Page 54 of Boss Level

Except that neither Xander or Dominic had a cybernetic dick, and neither needed one.

No reason to scar the poor woman too much tonight. I had time. “Something like that.”’

I didn’t realize we’d fallen asleep talking, until my alarm woke me up the next morning.

Somehow Claire slept through the noise, and she looked more like a little girl than I’d ever seen her, breathing gently, curled around one of my extra pillows.

You never deserved anything your dad put you through.Rosie’s words to eighteen-year-old me echoed in my thoughts.Even if you think now that you brought this on yourself, I’ll teach you that’s not true. You deserve better. Youarebetter.

Some days I doubted that, even more than twenty years later, and on those days I hated my own thoughts.

But as I watched Claire sleep, I knew I’d do the same for her, so she could make her own decisions like I had.

No matter what men like Dale and my father thought they were fucking owed.

* * *

Waking up the next morning was rough, but I was used to long nights followed by mornings that came too soon. Shaking Claire awake made me feel bad though. When her eyelids fluttered open, shock and fear met me first, and then a forced sort of calm sank in.

Was that because she was in a strange place, or was that her every morning with Dale?

“Do you need me to go?” Her voice was lined with sleep and she pushed upright.

What? “No,” I assured her quickly. “You stay here as long as you want and need. But I do want to make sure you can get around when I’m at work. I’ll probably be there a lot for the next few weeks.”

“I don’t want you to spend money on me.”

“I promise I have it to spare. Besides, Aunt Rosie—Xander’s Aunt, not technically mine—owns a garage. She works on and rebuilds classic trucks, but she’s also got a few spare cars at any given time. I texted her a little while ago, and she’s happy to loan you one.”

Claire’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, I can’t. No.”

“You can. You will.” I wasn’t going to play theselet’s be polite and not take anythinggames. “This is something that will help you right now, that she and I can give. You’d do the same.” A guess on my part, but what little I’d seen of Claire made me believe it was true.

She nodded. “I would.”

“Good.” I patted a pile of clothes next to her. “I know I’m shorter, but these should fit for now. Get ready, and we can do this before I head into the office.”

A short while later, we were heading to Rosie’s. I wanted to ask Claire so many questions—was this typical with Dale? Was it worse? Was she struggling with whether or not to go back? And so much more. I also didn’t want to scare her off. She could tell me if and when she was ready.

What was I supposed to say to the sweet basically super model next to me instead? Our lives were so different, though mine could’ve been hers if I’d just made a couple decisions other than the ones that brought me here.

We pulled up in front of Rosie’s, and I shut off my car. The place was an old lube station, and she’d kept the original rolling doors and exterior. She owned the station itself, and the house next door.

“Does she know why I need it?” Claire didn’t move to open her door.

I shook my head. “That’s up to you to tell her. All she needs to know is that there is a need. You don’t owe anyone an explanation.” It had taken me a long time to figure that out, years ago, but it was one of my favorite lessons Rosie taught me.

Claire nodded and followed me up the path to the house. Rosie answered before I could ring the bell.

For the longest time, I’d wished I could be Rosie. She was almost as tall as Xander, with the kind of muscle that came from a lifetime of work and heavy lifting. She’d gone gray early in life, and embraced it, and at sixty, she still looked incredible. Like if Billy Idol was female and an MMA fighter.

She greeted me warmly. I introduced Claire, who hovered a few feet back from me, gaze cast at the ground.

“I really appreciate this,” I said as I took the keys from Rosie.

“Of course. Anytime, you know that. I’m sorry though, I haven’t had a chance to fill it up.”

“It’s fine. I’ve got it. Hey, I don’t know for sure yet, but I may have a guest for Christmas dinner.” We always gathered at Rosie’s place for lunch.

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