“You gave me this job as a favor to Edge. Don’t try to deny it, Tee-Tee.”
“Maybe, but you earned the chance to stay.”
Argh. I didn’t want to get angry with Tee-Tee, but she wasn’t even trying to understand my situation. She, of all people, should understand how difficult the next few months would be for me. Her life had been damn hard at one time too—I’d seen it firsthand.
“I don’t like this, Lucy.”
“If you think I won’t pay him back, you’re wrong. It isn’t like I’m just going to walk away and not pay him back for all the expenses he incurred on my behalf. I will as soon as I can find a job and get back on my feet.”
“Where will you live?”
I hadn’t gotten that far. My car would probably have to double as my home until I could save enough money to get a place.
Before I could come up with an answer, she stood. “You’ll live with me.”
I stood too. “What? No. I can’t do that. I appreciate it so much, though. I can’t tell you how much.”
“No arguments. You’re living with me.”
“Tee-Tee—”
“No, not Tee-Tee, Tía. You’ll show me the proper respect.”
I smiled. “Tía, I truly appreciate what you’re trying to do, but—”
“¡Siéntate!” she shouted and then softened her tone. “There’s something I need to say.”
I sat down like she told me to, and she did too.
“I owe you an apology. It’s something I’m ashamed it’s taken me this long to do.”
“Tía, you don’t have to do this—”
“¡Silencio!”
I folded my hands in my lap. “Go ahead.”
“I accused you of something you didn’t do, because I didn’t want to believe what was right in front of my eyes. Blanca…” Tee-Tee stopped talking and crossed herself. “She was my baby girl. I didn’t want to believe…maybe if I had, she’d still be alive.”
I reached over and covered her hand with mine.
“You didn’t steal that money. I know that now. I knew it then, if I had been strong enough to be honest with myself. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“It isn’t ‘okay.’ Do you accept my apology or not?”
I smiled again. “I accept your apology.”
“Good. Then you’ll let me make it up to you. You’ll come and live with me.”
“That was a dirty trick.”
She leaned forward, got right in my face, and scrunched her eyes. “If you don’t live with me, I’ll tell Edge you’re living on the street. He’ll find you, you know.”
“What makes you think I’ll be living on the street?”
“Because you have nowhere else to go.”