaged green toothbrush alongside a trial-sized tube of toothpaste. Gratefully, Amanda used the comb and the toothbrush, just as she had the shampoo and conditioner on the shelf in the shower.

I could get used to this
. Suddenly, she had a longing for home that nearly brought on the tears again.
That part of your life is over
, she chided herself.
This part is just temporary.
Amanda steeled herself against her emotions and headed down the hall toward the delicious smell of bacon and eggs.

Amanda froze just outside the kitchen door. She heard a familiar voice, but couldn’t figure out what was going on. Jackson was in there, but the conversation he was having sounded a bit strange.

“
…and God, we pray for Amanda,” Jackson said. “We don’t know her whole story, but you brought her into our lives for a reason. Show us how to be you to her. Amen.”

Jackson was praying for me?
Amanda couldn’t decide whether she was flattered or annoyed. She decided to pretend like she hadn’t heard the last part of the prayer. As she was wearing her heels again, there was no need to announce herself when she entered the kitchen.

The stilettos spoke for themselves on the creamy tile floor, bringing Jackson quickly to his feet. Amanda’s confusion was evident in her stare, but the other adults in the room seemed oblivious to it.

Jackson pulled out a chair for her while Laura brought a plate of eggs, bacon and yes, pancakes over from the stove. An older man that looked suspiciously like Jackson leaned against the corner of the dishwasher, a cup of coffee steaming at his elbow and the newspaper in his hand.

Laura fluttered
around Amanda, obviously nervously trying to anticipate her every need and Amanda didn’t miss the look that passed between her and the other man. She lowered the trash bag to the floor beside her while Laura pretended not to notice the move.

She
knew these must be his parents, there were too many similarities, and that’s when she realized why Laura’s eyes had seemed so familiar: Laura had Jackson’s eyes—or rather, the other way around.

“This is my husband, Charles, but everybody calls him Chuck,” said Laura, practically dragging Chuck over to the table for the introduction.
Amanda’s distrust of men kicked in immediately and had her hesitating to take his hand, but she couldn’t find it in herself to purposely disappoint Laura.

Haven’t known the woman for 20 minutes and already she can guilt me into doing things, just like my Grandma Rosie back home.
Amanda smiled slightly as to not be impolite, but the scent of the food on her plate had her attacking her meal.

She felt three pairs of eyes on her and she looked up to see the three of them holding hands and looking at her expectantly. “What?” she asked.

“Would it be okay if we prayed for your food?” asked Jackson. She shrugged, but she didn’t close the gap by joining hands with Jackson and Chuck.

Chuck’s booming voice lingered over his words of thanks,
but the steam rising from a fresh cup of coffee Laura had placed at her elbow distracted Amanda. Her head snapped up when Chuck said “Amen” and she began forking the eggs in as fast as she could once again.

Laura looked at Jackson, then at Chuck. “Um, Jackson told us about your, um, well,
predicament
, and we just wanted you to know we would like to help you if we can,” she said gently.

“
Great! Have you got about a thousand bucks?” She looked up as she felt three pairs of eyes on her. Laura’s mouth hung open, Chuck’s face was devoid of emotion and Jackson’s was drained of color.

“Well, I don’t know what you need it for, but I’m sure we could help you out some,” Laura said slowly. Inwardly, Amanda rolled her eyes.

“That’s nice, but I’m fine, really,” Amanda said, not looking up as she poured thick maple syrup over her pancakes. She drowned them like she felt she was drowning in her own life of misery and then set to work devouring the small stack.

“I have to be back on the…I mean, back to work by eight this morning,” said Amanda around a mouthful of perfectly crisped bacon. Laura and Jackson looked at each other when she said this, which had her glancing around for a clock. She noticed only a cuckoo clock near the stove, but it couldn’t be right, because that clock said it was—

“Is that clock right?” Amanda asked, her voice heading sharply upward at the end of the question.
Oh please, please, please, that cannot be right!

“The cuckoo clock?” asked Laura with concern. “Why of course, honey, it’s already almost nine o’clock, but surely you don’t work on Saturday mornings?”

“Oh no, no, no, no, no!” Panicked, she overturned her coffee as she leapt up from the table. “Oh crap, I’m sorry!” Laura was already waving her away from the mess, tut-tutting over the spill and Amanda’s sudden rush from the room.

She found the front door and burst through before remembering she had
no idea
where she was. Jackson appeared next to her and put a calming hand on her arm. Amanda spun toward him, ready to skin him alive, but instead she noticed the scent of his aftershave and the strength of his chest as she ran into him.

“Jack, oh my gosh, didn’t you
hear
Billy last night when he said I had to be back by eight this morning?” Amanda moaned and put both hands to her mouth, the unsettled feeling back in the pit of her stomach. “Billy is absolutely going to
kill
me, and I wish I was joking!”

“Shh, Amanda,” he said, holding her loosely in his arms.
In the light of day, and with her face freshly scrubbed of all the heavy makeup, it was easy to see her youthful beauty and he wondered how she’d gotten into the lifestyle. It was obvious that although she was very attractive, she didn’t have the hardened look most hookers had. “It’s okay, I already called that Travelodge on Sunset and asked them to pass on a message that I would have you back later today.”

“Oh, it doesn’t matter, he’
ll still be pissed, and
you
aren’t the one that has to deal with it,” she said, poking him in the chest. Struggling against his light grip, Amanda easily broke free. “You
have
to take me back right now!”

“We’re over an hour from the city, and even farther from Vermont Avenue,” Jackson said calmly, as if she hadn’t practically rammed him with her elbow to escape.

“It doesn’t matter, I’ll call a cab with the money you are going to pay me,” said Amanda, her blue eyes flashing with anger. “You
are
going to pay me, right? Because if you don’t, you might as well bury me, ‘cause I’m as good as dead.” She paced back and forth, her heels setting an angry staccato rhythm on the sidewalk in front of the house.

“That’s exactly why you’re not going back,” Jackso
n said.

I truly am dead
, thought Amanda. One thing Billy was known for was tracking his girls down. Everyone knew you didn’t go AWOL on him unless you had a death wish. Amanda sank to the ground, not caring that her skirt rode even higher on her hips and had Jackson struggling to look away.

They still hadn’t found Charity, Amanda’s former roommate, who had finally built her stash
big enough to make a run for it. Rumors were that she’d met an untimely death at the hands of Billy and his tough guys, and Amanda didn’t doubt it for a second.

Jackson was down on the sidewalk beside her now, his dark jeans creased as he took a se
at and tried to calm her down. He didn’t know why, but he had the irresistible urge to tuck her hair behind her ear. She shoved his hand away and snapped her head up, her blue eyes darkening.

“Who died and made you the boss of my life?” Amanda demanded. She raised her hand to slap him, but Jack
son was faster, snapping his fingers around her wrist before she could connect.

“Hold on.
I’m just thinking of you and your baby,” Jackson said gruffly. She went for his face again with her other hand, but found herself with his hands like bands of steel around her wrists.

“It’s not a baby, it’s just a nuisance, and with wh
at you were going to pay me, I would finally have enough after Billy’s part to get an abortion,” Amanda spit out. “Who would pay me to turn tricks while my baby played in the playpen beside us?”

Jackson went very still, his hands still gripping her wrists. “Abortion?” The word came out in a whisper as his grey eyes drilled holes into her stomach area.
His fears from a few minutes ago were confirmed. Suddenly, she was free, and she scrambled to her feet, tottering a bit while she tried to pull her tiny skirt down.

Speaking of the nuisance, if she didn’t get
it
taken care of soon, her favorite little skirt wouldn’t even fit her, and her lacy bras were already getting uncomfortably tight. That happened to be a bonus in her business, however, as her regulars had already been tipping her more because there was more to hold onto.

Jack
son was standing as well, but he seemed to be in shock. “What’s your problem?” Amanda asked. “I’m the one who’s knocked up and broke!”

“I’m
sorry, I guess I just didn’t think about the possibility that you might not want to keep the baby,” Jackson said, visibly shaken. He turned away for a bit, his face hidden from her view.

“Keep the baby?” Now it was Amanda’s turn to be shocked. “
Keep
it
? Yeah, I can see that going over real well with Billy. ‘Hey, Billy, I know you already hate my guts, but would you mind watching little Billy for me while I hop in this car and head down to the Travelodge for a quick turn?’ I can’t believe you thought I would even
have
the baby, much less keep it!” Sarcasm rolled off her tongue like smoke off a fire.

“Besides, why would I want a reminder of Billy every time I look at the kid?” Amanda
ranted.

“I can see how it might remind you of your current
situation, but why would it—I mean a
baby
remind you specifically of Billy?” Jackson questioned.