Jersey Six - Jewel E Ann Page 0,105

she had no way to argue with him.

After all … what was love?

“Do you need help finding a job?”

Jersey turned to the woman’s voice. The long-haired blonde looked about Jersey’s age.

“I’m Natasha, a student. And I’m part of an outreach project to find jobs for people who need them. We offer help with resumes and interview practice, as well as transportation and financial assistance to get you on your feet.”

Jersey stood from the homeless shelter cot and pulled her hair back. She wanted to beat a bag, knock fists with Judd, listen to Chris read her a story, watch Ian perform to thousands of fans. But that life was over. On a good day, she got a workout in at a park and avoided any unwanted advances from some questionable people she encountered.

“Yeah.” Jersey nodded. “It would be great if you could help me find a job. I … I didn’t graduate. And I—”

Natasha waved off Jersey’s insecurity. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll gather all of the information from you, and we’ll find something to fit your interests and skill level. Okay?”

“K.” Jersey looked at her feet, returning another tiny nod.

As promised, Natasha took Jersey back to a building on campus. She entered Jersey’s information into the computer, a little surprised to see that Jersey had a recently issued passport with so many stamps in it already.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Jersey said as a response to Natasha’s silent, raised-brow question.

How many people in homeless shelters traveled the world with rock stars? Maybe more than she imagined. After all, she met a woman the night before who used to be married to an NBA player and lost everything, including a roof over her head, in their divorce.

A week later, Jersey had a job waitressing at a diner. Her first official job. During the next few months, Natasha helped Jersey manage her money, open a bank account, and get a cellphone with a prepaid plan. Her world expanded with access to apps. It made navigating public transportation easier, as well as accessing her bank account, contacting her employer, and messaging Natasha.

“I love this song,” Natasha said as she ate lunch with Jersey at the diner during her break.

“I hate it.” Jersey frowned as the number one song on iTunes, “Unloved,” played over the speakers for the millionth time that day.

“How can you hate it?” Natasha’s food nearly fell out of her mouth. “I mean … I don’t follow music that much, and I have no idea who sings it, so for me to like it, that means it has to be amazing.”

“It’s Ian Cooper. I used to sell merchandise at his concerts. He’s kind of a dick.”

Natasha lifted an eyebrow. “You said this was your first job.”

“Officially, yes. Ian paid me in cash … and sex.” Jersey smirked.

“That’s the most unbelievable lie I have ever heard.” Natasha rolled her eyes. “But I like where it was going. Please … tell me more.”

“Is this a regular check-in with me, or are we friends?” Jersey asked, sipping her coffee.

“Both. I’m here to see if you need anything. But you’re usually pretty self-sufficient, so it leaves time for the friend thing. Do you have any friends?”

Jersey shook her head. “I used to have one, but he died.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Was it sudden?”

Jersey shrugged. “It happened quickly, but I saw it coming. He had a lot of issues.”

“Was this while you were sleeping with the rock star?” Natasha grinned.

Jersey mirrored her grin, finding Natasha’s complete disbelief in Jersey’s story quite funny. “As a matter of fact, it was.”

“Mmhmm …” She narrowed her eyes. “Ian Cooper … I feel like … was he in the news awhile back? Did his house burn down?”

“Yes, but we weren’t in L.A. We were in the U.K. on his world tour.”

Natasha flipped her hair over her shoulder and giggled. “Yes, you were with Ian Cooper on a world tour when his house burned down. Keep going …”

Jersey grinned at Natasha over the steam of her coffee. “How do you think I got all those stamps in my passport?”

Wiping her mouth with a napkin, Natasha eyed Jersey, studying her for a few seconds. “Okay, I’ll play. So you traveled with Ian, his house caught fire, and you returned to L.A. Correct?”

Jersey nodded.

“Then what happened? You had a falling out and you ended up in a homeless shelter?”

“Exactly.”

“What was the falling out about?”

“Oh, just the usual stuff. He’d been so busy in the studio and meeting with important people