Page 36 of Freedom to Love

He drove on slowly. When he reached Williams Lane he turned and drove down the dirt road carefully. Her neighbor’s dogs wandered alongside them, tails up, curious. Those neighbors that were on their front porch stared them down with unwelcome looks. Some went inside.

“You sure are popular,” Brynn said. He pulled into her gravel drive and put the car in park.

“I sure am.” He turned toward her. “I hope I didn’t come off too badly.”

“Why are you worried about it? I mean, who cares what someone like me thinks, right?” She opened her door and slung her duffel behind her shoulder. “Have a good day, Deputy,” she said and shut the door.

He eased down the window and called after her. “It’s for the best, Brynn. Really, it is.”

She walked on, not bothering to look back. She threw back her shoulders and held her head high. She knew who she was, what was in her heart, and she wasn’t going to let this guy, well-meaning or not, bring her down. She heard his tires crunch on the gravel as he backed out and turned down the lane. She crossed her overgrown lawn and climbed the steps to her porch. The familiar smell of home—cigarettes, must, and old wood—hit her before she pulled open the screen door and stepped inside. The house was sweltering.

Darkness encased her and she tossed her duffel on the couch and followed a banging noise into the kitchen. Sunlight streamed in over the sink where Billy was huddled, hitting the window air conditioner with a hammer.

Sweat glistened on his bare skin, running down into his cutoff jeans.

“Billy, what the hell are you doing?”

He jerked, caught sight of her, and blinked. “Brynn?”

He dropped the hammer in the sink and smiled, tugging at his Braves ball cap.

Brynn grinned and smacked his upper arm. “I’m back, little bro.” She crossed to him and checked out the AC unit. “Aunt May just had this installed didn’t she? You shouldn’t be banging on it like that.”

“It’s not working and Bea’s gone.”

“Yeah, well, I’m here now.”

He straightened and enveloped her in a hug. She returned it, still unable to believe how big he was. At six foot three and two thirty, Billy was built like a football player with thick shoulders and a broad back. But he’d never been interested in anything other than causing trouble. Even so, the guy had a good heart and he never intentionally hurt anyone. At least she’d instilled that in him.

“Why aren’t you at work? I thought you were still helping Mr. Dudley?”

He looked down and shoved nervous hands into his pockets. “Bea said he wasn’t paying me enough, so I quit.” He shrugged.

“He was paying you a fair wage, Billy. I told you he would.” She’d secured the job for him from inside, promised him Mr. Dudley was a good guy. Damn Bea.

“How long ago did you quit?”

Again he shrugged. “Bea said we could make more money making deliveries. But I didn’t like that. The people weren’t nice and they told me I might have to hurt someone if they didn’t pay. They wanted me to hurt a lot of people. So I stopped doing that.”

“So now you have no money?”

He shook his head.

“How long?”

“Since Bea’s been gone.”

Furious, Brynn crossed the room and flipped the light switches. Nothing. “Billy, the power’s been cut off. That’s why there’s no AC. Bea hasn’t paid the damn bill.” She stormed into her room, so angry she could fight a room full of hornets and relish the stings. She stopped and stared. Her dressers were gone. She walked to her closet and yanked open the door. Thankfully, most of her clothes were still there. She grabbed a small flashlight, switched it on to make sure it worked, and exited. She found Billy standing in the bedroom doorway.

“Bea sold your furniture. Said we needed the money.”

She rubbed her face, exasperated.

“Billy, go shower. Put on a clean shirt and shorts.”

“Where we going?”

“To Nanny’s tree.”

---