Page 9 of Breaking Conviction
“Twilight?” Naomi couldn’t help the question in her voice. She’d gotten knocked around, but following this woman’s train of thought and vocabulary was exhausting.
“You know, it’s like moonlighting. But since I already daylight as Jules’s assistant at her law firm, and I moonlight as the manager for the crisis center, the thrift store is my third job, so… twilighting.”
Naomi frowned as much as her injuries would allow. “No offense, but I’m pretty sure that’s not a thing.”
Nora’s laugh was almost like music. “You sound like Jason, Jules’s fiancé. No offense taken. Stick around, though, babe, and you’ll eventually learn my language.”
Naomi shook her head with a soft laugh of her own. “As fun as that sounds, I’m not sure how often I can swing by and ‘stick around’ just to shop.”
The pixie woman’s shoulder lifted. “Well, it’s like I said... the thrift store always needs vols. Especially since proceeds go to kids with cancer. Can’t stop someone from wanting to volunteer for cancer kids, amiright?”
Naomi’s head tilted and once again she was silently grateful that the pain was easing. “Cancer kids? I thought the money went to the clinic.”
Out of the side of her eye, Naomi followed Ellie and Devil as they left the store. She scanned the room out of habit and found the front exit was a straight shot from the aisle she was on. There was also the door to the clinic right behind her. She wasn’t sure how to exit that way, but there had to be some way out.
Part of her mind told her she was safe and could relax. But the other, the part that had probably kept her alive for so long, made her continue to catalog the room. Jules had mentioned needing to speak with the volunteer behind the checkout counter before they left and a quick glance confirmed that. Wes and T were over in the kids' section. The giggles and easy laughs coming from that corner cracked the fragile glass surrounding her heart.
“The money does go to the clinic.” Nora nodded, bringing Naomi back to their conversation. As she talked, Nora sifted through the racks on the clothes in front of them, straightening each shirt on its hanger. “But no one knows that but us, and no one else needs to know that. As far as anyone outside of Sasha Saves is concerned, the money goes to cancer kids. Well, except the government, but they know errbody’s business, the bastards.”
Naomi bristled. “So y’all lie? That’s pretty messed up.”
Nora’s sigh was exaggerated and Naomi imagined she was rolling her eyes. “Girl, stahp and chill out. We do both,capisce? We just don’t tell people about the women’s clinic part, or that everything inside is free for survivors, and a portion of the thrift store proceeds does, in fact, go to wee babes with cancer.” She led Naomi by the hand closer to the cash registers and pulled some brochures from a slot on the desk. “Here.” She handed the brochures to Naomi but except for the large font of the store name, they were too blurry.
“I-I’m sorry, I don’t know what these say. I-um, I can’t see them.”
Nora’s breath hitched and she muttered something under her breath before she started to type and talk at the same time. “Well, I know you’ve got yourself a meanbicycleat home… but even if you can’t read them, they can at least be your alibi. They include info on the cancer proceeds, so if you put them in your purse, you’ve got yourself some evidence to back up your story. Volunteer with the store. Help those cancer kids. Not even abikecan complain about that shiz without lookin’ shitty AF.”
Naomi tried to work around what Nora was saying, but she was so exhausted she just wanted her to get to the point. “Why would I volunteer here? I mean, why do you wantmeto volunteer here? I’m not lettin’ y’all help me more than you already have. I have a job and I can’t just leave T alone all the time.”
“Look, doll, we’re super flexible with our volunteer hours, you set them completely. And obvi Lil’ T can come hang. We need someone who’s good with kiddos like you to help out with the ones that come in here with their moms. Shoot, Lil’ T can even play with them. It’d be a major relief to the moms to see their kids happy, as you know. So... volunteer at the thrift store.”
Naomi twisted the information around in her mind, trying to look for gaps, holes, or excuses. It was a nice offer. Her boss, Gail, had mentioned before that the company needed to get more involved with pro bono and nonprofit work. Working at the store would definitely qualify.
“Plus,” Nora continued, probably sensing her logic was working. “If you… I dunno, have had your last straw and need to just likenotgo home after your shift here, you could take what you need from here and jet, with our help... ya know? That guy over there...” Nora tilted her head to indicate Wes, who was bowing to Thea as if he were her humble servant. “He and five—” Nora gulped. “I mean,fourother dudes are a team from BlackStone Securities, a security firm that works very closely with us. They’re some bad mamma jammas in the private security world, but good to have on your side.”
Naomi felt her eyes widen. Had Dean heard of them before? He came from the same security ‘world’ as Nora put it. Did they knowhim? Fuck, what if they take his side—
“And they’ll protectyoufrom anything, Naomi. I swear it. You just gotta give ‘em a chance. They have literally fought battles to help survivors.”
The words took the edge off her anxiety. Not everyone was her enemy. Her father had shown her good men existed.
She went to massage her temple, barely remembering in time that it would hurt like hell. She closed her eyes in thought instead, letting Nora’s offer and logic piece together like a puzzle in her mind. And the picture... was freakin’ perfect, actually.
Nora was right, Dean couldn’t get mad—or at least, nottoomad—especially if she told him Gail wanted her to volunteer.
Define your line.
Jules’s advice whispered across her mind. Whatwouldit take for her to leave Dean? The racing thought jacked up her pulse and drew her attention straight to the kids’ section. From what she could tell with her blurry sight, T held green heels and was putting a crown on Wes.
A memory of Naomi’s daddy and his huge belly laugh as he played dress-up with her flashed in her vision, fitting over the picture in front of her like an outline, and a hot knife of grief twisted in her heart for the parent she’d lost.
What would happen to Thea if Naomi weren’t around anymore? Naomi knew all too well what it was like to not have two parents at home, and up until that moment, she’d been worried over the effect kicking Dean out of their lives would have on her daughter.
But what if things got so bad that she… never got the chance?
“Okay…” Naomi made her decision just as she opened her mouth. “Alright, yeah, I’ll volunteer. I can just um... come with T after work or something?”
Nora waved her hand. “Whenever works for you, babe. We have a skeleton crew of paid thrift store employees, so our volunteers can come and go whenever they please.”
