Page 30 of One Night at Christmas

“Who?”

“Never mind.” Charon hugged her and pushed her toward the car. “Get going. It’s seven hours to home. The sooner you’re on the road the better. And call me when you get there or even on the way—if you need to talk. I’m here. I would go with you in a heartbeat if I could.”

“I know.” She hugged Charon again. “I’m so sorry for letting you down.”

“You’re not. You have to think about your mother and your family.”

It hit Charon as it did many times before that she had no one except her baby girl. She and her cousin shared the occasional Christmas card through the mail. She used to feel good about adding Morris to that small group, but now she couldn’t wait to cut him off. She should never have married him in the first place.

After Janice pulled out of the parking lot, Charon climbed back into her car. She sat dumbfounded behind the wheel, wondering what she was going to do. One of the other girls had brought her kid to work, and their manager had a fit. Charon couldn’t do it. She could call out, but her manager would dock her for it.

“Should I get out, Mommy?” Naomi asked.

“No, baby, we aren’t staying.”

“Where are we going?”

“I’m not sure yet.” She chewed her lip, thinking about Janice. Although she told her she would get someone else to watch Naomi, there was no one else. At least, there was no one else she trusted. She wouldn’t dump her baby off with just anyone. Being low income, she figured there were some programs that could help her with childcare, but it would take time to look into them. She needed help now. Nervousness stirred in her belly.

If I just had some time—just a little. I could get on my feet.

Bryson came to mind. She tried to reject the thought of him, but like the man himself, his image refused to fade. He invaded her thoughts, insisting she take notice. If she called and asked him for help, would it be so bad? It wasn’t like she was offering her body. Even if he did think that, if she made it plain that she would not be spreading her legs for him, he would still help. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind on that head.

She phoned him, and to her surprise, he answered on the first ring. Good thing he kept the same number. “Bryson?”

“Hey.”

Someone on a loudspeaker spoke in the background. She guessed he was at the airport. Had he flown in for one night just to see her? No, surely not. Then again, he’d done it in the past. Only he was getting compensation for that—sex.

“I was wondering if your offer to help me was still on the table.”

“Of course.”

She glanced into the rearview mirror at her daughter and climbed out of the car. When Naomi was out of earshot, she continued. “I won’t sleep with you for help.”

“Okay.”

He wasn’t even going to deny he would have made that kind of deal. “You’ll still help?”

“I’ll call and make the r

eservation at the hotel.”

“No, not that.” She paced. Naomi unbuckled her seatbelt, and began playing around in the backseat with a couple of toys she’d found there. Charon rubbed her forehead. She didn’t want to let Bryson back into her life. It would hurt too much when he left it again. But she didn’t have a choice. “There’s no apartment application because I don’t have the money. I’ll have it in a few months, but meanwhile a hotel is going to be too expensive. Maybe I can get a second job. No, I need a babysitter. Ugh, I’m not sure. I need to think.”

“Are you in a safe place?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me where. I’ll come to meet you.”

“Aren’t you at the airport?”

“I am, but I can reschedule the flight.”

“I don’t want to cost you more than I have to. I swear I’ll pay you back, Bryson. You came to visit me, and I’m sure you didn’t expect to be dragged into my mess.”

“How about this? So we don’t have to wait for me to get another car, you pick me up at the airport, and we’ll decide where we can go to get breakfast and talk.”

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