Page 59 of These Jagged Edges

The corners of her mouth turn up. "I bet you drive him crazy."

"Yeah, I do," I say, flashing her a bright smile. It’s the truth, I love poking the growly ass bear.

Allison reaches over and untangles the pen from my hair. "I better get back inside before Joe comes out and finds me in the alley. She'll fire me on the spot." She walks around me and back around the building, I follow heading to my car.

Just as she grabs the door, I call out to her, "You want to change their opinion of you? Prove them all wrong." With a short nod, she heads back inside as I rush to pick up the boys from school.

"What doyou mean you think her ex-boyfriend is her pimp?" Lou’s loud voice echoes in my bathroom.

"You know like," I drop my voice low, "I don't know what you heard about me," I sing into the air.

Lou gasps. "But she can't get a dollar out of me."

"No Cadillac, no perms you can see," I say solemnly.

"That I'm a P-I-M-P," Lou faintly whispers.

"Exactly."

"Damn. You going to tell the big man?"

"No, I don't think it'd do him any good to know." Plus, he mentioned her hooking the first time she showed up at his house after the Joes birthday. So, maybe he already knows.

"You think he still loves her?"

Her question catches me off guard not because I think he does, but because the thought hadn't crossed my mind, not once. I’m not jealous of Allison being here, there’s no doubt in my mind how Maddox feels about me. When I look at Allison all I feel is sadness.

"Not in the way you're probably thinking. I think a small part of him always will as he should." I exhale a deep breath. "Honestly, he doesn't know how to process her being here. Maddox is so used to letting all that anger consume him that he's struggling with how to handle all the feelings that come with her being here that aren't anger."

"That was before you."

"Nah, it was always in there. He just needed someone to dig around and help pull him out of the haze."

"More like put his ass in his place."

"I keep thinking about what would have happened to me if Joe hadn't taken a chance on me."

"Ah, so that's how she got the job at the diner."

"Maybe..."

"You know your heart is twice the size of your ass."

We both erupt in laughter at her comparison. "Thanks, Lou."

After a few more minutes of small talk, we say our goodbyes. I consider what she said about telling Maddox about the exchange Ioverheard, but in the end, I decide not to. No good will come from him knowing so I decide to keep the conversation to myself. Allison doesn’t need another person in her life dragging all her skeletons out of the closet.

Today is Vic's birthday,and I’ve been up since dawn working on this damn cake. I need this cake to be as close to melting in your mouth as it can be. Not that it can ever compare to Mabel’s, but Vic means the world to me, and I want to get this right. Maggie suggested I add sour cream to make it richer. The first time I forgot, the second time I didn't butter the pan, and I’m currently working on the third cake.

"Uh, Mama, what's all this cake for?" a small groggy voice says, wrapping slender arms around my waist.

I lean over and kiss my child on his head. "Today is Vic's birthday, and I'm trying to get this cake right."

"Vic gets three cakes? That's not fair!"

"No, he doesn't get three cakes. I messed up the first two, and now you and your brother get cake for breakfast." I wink at him.

"CHARLIE!" Bash yells excitedly.

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