Page 19 of Biker's Baby

I didn’t know how bold Joel would be if he came to Holbrook and found me staying in this house, but I didn’t want to find out, either. I didn’t want to make this messy or violent for Abe. He didn’t deserve that. He didn’t ask for me to come here, and I didn’t want to ask more of him than what I’d already imposed.

I scanned the job listings on my phone. I wanted to be somewhere I could disappear. I had grown up in this area, and I loved it, but I also knew that as long as I was here, Joel could find me.

On the other hand, I also knew that the money I had wasn’t enough to start over in a new place. Not without a job lined up and a place to go. A cheap place to go at that. I had saved some money back home, but I hadn’t been able to put that much away with the baby and rent and just life in general.

So now I had to figure out the best option. I could get us to another city, but it wasn’t as far away as I would like. Or, I could go for another small town, which would put me further from here, but I was easier to find in a small town. It seemed that no matter what option I picked, I was just delaying the inevitable.

But what other choice did I have?

The cops already told me there wasn’t much they could do, and I wasn’t going to wait for him to do something drastic before I did turn to the police. I had to be smart about this. I had to put the safety of my son first and foremost, even if it wasn’t going to be easy for me to make any of these moves.

I also had the hang up of not having experience.

I had worked hard my entire life, but I’d also spent my entire life working in the restaurant industry, and as a waitress at that. I could wash dishes, and I knew I could learn how to become a cook, but that wasn’t to say that they would hire me at a living wage if I did.

There were always openings for waitresses around any given town, but I didn’t have a good feeling about any of them as I submitted a few applications. Even if I did manage to land the jobs, that was only part of the problem. I still had to figure out a place to live, and how to pay for the gas to get there.

I wouldn’t ask Abe for money. It was enough that I was here. He’d opened his house to me on a whim, I wasn’t going to take his money on my way out the door.

I had to figure this out myself.

After spending a few more hours looking for jobs and potential places to live, I ordered groceries to be delivered online. I still didn’t feel ready to leave the house, even if I did know the area. I just didn’t want to risk being seen by someone who would know me, and I really didn’t want to talk about Tristan with any of my old friends.

There was too much potential for too many questions at this point, and I wasn’t going to put anything on the line.

I ordered enough food to get us through the week, and by the time it was dropped off at the house, it was nearly time for dinner. I had no idea when Abe would be home, but that didn’t stop me from cooking a simple dinner of spaghetti and meatballs.

I intentionally made enough for me and Tristan, but also fixed a plate for Abe and put it in the fridge with a note for when he got home. I didn’t know his habits, but I felt that it was only polite for me to have something ready for him to eat when he got home considering I was the one living at the house.

If I found where he kept the vacuum, I wouldn’t mind doing some of the cleaning as well. It was a little way to thank him for putting up with us for a while.

But cleaning could wait. I did the dishes, of course, but after that I took Tristan to the bath. I took my time, letting him play in the water for a while before getting him out and dressing him for bed. He was taking this whole thing really well, and I was happy to set aside all else and cuddle with him on the couch for an hour after his bath.

I put on some cartoons and the two of us watched the tv and just spent time hanging out together. When I was with him, I couldn’t help but feel anxious about what would happen in the future, but also blessed for the moment.

He relied entirely on me, and I would take care of him with all I had in me.

I’d put my life on the line if necessary.

I just hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

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