Page 97 of Redemption

“I’m so glad you’re home,” I said, pulling her into another hug, unable to believe she was standing in front of me. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you too, Kitty Kat,” she sighed, sinking into my embrace.

“Are you home for good, Flirty Gertie?”

She laughed, the sound rusty. “I sure am.”

“You staying at your mom’s house?”

She pulled back tossing her hair over her shoulder then flinching. “No room, I just need to buy some time until I can figure something out. Can I stay with you?”

“Don’t even ask. Redemption has always been your home.”

She looked up at me, tears filling her eyes. “Thank you.”

“Come on, let’s get you inside. You have any stuff?”

She shook her head sadly, her curls flying around her. “No, I just grabbed my purse and left.”

“No problem, we’ve got five women in this house. If we ain’t got clothes, we ain’t got shit!”

Gertie laughed, a full bellied laugh. She almost sounded like her old self. I took her inside and gave her some towels and she showered as I dug out some clothes, then I left her to it. I poured two big ass glasses of wine and went back out to the porch. She emerged after a while and gratefully accepted the wine.

“Start from the beginning,” I said.

She slumped down into the chair beside me and proceeded to tell me all about Shithead Gary. My blood ran cold and I had to keep my emotions in check so she could get through it all but she did and once she had, it was like a weight was lifted from her shoulders.

“You can stay as long as you need to. Stay forever, please?” I begged.

She laughed and patted my knee. “I’m home for good, don’t you worry about that.” She turned her sad eyes on me and nibbled her lip. “I’m sorry I’ve been so distant. After everything you’ve gone through with Charlie, I’ve been so shit.”

I held up my hands, my wine sloshing. “Don’t! You clearly had your own stuff going on.”

She nodded. “I had, but I could have still messaged more. I’m so sorry.” We hugged, I gripped her tightly before we pulled away again. She sniffed and blinked rapidly to fend off tears. “Now, tell me about the ranch. Do I still need to kick Jack’s ass?”

I sighed and downed my glass of wine. “No, you need to kick mine.”

She narrowed her eyes but she held up a finger before getting up and going inside. She returned with the bottle of wine and topped our glasses back up before tucking her feet under her. “Continue.”

I told her everything about the ranch, Jack, my sisters and the debt and my uselessness at dealing with anything, purging it all out to her. I was mid-I’m so shitwhen she interrupted.

“Hold up. Now I know you’re not talking about my girl like that. You’ve had a lot of shit recently. Your daddied, that’s a lot all on its own. For your mom’s killer to turn up, you to take on everything at the ranch and actually keep it fucking running, is a huge success. Do not put yourself down.”

I opened my mouth to argue but she cut me off again. “No! Okay, so you got a little bit blocked about how to make money, but I’m not surprised after everything. There is nothing wrong with that, and needing time to suddenly become this savvy businesswoman who saves the ranch? Damn girl, grant yourself somegrace!” There was a pause as we stared at each other. “But at least you were getting dicked down,” she snorted.

I spat my wine out. “Oh, I was gettingreallydicked down. God he was so good. I miss him.” I dropped my head in my hands, wine sloshed onto the wooden porch. “I fucked it up and I can’t stop thinking about him. I’m always looking for him, I need to be around him, even if he ignores me. The satisfaction I get just being in his presence is intense. And he’s so good with the ranch, the girls and the animalsandhe’s got such talent with wood.”

“I’ll bet,” Gertie joked.

I rolled my eyes. “I meant woodwork notwood.But I hurt him and I don’t know how to fix it.”

“Tell him.” She sat up straight. “Say,Jack, I fucked up and I love you. It’s that simple.”

My cheeks heated when she said the word love. But the more I thought about it, the more this icky feeling that had been plaguing me for weeks became clear. Ididlove him.

“Oh shit,” I said.

“Epiphany!” she guffawed. “You love himsssoooomuch!”

---