Page 38 of Tex's Angel

“Gina is a lot like you. She outgoing, talkative, friendly, and stirs up chaos wherever she goes. I think Wade likes women who keep him on his toes by being exciting. My sister was more toxic than exciting and that was bad for his mental health. I hope that if the two of you end up together, you’re nice and respectful to him. It’s something that was sorely missing in his life when he was with my sister.”

“I really like Wade. He’s got a good soul and is the first man that’s treated me with respect in a long time.”

“Yeah, Wade is a real sweetheart. He’ll give you the shirt off his back. I hope you don’t take advantage of that.”

“I’m not,” she says with a smile. Reaching into her back jeans pocket she pulls out a rectangular box.

“What’s that?” I ask, genuinely curious.

She pulls back the hinged lid to reveal what appears to be a battery bank. Brittany explains, “He’s been having a problem with his phone battery running down. His phone’s an older model and with the apps used by the club, his phone’s not been making it through the day. I thought I’d buy him a battery bank so he could charge his phone whenever it runs out of juice.”

I can’t help but smile. “That’s really a sweet, thoughtful gesture, Brittany. I’m sure he’ll really appreciate it.”

She admits shyly, “This is the first time I’ve felt this way about a man. I always thought falling in love was for peoplewho weren’t me, so I just focused on trying to hook up with any brother that would have me. I’m glad none of them wanted me, cause if they did, I’d have missed out on getting to know Wade.”

Seeing her so hopeful makes me reevaluate everything I thought I knew about this woman. I see her with new eyes and can actually imagine an alternate reality where Wade met Brittany first and they’re living happily ever after. I reach out and give her a hug. “It’s nice to see two people find each other after being unlucky in love. I know how great that feels, and I wish you both the best of luck in making this work.”

The next thing I know, Wade is standing beside Brittany. “What’s going on here. Are you trying to steal my girl?” He’s only joking but it made Brittany giggle like a schoolgirl.

“Not at all. Brittany was just showing me the little gift she bought for you.”

Wade’s eyes shift from me to Brittany, and she lights up like a Christmas tree. “It’s no big deal. Just a little something I thought you could use.”

When she opens the box for him to have a look, he stares at the sleek black battery bank for a second and then asks, “You got me a black metal box? Is it like the black box from an airplane that will record what happens if I wreck my bike?”

Again, Brittany is all smiles and laughter. “No, babe. This is a battery bank. You can charge your phone with it or any kind of small electronics.”

Wade hands her the beer he got for and plucks the item out of the box and tests the weight of it in his hand. “It’s heavy.”

Now, I know Wade isn’t very tech savvy. That’s what makes this such a sweet gesture.

“Yeah, it has to be in order to charge things. Come on, let’s grab a table and I’ll show you how it works. If you’re nice, I might even share my chocolates with you.”

Tex tells Wade, “I’ve never known Brittany to share anything with anyone. She must really like you.”

Wade quips, “Of course she does. I’m a likable guy.”

Brittany takes his hand and proudly walks back to one of the tables near the back and they settle down to talk and flirt. “Do you really think they’re going to end up in a relationship?”

Tex snorts a laugh. “Depends on how fond of batshit crazy he is.”

I swat his shoulder with the back of my hand. “Don’t be such a spoilsport.”

He just shakes his head. “I can see that you’re a hopeless romantic, always rooting for love.”

I take a step closer and cup his face with both hands. “What’s wrong with that?”

“Not a damn thing, sugar. Tonight we drink, shoot some pool, and enjoy ourselves because tomorrow we hunt down the fuckers who have slipped our grasp for far too long. Then we get back to living our best lives. How does that sound?”

“Amazing,” I tell him, believing in this moment that it’s going to be just that easy.

He gets a jingle on his cell phone and after reading the text, his eyes come up to meet mine. He has a serious expression on his face that makes me take notice. “We’re having dinner tonight with Levi and Evan. Rigs and Mattie will be joining us as well. Rigs says that Mattie wants to prep you for the meeting tomorrow morning and give y’all a heads up on how CPS operates. She feels like the more information y’all have on their process, the better prepared y’all will be to hit the ground running when the meeting starts. She also had an idea that your stalker might be one of those kids’ parents, she hasn’t reviewed the case yet, so the specifics will have to wait for the meeting.”

I nod, nervous about talking to a CPS supervisor. I hope she doesn’t think bad of me for reporting twice in one year. I immediately realize she won’t because I’m a mandated reporter. I’m supposed to report any issues of possible abuse or neglect.

Chapter 16

Tex

---