Page 4 of Under Kid’s Protection

“I am,” Carrie said as she started the car. “Brianne asked for a blowout. Tomorrow is wide open for that. Annamarie desperately needs a cut and color. I can do that afterward. I’ll text them both as long as my space is free.”

“It will be,” Suzanne said confidently.

Carrie couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. Living in the past was behind her. She had to embrace the here and now to move on from the tragedy. Dwelling on it kept her stuck. While her therapist had warned her to crawl before she should run, Carrie had never been more confident about being ready to take her future bull by the horns.

And as far as she was concerned, she had crawled. She went from not working at all, and barely getting out of bed to shower, to seeing one or two clients a week. Last month she graduated to showing up for three eight-hour shifts.

She’d done her time. Life wouldn’t keep waiting for her to heal. Bills needed to be paid. While Colt, her brother’s friend since diapers who now went by Kid, had been kind enough to make ends meet for her so she wouldn’t be kicked out of her apartment, she couldn’t depend on him forever. She barely knew him. Well, adult him anyway.

Sometimes, when the light caught him the right way, beneath the tattoos and shaggy hair, she could still see the gangly boy who hadn’t grown into his long limbs yet.

Years ago, before the big fire that claimed Brad’s life, the two of them had been inseparable. They’d been in the same club, which was why Kid said he wanted to help her. He claimed he owed it to Brad. While weird at first, she didn’t know how she would’ve survived without him.

Not only did he ensure rent got paid, which she swore she would reimburse him with interest despite his refusals, but he kept her refrigerator stocked and never asked for anything in return.

The man slept on her couch every night for the last eight months. He made sure she attended all her therapy appointments. He’d even brought a laptop into her room when she couldn’t find the motivation to drag herself out of bed so she could binge-watch Netflix. The most surprising detail, the aspect of all this that contradicted everything she knew about bikers, was that he didn’t once make a move on her.

Kid didn’t take advantage of her. He kept his distance, respected her, but pushed her gently. She wouldn’t have made as much progress without him. She owed him a debt she could never repay.

Well, some of it she could. When she got to working full-time and hustling doing special-event hairstyles, she would at least give him the money he’d spent on her. While he insisted reimbursement wasn’t necessary, that wasn’t the point. She wanted to pay him back, reclaim her power, and prove to herself she was a strong, independent woman who didn’t need a man in her life.

Need and want were two totally different scenarios. Something Carrie explored at great length with her therapist. Before all this went down, she’d believed she needed a man, a partner, to exist in the world—to define and validate her. That was a hard pill to swallow.

However, now that she got that harsh reality down and understood she had value outside of someone else, she might be ready to dip her toe back into the world of dating. Nothing serious. Absolutely not, but she continued to be a human woman with needs.

Ohh… her needs made her ache sometimes.

And right now, what she craved the most was human contact. Ironic considering eight months ago, her biggest fear was another person laying a finger on her. She had done the work and wanted to move on.

Pulling into the café parking lot, she inhaled a deep breath. Thankfully, the only person, besides her therapy group, who could truly understand all she’d been through, good and bad, was waiting to have lunch with her. Carrie could bounce this idea off her.

With optimism swirling in her stomach, she cut the engine. Getting out of her car, she held her head high. As a powerful woman with agency, she could take up space. Confidence looked good on her, if she did say so herself.

As she approached the entrance to the restaurant, she turned at the sound of her name.

Grinning, she spotted her friend. “Kelsey!” She waved.

“I’m not late,” Kelsey declared as she trotted up to her. “If you just got here, I’m not late.”

Carrie chuckled, shook her head, and opened the door. While Kelsey’s struggles with tardiness were well documented throughout their friendship, when Carrie needed her, Kelsey was there. Including during the night of doom.

Blowing that thought out of her mind, Carrie followed her friend into the café. “Do you have any idea what you’re getting?”

“The same thing I always do,” Kelsey said as she led the way to an empty table. “You?”

Carrie shrugged. “I don’t know. I feel like I could use a change.”

Kelsey raised her eyebrows as she took a seat. “Are you going to indulge? Because this place has the best salted caramel cinnamon rolls. I would be lying if I didn’t say I’ve been dreaming about them since you suggested coming here.”

Typically, Carrie ordered a turkey club or a salad with grilled chicken and dressing on the side, but today was special. Life was about to get a lot more exciting, so why not splurge?

Leaning over the table, resting on her elbows, Carrie met Kelsey’s eyes. “That sounds divine, and I think I’ll get one too, but I wasn’t talking about food.”

Her friend furrowed her brow. “Ohh… tell me more.”

“I am craving something super rich,” Carrie said with a sigh. “And pretty.”

Kelsey regarded her suspiciously. “Go on.”