And that apartment was not what I deserved.
“Sir,” I said. “I will be moving out in four days. I’ll leave a check at your office on Friday. Thank you for your time.”
I hung up before he could get another word in edgewise and, suddenly, I felt another boulder being lifted off my shoulders.
“How do you feel?” Gwen asked, grinning.
“Really good,” I said.
“Good, because you’re my next client.”
“What?” I asked.
“I got a text message from one of my clients. He canceled and he was my next two hours. So, you’re sitting in the chair and I’m doing something with that rat’s nest.”
“You’re not cutting my hair,” I said. “I like it long.”
“Yes, but your color needs refreshing and you’ve got split ends for days. Let me touch you up before your fun little man-hunting trip.”
“I’m not man-hunting,” I said.
“Whatever, and it’s no charge,” she said.
“Nope. I’m pa
ying you if you’re gonna do my hair.”
“No, you’re not. That’s what you can give me as a ‘hurray, you saved up all that money!’ present.”
“Nope. I’m taking you out to dinner tonight.”
“Which means you’ll need awesome hair,” she said, grinning. “That you’re not paying for.”
“Fine. But I’m paying for dinner.”
“Then I expect a nice restaurant.”
“I was thinking more along the lines of nice barbecue,” I said.
“Now you’re talkin’ my language. Come on. Let’s get you in that chair and ready for tonight.”
Chapter 5
Liam
I woke up alone in my bed and I sighed. It was better that way. No one to wake up in the middle of the night with my nightmares. No one to protect from my anger. No one poking and prodding about my days in the military and no one to feed or look after. I’d done enough of that shit in the Navy and I was leaving those days behind me.
I wasn’t a doctor, I wasn’t a defender, and I wasn’t a protector.
I was just a man, trying hard to forget about the bullshit.
I dragged myself out of bed and took a shower. I was ready for winter to set in. I was ready for the snow to cover my cabin. I was ready to make a fire, sit by it, and simply reflect. I enjoyed the quiet, the eerie silence that came with being so far out into the woods. Back here, there was no one screaming. Back here, there was no one firing off guns. Back here, there was no one crying until they fell into an endless slumber.
I opened up the fridge and started taking stock of things. The snow hadn’t fallen nearly as hard last night as I thought it would and I was suddenly glad for that. Out of all the things I’d forgotten, I didn’t grab milk at the store.
That meant I’d have to go back into town and get some.
It was a tip I’d learned from a local who was chatting my ear off. You could buy gallons of milk and freeze them for the winter. All you had to do was take about half a cup out of the gallon, screw the lid on tight and then store it away. I didn’t use a great deal of milk for things but I would need it if I wanted to bake and cook up some of the things I’d bought the other day. I sighed, knowing Moose would try to talk my ear off again, but I didn’t really have a choice.