Chapter 3: Acts of Salvation: Chapter 2

It’s been four days since experiencing the most amazing sex of my life. It’s totally normal to still be having flashbacks—totally. I’m sure that with time, the vivid flashes of toned and tanned flesh flexing above and below me will fade away.

Time. That’s all I need.

“You still with me, Cass?” Bella’s brows scrunch together as the corner of her mouth lifts into a smirk.

I blink long and hard, trying to scrub the visions of my mystery man away. “Yea, sorry. I was thinking of the new fall line coming out in a couple of weeks.” I pick up the two glasses of iced tea I just poured and head over to the living area of my loft apartment while Bella lets out a squeal.

“Does that mean you’re hooking a girl up?” Bella’s face beams as she pets Bruce, my massive cane corso. He’s obsessed with Bella, or any other female for that matter, but hates anything with a cock. Makes for an awesome guard dog, which comes in handy seeing as I don’t live in the best of neighborhoods.

Deep Ellum might be trendy, but there are some sketch mofos out at night.

“Of course.” I smile as I shake my head at Bruce’s shamelessness. “Should I schedule you for a slot at Louvier’s?”

“Yes, please!” Bella does a little happy dance in her chair. “I love having a personal shopper as a bestie.”

“Well, it is how we met.” I chuckle before taking a sip of my iced tea, remembering the first time Bella walked into our department store, as clueless and color-blind as they come.

“How could I ever forget. You saved me from myself!” Bella rolls her eyes at the memory. “Speaking of saving me… Dad is hosting a party at the house this weekend and I need you to be there.”

“You know I don’t do parties, Bella. At least not those kinds of parties.” I lift a brow and purse my lips. Bella should know better than to invite me to one of her fancy shindigs.

She comes from old money, lives on a massive estate in the middle of Highland Park, and is used to being a socialite. Me? I’ve always felt awkward and out of place in her world, and trust me, I’ve been in it plenty.

Growing up, Mom held various jobs and most of them revolved around catering to the uber wealthy. I’d say about ninety percent of the time her employers were egotistical and power hungry, not giving a damn about how their actions would impact those who loyally served them.

The only reason I ended up becoming best friends with Bella is because, despite her wallet, she is nothing like your typical rich Dallas snob. She’s kind and caring, always putting her loved ones’ needs before her own. She’s a true gem.

“But this is different,” she pleads with big puppy dog eyes. “It’s super low-key. Just a backyard barbeque. We can chill by the pool, sip on margaritas, work on our tans…” She waggles her perfectly groomed brows. “Doesn’t that sound like fun?”

Bella is well aware of my aversion to the Dallas elite. Ironic, seeing as how it’s my job to dress and style them—but, this does sound like fun. “You promise it’s going to be chill?”

Bella’s face lights up, realizing I might actually be giving in for once. “Yes. Super chill. Small group of people, grilling, pool, and margs.”

“Okay, fine. But if I end up feeling awkward, it’ll be the first and last time I attend one of your events.”

“Eeeep! You’ll finally get to meet my dad and uncle” Bella claps in excitement. “I can’t believe we’ve known each other for over a year and you still haven’t met my family.”

My cell buzzes on the coffee table and I see it’s my mom. “Speaking of family…” I reach for the phone, bringing it to my ear once I’ve answered. “Mami? Everything okay? You never call me during the day.”

“Si, Cassandra. Everything is fine. I was just seeing if you could stop by the house. I made flan,” she singsongs that last bit, knowing her desserts are my weakness.

“Sure, Mom. Bella is over right now but I can head over in like an hour.” I’m about to hang up when I remember to shout a warning, “And don’t let anyone else eat my flan!”

My mom chuckles into the receiver, “Okay. See you soon, mija.”

“Everything okay?” Bella’s concerned eyes are watching me intently. Despite only having known each other a short while, she knows me pretty well and doesn’t miss much.

“Yeah, I’m not sure. Mom said everything’s good but I have a sneaking suspicion something’s up.”

An hour and a half later I’m walking up to Mom’s one-bedroom home in Oak Cliff. It’s a tiny bungalow style building with decorative metal bars across the windows and doors. The decorative part is designed to help make the security bars feel less oppressive, but I see them for what they really are—the wardens of my youth and the keepers of its secrets.

Immediately upon opening the door I’m assaulted by the delicious aromas coming from the kitchen. I quickly make my way past the small living room, bypassing the massive portrait of the Virgin Mary, ready to stare me down with judging eyes. Not today, Mary. Not today.

“In here!” Mom shouts.

As soon as I step foot into the tiny galley kitchen, I see that she’s been extremely busy—seemingly cooking the entire contents of her refrigerator.

“What’s all this?” I wave my hands toward the copious amounts of food.

“Well I have to cook everything before they turn the power off. You need to take some of this home with you and stick it in your freezer.” She doesn’t look me in the eyes as she says this, just continues to stir whatever she has on the stove. “Your sisters will be over later to pick up the rest so you get first dibs.”

“Ma… Why are they turning the power off?” My chest vibrates with silent rage, waiting for an explanation, even though I’m pretty sure I already know what it is.

Slowly, Mom turns to finally look me in the eye. “Your father…” But looks away before continuing. “He took everything before he left.” Mom wipes at her face and sniffs. “He even cleared out my emergency stash.” She walks toward the cupboard, retrieving an innocuous coffee can only to open it and show me it’s missing its contents.

Now isn’t the time to point out that a coffee can isn’t the safest spot to hide money. Instead I take two steps forward and pull Mom into my arms. “Everything will be okay, Ma. The girls and I will pool together with what we can. We’ll figure this out.”

“Since when did you turn into the grown-up?” Mom half sobs, half chuckles into me.

‘The day I decided I wouldn’t let love make me a fool,’ I think to myself as I let out a tired sigh. I keep this to myself of course. There’s no way I’m rubbing salt in Mom’s fresh wound.

Today’s events have poured over me like an ice-cold bucket of water. If I had any lingering doubts about my mystery man and his deliciously toned body, this disaster right here serves as the perfect reminder of why I never get romantically involved.

As I mentally pat myself on the back, I know I made the right call.