and was about to put his phone in his back pocket when it rang in his hand.
He brought it back around, looked at the screen and smiled at his bike grip.
He put it to his ear. “Yo, Butterfly.”
“Hey, Joker,” Carissa replied, but her voice sounded funny.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Uh…I just got a call from Angie.”
Fuck.
“Your ex?” he prompted when she didn’t continue.
“No, though she did share that Aaron’s attorney reached out to her to set up a meeting.”
“You gonna take that?”
“Angie advises I should. Test the waters. So she’s doing it.”
She said no more.
“Okay, then what’s the problem?” he asked.
“Well, she also told me that she contacted my landlord and demanded he fax a copy of my lease to her.”
Good.
Joker had called Angie’s assistant the day before. He was glad she didn’t delay.
“And?” Joker pushed.
“Well, I haven’t had the time to dig out my rental agreement, but Angie took a look at it. Apparently, my memory isn’t faulty and I was right. Notice is just a week.”
Thank fuck.
“She then called him to ask why he gave me erroneous information,” she went on. “He told her the terms of the agreement had changed and I’d been informed of that in writing. She asked for my signed acceptance of that change and when he said he was having trouble locating it, she told him I’d be out at the end of the month. She also explained I’d have photo evidence to the state I left the apartment in, and if there was any issue with the return of my deposit, I’d see him one last time. In court.”
Joker was glad about this too, but he was cautiously glad since he couldn’t get a read on her tone.
So he asked, “This is good, am I right?”
“Considering I was gearing up to take the crushing blow that I had to inform Tyra and Tack that they should put their place on the market because I didn’t think it was fair they had to wait a month with no rent and I couldn’t give them a month’s rent and pay for this place, yes. It’s good.”
Joker laid it out, “Not sure I’m readin’ good from you, Carrie.”
“Then you’re not reading me,” she replied quietly. “This was you.”
“It was,” he confirmed, still cautious.
“You looking out for Travis and me.”
Joker said nothing because he finally got his read.
You man up for her and her kid, you’ll be the rest.
Yeah. High was right.
Carissa continued, “I don’t know whether to cry or do cartwheels, but I can’t do either because I’m at work and I can’t mess up my mascara because I didn’t bring the tube with me and they might get mad at me because I’m pretty sure cartwheels are a health and safety violation.”
“It’s not that big of a deal. My take, your landlord wanted to take you for a ride. He didn’t. You probably woulda eventually looked at your lease and questioned it. It would be a headache, but my Butterfly doesn’t take shit. You woulda got in his face. Just saved you that hassle, Carrie.”
“You did,” she agreed. “I appreciate it and I don’t know how to express that appreciation.”
He knew how she could do it but that would wait until after they went out on their date next week.
“I could wash your bike,” she suggested.
“The only thing you have to do with this bike is when I put your ass on the back of it. You don’t wash it. You also don’t do payback. It isn’t necessary. We’re new, but if we wanna do this right, this is how we start, Carissa. You’re in the position I gotta take your back. We get beyond new, there’ll be a time you return the favor. It’s just what it is. Roll with it.”
That bought him nothing.
So he called, “Carrie?”
“I wanna cry and do cartwheels again,” she told him, voice clogged.
He grinned and said nothing.
He heard her clear her throat before she went on, “That’s all the good news. The bad news is, I’ve lost important days of packing so I need to get on that pronto. And to top that, we have two cashiers down with the flu. Sharon needs me to take a shift tomorrow.”
He didn’t want her to take a shift tomorrow. He wanted to have another day with her and her boy, this time packing boxes.
But he figured she needed that shift. She probably got paid dick but more was better than less, even if it was more of practically nothing.